Category: NCAA

Stanford Cardinal podcast with Michael Roberson: Cardinal women host USC Friday; Cardinal men at ASU on Thursday

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Stanford Cardinal forward Cameron Brink is fired up as she led the Cardinal in scoring with 25 points against the Arizona Wildcats at the McKale Memorial Center in Tucson AZ on Sun Jan 28, 2024 (Stanford Cardinal photo)

On the Stanford Cardinal basketball podcast with Michael Roberson:

#1 Ever since Stanford Cardinal head coach Tara VanDerveer picked up her 1203 career win setting an NCAA record she has coached the Cardinal to two more wins her latest was Sunday in a win over the Arizona Wildcats 96-64. The Cardinal went through the Wildcats like butter.

#2 Cameron Brink led the Cardinal in scoring with 25 points once again she was the key player on offense that kept things going for the Cardinal.

#3 The Cardinal host the USC Trojans (14-4) on Friday night. The Trojans had a pretty good run until their last four games which they lost three of them. The Trojans lost to the Washington Huskies 62-59 in Seattle. Can the Cardinal take advantage of the Trojans while their in struggle?

#4 Stanford men’s basketball (10-9); It was a close game at UC Berkeley but the Cardinal didn’t quite get the job done losing by a basket 73-71 to the Cal Bears(8-12) last Friday night at Haas Pavilion. Stanford’s Spencer Jones led with 13 points.

#5 Stanford now head to Arizona State to face the Sun Devils (11-9) Thursday night. ASU has lost four of their last five games. Stanford has won three of it’s last five games. How do you see this match up in Tempe for Thursday night.

Michael Roberson is a Stanford Cardinal beat writer for http://www.sportsradioservice.com

UNLV Runnin Rebels Run Over San Jose State Spartans 77-65

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The San Jose Spartans battled and dropped their third game in a row to the UNLV Runnin Rebels at Provident Event Credit Union in San Jose on Sat Jan 27, 2024 (photo by SJSU Spartans)

Saturday, January 27th, 2024

By Troy Ewers

The San Jose State Spartans host UNLV in a conference game. The Spartans won both contests against the Runnin’ Rebels last season, including an overtime win at home and a nine-point victory in Las Vegas.

Tibet Görener scored 11 points in both games while Trey Anderson registered a game-high 19 points in the win on the road. The Spartans couldn’t hold the Runnin Rebels back and went down to defeat 77-65 at Provident Credit Union Event Center in San Jose.

Starting off hot, the Spartