Category: NCAA

First ACC Win For Cal: Bears Survive A Shootout At Wake Forest, Win 46-36

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By Morris Phillips

Fernando Mendoza’s late fourth quarter dash for 24 yards came with a pair of Cal companions that were poised to escort their quarterback the remaining 16 yards to paydirt.

Then Mendoza tackled himself.

If you know Cal’s recent history regarding late game collapses, it made complete sense. Mendoza popped up and signaled the next play to his teammates, a couple of whom looked stunned. Mendoza’s reasoning was a narrow 3-point lead, and ball possession was far more comforting than a 10-point lead without the ball, even as just 1:49 remained in the game.

That’s Cal football, and the residual fear created by four, agonizing ACC losses by a combined total of nine points.

Did we mention that streak of conference defeats has ended?

It has, as Cal enjoyed a cool, comfortable Friday evening in North Carolina by outlasting Wake Forest, 46-36. Mendoza continued his hot run with 385 yards passing, two touchdown passes, and one touchdown run that could have been two.

“We found a way to win,” coach Justin Wilcox said. “It’s hard to win. We have a ton of respect for Wake Forest. I’m proud of our players.”

The Bears’ (5-4, 1-4) special teams set the tone early when Hunter Barth ripped the ball loose from kick returner Demond Claiborne, Miles Williams scooped the football and dashed nine yards to give Cal a 10-0 lead five minutes in.

Cal built leads of 20-7, 29-14, and 39-29 with 6:38 remaining only to see Wake Forest respond each time. With Cal clinging to a 39-36 advantage after the two-minute warning, Mendoza broke free, but his calculated move forced the Demon Deacons to burn a pair of timeouts.

Jaivian Thomas then ran 11 yards with 1:10 remaining for Cal’s final score, which re-established a two-score lead.

Ryan Coe, demoted from his position due to missed field goals, re-emerged with a pair of 54-yard field goals. Freshman Derek Morris, the new starting kicker but lacking Coe’s leg strength, also converted from 38 and 29 yards, along with nailing all four of Cal’s extra points.

“I’m just proud of that guy for continuing to stick with it through some tough times,” Wilcox said of Coe. “For Ryan to come in and hit two 54-yarders, that’s big time. We knew he could do it. We’ve seen it. It’s not surprising. It’s really a testament to him.”

Hank Bachmeier was 19 of 36 passing for 274 yards for the Deacons, but he was picked off three times. Nohl Williams was the recipient of one of Bachmeier’s errant throws, his seventh interception of the season, a total that leads the nation.

“They were the more physical team on both sides of the line of scrimmage,” Deacons coach Dave Clawson said. “Their defensive line really kind of got the best of our offensive line. We did not take care of the football. The sequence of the blocked field goal that led to the touchdown was really costly.” 

Allegacy Federal Credit Union Stadium didn’t exactly benefit from the first gridiron meeting of the two universities, despite the near perfect fall weather. The actual in-stadium attendance appeared to be fewer than 5,000 people in a facility that seats 30,000.

Early Start Served Fast: Cal blitzes Idaho State 88-36 to start 2-0

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By Morris Phillips

BERKELEY, CA–Crazy kids wanting to yell and scream half-filled Haas Pavilion Thursday morning. They were obliged by the Cal Bears, who provided three-point shooting, blocked shots, nifty steals, and rebounds that led to fastbreaks… a lot of fastbreaks.

A howling success was realized as Cal posted a lopsided 88-36 win to move to 2-0 on the season. Ioanna Krimili paced Cal’s balanced scoring with 18 points.

“It’s amazing to see all those kids, and I had the opportunity to also work with some of them in some of the schools, so it was great,” Krimili said. “The energy was very high, and it’s always amazing to play in front of them.”

A 14-1 start to the game immediately pushed the visiting Bengals to the brink, and their tepid shooting wasn’t anything near what was needed to recover. Idaho State shot 22 percent from the floor, which was the biggest reason Cal posted a 52-point margin of victory, the first time they’ve dominated to that extent since December 2015 against Cal State Northridge.

Idaho State was limited to single-digit scoring in three of the quarters. They outscored Cal 12-11 in the second and trailed by 16 at the half, by 39 after three.

The pace, in the half court and transition, was fast throughout. Coach Charmin Smith wants her team to hustle for quality shots in transition, and they achieved that with 22 fastbreak points, augmented by 13 offensive rebounds and 14 second-chance points. 

“We’re really trying to emphasize good shot selection and getting easy baskets, and I think we have weapons all over the floor, so it’s really hard to stop us when we’re sharing the basketball,” Smith said. “Our defense fuels our offense when we’re getting stops, and we get to play fast. I think we’re a really hard team to guard.”

Kayla Williams and freshman Zahra King were blurs attacking the basket. The graduate/freshman duo at the point combined for 20 points, seven rebounds, including the first nine points of King’s career. Michelle Onyiah added 10 points, eight rebounds.

Cal isn’t pre-ordained to be an effective shooting team from distance, but they certainly can trust shot artists Krimili and Lulu Twidale, who undoubtedly have the green light from the 3-point arc. Krimili has the most made threes of any returning player in Division 1 and Twidale is in Krimili’s class with her fast, confident release as soon as daylight breaks. The duo have combined for 16 of Cal’s 24 3-point makes to start the season.

“I think the nice thing about our team is that we have so many people that can score the ball, and I knew I can score the ball. I know my teammates are going find me.”

Idaho State, picked to finish eighth in the 10-team Big Sky conference, got seven points each from Halle Wright and Maria Dias. Piper Carlson was the Bengals’ leading rebounder with seven.

Cal visits San Jose State on Saturday to meet the Spartans at the Events Center at 1pm.

Bears storm back from early deficit and power themselves to 91-73 win over Cal Poly for first 2-0 start in five years

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Cal Bears guard Andrej Stojakovic (2) takes the ball down court against the Cal Poly Mustangs on Thu Nov 7, 2024 (Cal Bears X photo)

Thursday, Nov. 7, 2024

Haas Pavilion, Berkeley, California

Cal Poly Mustangs 73 (0-2)

California Golden Bears 91 (2-0)

By Stephen Ruderman

After falling behind early, the Bears came back to take the lead in the first half, and they pulled away in the second half on their way to a 91-73 win over Cal Poly.

After an 86-73 win over CSU Bakersfield to open the season on Monday night, the Bears welcomed the Cal Poly Mustangs to Haas Pavilion tonight. The Mustangs opened their season across the bay with an 86-78 loss to the University of San Francisco Tuesday night.

The Mustangs wasted no time getting to work tonight. Mike Riniker made a layup, and Isaac Jessup hit a three ball to stake Cal Poly to an early 5-0 lead.

DJ Campbell made a layup to put the Bears on the board, but Jessup hit another three, and Ethan Menzias hit a three of his own to make it 11-2. Cal Poly would make it 17-5 a few minutes later with 14:01 to go, and the Bears needed to get things under control before this game got out of hand.

As the game approached the halfway mark of the first half, the Bears started to chip away at Cal Poly’s lead. Jovan Blacksher Jr. hit a three to make it 17-8, and that would start an 11-2 run for the Bears that would close the Mustangs’ lead to 19-16.

The game would remain steady over the next few minutes. Rytis Petraitis was fouled and hit both from the line to close the gap to 24-22, and two minutes later, he hit a three to give the Bears their first lead of the night.

The Bears then went on another 11-2 run to jump out to a 35-26 lead with 2:27 to go. However, the Mustangs suddenly regained the momentum and went on an 8-2 run to close Cal’s lead to 37-34. The Bears would go into the half up 39-35.

Come the second half, the Bears put the game away. Andrej Stojakovic hit a three 36 seconds in, and Cal scored 12 unanswered points to blow the game open, as they now led 51-35. The rest of the game was smooth sailing, and the Bears won it 91-73.

Blacksher once again led the Bears in scoring tonight with 18 points, as he was 6-for-13 in field goals, and 4-for-7 from beyond the arc. Stojakovic scored 15 points, though he struggled and missed a lot of shots, as he was 5-for-17 in field goals, and just 2-for-9 from beyond the arc.

Petraitis scored 13 points going 3-for-4 in field goals and hitting his only three. The bulk of Petraitis’ scoring came on free throws, as he was 6-for-8 from the line. B.J. Omot scored 10; Christian Tucker and Lee Dort scored eight; and Joshua Ola-Joseph and Jeremiah Wilkinson scored six.

The Bears are off to a 2-0 start for the first time in five years, and they will have the next five days off as a nice reward. Then, they will hit the road for the first time this season, as they will travel to Nashville, Tennessee to play the Vanderbilt Commodores on Wednesday, and then they will return to California to play the USC Trojans down in Los Angeles next Saturday.

Tipoff next Wednesday will be at 7 p.m. CST/5 p.m. PST.

Cal Bears podcast with Morris Phillips: Cal needs to tighten up on turnovers; Bears rank 16th in six turnover categories

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Cal Bears wide receiver Mikey Matthews (8) and wide receiver Nyziah Hunter (13) celebrate at Cal Memorial Stadium in Berkeley against the Oregon State Beavers on Sat Oct 26, 2024 (Cal Bears X photo)

On Cal Bears podcast with Morris Phillips:

#1 After Cal Bears (4-4) had lost four straight and crushed the Oregon State Beavers (4-4) last Saturday there is little doubt that Cal head coach Justin Wilcox had this team prepared and turned around and it was a weight off their back to get back in the win column.

#2 Cal has outscored opponents 212-138 in it’s four wins that averages out to 20.75. In contrast in their four loses Cal have averaged to 2.25 points.

#3 Not a good category for Cal they are number 16 in six statistical categories in turnovers, Cal is second in turnover margin (+1.63 per game), tied for third in interceptions (14), tied for fourth in fewest passes intercepted (3), tied for fifth in turnovers lost (5), tied for sixth in turnovers gained (18) and tied for 16th in fumbles lost (2).

#4 Morris, Cal quarterback Fernando Mendoza is coming off throwing 27-36, for 364 yards, and two touchdowns against Oregon State last week. Will this be something that could carry over for Mendoza in terms confidence and piling up the throwing yards against Wake Forest for Friday night?

#5 There have been surprising results in the ACC and how do you see the Championship chase nationally.

Join Morris Phillips for the Cal football podcasts Thursdays at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Stanford Cardinal podcast with Michael Roberson: Taylor said Wolfpack’s Bailey had time to run on the pass rush

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Stanford Cardinal Tobin Phillips (40) attempts to pass rush NC State Wolfpack quarterback CJ Bailey in the first half in Raleigh NC on Sat Nov 2, 2024 (AP News photo)

Stanford Cardinal podcast with Michael Roberson:

#1 Michael in Stanford head coach Troy Taylor’s presser this week coach explained what happened as the NC State Wolfpack had a good first half as the Wolfpack scored two touchdowns in the first quarter and 17 points in the second quarter.

#2 Coach Taylor said that Wolfpack kept rolling until the fourth quarter when Stanford got an interception.

#3 Coach Taylor said that NC State quarterback CJ Bailey had time to throw the ball and that Bailey is “talented and a heck of a player” Bailey wound up throwing three touchdowns last Saturday.

#4 Coach said that if you don’t pressure the quarterback the Wolfpack didn’t make any mistakes. ” (Bailey) had a lot of time to throw and he did a great job when we had him covered down he would run for yards”

#5 The Cardinal (2-7) return home to host the Louisville Cardinals (6-3). Louisville beat the Clemson Tigers in their last game 33-21 at Clemson last Saturday. Louisville has won three of their last four games. What’s your take as it’s the Cardinals vs. the Cardinal this Sat Nov 16 at 12:30pm PST.

Join Michael Roberson for the weekly Stanford Cardinal podcast at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Newbies lead Cal to 86-73 win over CSU Bakersfield in season opener

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Cal Bears guard DeJuan Campbell (3) is all smiles on opening night against the CSUB Roadrunners at Haas Pavilion in Berkeley on Mon Nov 4, 2024 (Cal Bears X photo)

Monday, Nov. 4, 2024

Haas Pavilion, Berkeley, California

CSU Bakersfield Roadrunners 73 (0-1)

California Golden Bears 86 (1-0)

By Stephen Ruderman

The Cal Bears (1-0) opened the 2024-2025 season, and a bunch of new faces shined in an 86-73 win over the CSU Bakersfield Roadrunners (0-1) at Haas Pavilion in Berkeley on Monday night.

Following a brutal 3-29 2022-2023 season, the Bears bounced back under first-year head coach Mark Madssn to go 13-19. It wasn’t the greatest record ever, but it didn’t come without its memorable and heartbreaking moments.

The Bears had some epic come-from-behind wins last season, as well as big wins against stronger teams. They even had a chance at a winning season until they lost their final four.

Most of the faces from last season are gone, and the Bears are now in the Atlantic Coast Conference as Madsen returns for his second season. With new blood in the Bears’ locker room, and an entirely new starting lineup of transfers, Madsen would try to build off the momentum from last season.

First up in this new season would be the CSU Bakersfield Roadrunners out of the lesser-known Big West Conference. Right away, one of the newcomers made his presence known. I’m talking about Andrej Stojakovic, the son of former NBA forward Peja Stojakovic, who believe it or not transferred over from Stanford of all places.

Stojakovic hit a three 15 seconds into the game to put the Bears on the board and stake them out to an early 3-0 lead. Over a minute later, he would hit a layup to make it 5-2. Oddly enough, Stojakovic was just 3-for-9 in field goals, but his perfect 9-for-9 in free throws led him to a 16-point performance.

The Roadrunners would take an 8-7 lead a few minutes later, but that would be the only lead they would hold the entire night.

The Bears went into the half with a 46-28 lead. One of the biggest themes in Bears’ games last season was that whichever team had a big lead at halftime was likely to lose it in the second half. Fortunately for the Bears, that did not happen Monday night.

Yes, the Roadrunners made things a little bit interesting late, as they cut the lead in half. However, a strong finish gave the Bears a comfortable 86-73 win.

The leading scorer for the Bears Monday night with 17 points was Jovan a Blacksher Jr., a transfer from Grand Canyon University playing his sixth season of college basketball. Blacksher was 6-for-14 in field goals, and 3-for-7 from beyond the arc.

BJ Omot, a transfer from the University of North Dakota, scored 13 points. DJ Campbell, who transferred from Stockton University, scored 12; and Mady Sissoko, who came over from Michigan State University, scored 10.

The Bears are 1-0, and they will welcome the Cal Poly Mustangs into Haas Pavilion Thursday night. Tipoff will be at 7 p.m.

Experience Goes A Long Way: Cal’s Women Open With Impressive 90-58 Win Over Short-Handed St. Mary’s

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By Morris Phillips

BERKELEY, CA–Lost among the excitement of Cal’s decisive 90-58 opening night win and their prospects for a competitive debut season in the ACC was former Cal assistant Jeff Cammon trying to get his Gaels’ back to Moraga with their confidence intact.

Last season, Cammon had a lot more experience on the team bus, and St. Mary’s nagged Cal in a 74-69 loss in which they came dangerously close to the home team after trailing by 15 with just seven minutes remaining.

On Monday, with two freshman guards playing extensively, without marquee offensive leader Zeryhia Aokuso and his entire team flubbing on an intricate, defensive game plan, Cammon watched the evening unravel in a 2nd quarter that saw the Bears outscore his group 22-6 and lead 42-21 before the break.

“It’s super challenging,” Cammon said. “You’re dealing with young ladies who have almost zero experience at the Division 1 level, not to mention we haven’t been together too long. We went to Italy but this is a whole different deal.”

Meanwhile, Charmin Smith’s Bears were unyielding, relying on their size, talent, and experience to wear down St. Mary’s from the early minutes to the final horn. Sophomore Lulu Twidale led Cal with 24 points, Marta Suarez added 17, and the graduate core of Ioanna Krimili (124 games at the D1 level), Kayla Williams (112 games) and Michelle Onyiah (105 games) combined for 34.

Cammon said Onyiah might have presented the biggest challenge with her quick, rehearsed post moves and 6’3″ grown woman confidence.

“Michelle is such a challenge for us. She’s so big and athletic for us,” Cammon said. “It puts a little pressure on us. Do we sink down and try to help or leave her to go one-on-one against our bigs?”

Smith wanted improvement, and she has it, declaring that this is her most impressive roster in six seasons as head coach. Last year, Smith and the Bears experienced a breakthrough with 19 wins and a WNIT Tournament postseason berth. With the additions of impact transfer portal additions, Williams, Jayda Noble, and Natalia Ackerman, Cal could surprise in the coast-to-coast ACC.

Williams ran the offense seamlessly in place of departed point guard Leilani McIntosh, and Krimili selflessly assisted Williams as Cal complied 17 assists on 28 made baskets. Inside the paint, Cal had their way with 18 more free throw attempts than the Gaels. Outside, they made 14 threes on 30 attempts.

Cal’s 22nd-ranked recruiting class showed nerves as the quintet of rookies combined to shoot 1 of 8 from the floor.   Kamryn Mafua, the highest ranked Cal freshman according to recruiting services, buried a wide-open three with 1:09 remaining to give Cal its biggest lead of 34 points.

The Bears have a Thursday matinee affair at 11:00 a.m. against Idaho State at Haas Pavilion before traveling to San Jose State on Saturday.

2

Cardinal Unsettle Pioneers 85-62, During Exploration on the Farm, Monday Afternoon

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Stanford Cardinal guard Oziyah Sellers (4) led the Cardinal in scoring on Mon Nov 4, 2024 against the Denver Pioneers at Maples Pavilion in Palo Alto (Stanford Cardinal photo)

By Michael Roberson

STANFORD, Calif. — The Staford Cardinal (1-0, 0-0 ACC) won their season opener with a 85-62 victory over the University of Denver Pioneers (0-1, 0-0 Summit League) on an Early Afternoon in Palo Alto.

Despite a nip and tuck beginning to the contest, Stanford eventually took charge and pulled away from the competition. The first half had five ties and seven lead changes, and was really competitive until late in the stanza.

“I was really pleased for our first home game; I thought we played well in a lot of stretches, and Denver played really hard.” Explained Stanford HC Kyle Smith.

Near the 7-minute mark of the first half, Stanford went on a 17-0 run, taking a great deal of fight from the Mile-High Explorers. During the initial 20 minutes, the Cardinal hit five threes, blocked 5 shots, swiped 9 steals, dished 8 assists, and forced 12 turnovers.

At the midway point of the game, Stanford led by 16 (38-22), although their largest advantage during the initial half was two points greater. Junior guard Benny Gealer led the home team with 12 points, on four made 3-pointers. Senior forward Maxime Raynaud was near a double-double, with nine points and eight rebounds. Sophomore guard DeAndre Craig topped the Pioneers with eight points and four rebounds..

The second half had even more contributions from the Cardinal hooper, including junior guard Oziyah Sellers and his 17 additional points to the teams’ tally. Sellers had a productive seven points in the first half, but exploded for more than double his early output. Raynaud also continued his consistent play with points, rebounds and assists,

Denver continued to fight; however, the Cardinal ‘s attack and defense was too strong, as they led by as much as 27 points late in the game. When the final horn sounded and the 40 minutes of regulation expired, the Cardinal had secured their first win of the 2024-25 season, 85-62.

The aforementioned Sellers led all scorers with his career high 24 points, and he grabbed 7 rebounds. Raynaud accomplished a double-double (16 points & 12 rebounds) and gave 6 assists, swiped two steals and blocked a shot.

Two other Cardinal hoopers were in double figures: Gealer (12) and graduate guard Jaylen Blakes (12), who also dropped 6 dimes himself for the squad.

The Pioneers had three players to eclipse the 10-point plateau. Craig (12), freshman guard Sebastian Akins (150 and senior forward Pedro Lopez-Sanvicente (10).

The Cardinal will next be in action Friday, November 8 at Maples hosting Fullerton at 1:00 PM PST on ACC Extra/ESPN+. Denver heads back to Colorado to host Western Colorado on the same date at 1:00 PM MST on Micro Sports Plus/Summit League Network.

Wolfpack hands Cardinal sixth straight defeat, wins ACC contest 59-28

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North Carolina State cornerback Brandon Cisse (2) nearly intercepts a pass intended for Stanford Cardinal wide receiver Ismeal Cisse (84) in second half action in Raleigh NC on Sat Nov 2, 2024 (AP News photo)

By Daniel Dullum

Saturday, November 2, 2024

Stanford suffered its sixth consecutive football defeat in Raleigh, N.C., Saturday, as North Carolina State hammered the Cardinal 59-28 in Atlantic Coast Conference play while snapping a two-game home losing streak.

Hollywood Smothers and Jordan Waters each ran for two of the Wolfpack’s touchdowns, and quarterback CJ Bailey threw for three more. It was the first football meeting between NC State (5-4 overall, 2-3 ACC) and Stanford.

Waters rushed for 115 yards on five carries, and Smothers gained 100 yards on 15 attempts.

Bailey took over at quarterback for NC State after Grayson McCall was medically retired due to head injuries. He completed 18 of 20 passes for 234 yards.

Stanford (2-7 overall, 1-5 ACC) started strong, scoring on three of its first six possessions. Cardinal quarterback Ashton Daniels had touchdown runs of 67 and 48 yards while tying a single-game Stanford record for rushing by a quarterback with 129 yards on 11 carries.

NC State led 31-14 at halftime and finished the game with 527 total yards. Stanford lost despite racking up 398 yards in total offense.

Daniels was injured early in the third quarter on a hit by NC State’s Kemal Bonner that drew a roughing the passer penalty. Justin Lamson took over at quarterback for the Cardinal and ran for one touchdown and threw for another.

Largely because of Daniels’ efforts, the Cardinal rushed for 225 yards and three touchdowns on the ground. It was the first time Stanford accomplished that feat this season and the first time they’ve done it since 2022.

Cole Tabb made his college football debut and added 72 rushing yards, and Elic Avomanor caught four passes for 108 yards and a touchdown.

Defensively, Tevarua Tafiti made the first interception of his career in the fourth quarter. David Bailey added two sacks for the Cardinal.

After a bye week, Stanford plays its final home game of the season on Nov. 16, hosting Louisville.

Stanford Cardinal podcast with Michael Roberson: Wolfpack just had their way with Stanford all day at NC State 59-28; Cardinal host Cardinals this Saturday at Farm

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The Stanford Cardinal wide receiver Eric Ayomanor (13) makes a reception in front of the NC State Wolfpack’s cornerback Aydan White (3) at Carter-Finley Stadium in Raleigh Carolina on Sat Nov 2, 2024 (AP News photo)

On the Stanford Cardinal podcast with Michael Roberson:

#1 The NC State Wolfpack’s (5-4) Hollywood Smothers and Jordan Waters both carried for two touchdowns and quarterback CJ Bailey also contributed with three touchdowns of his own as the Wolfpack crushed the Stanford Cardinal (2-7) 59-28 Saturday at NC State.

#2 The Wolfpack were stoked as they snapped their two game home losing streak with a dominate first half and scoring three touchdowns in four plays and went through the Cardinal defense like butter.

#3 Waters 94 yard run against the Stanford defense was NC State’s second longest in school history. “Today things clicked and that’s what efficiency looks like,” N.C. State coach Dave Doeren said.

#4 The Cardinal on offense saw quarterback Ashton Daniels score two of the three touchdowns in the Stanford’s first six possessions. Daniels 129 yards rushing on 11 carries ties a single game record for a quarterback at Stanford.

#5 Next up for the Cardinal it’s back to Stanford for the Cardinals vs. the Cardinal. The Louisville Cardinal come calling this Sat Nov 16th at a time to be announced. Louisville are an above .500 team they have Georgia Tech, Virginia, and Boston College. The Cardinals are sixth in the ACC. The Cardinal are third from last from last in the ACC. Stanford going into Saturday’s game are on a six game losing streak and are still looking to get fire lit underneath them.

Michael Roberson does the Stanford Cardinal podcasts weekly on Thursdays at http://www.sportsradioservice.com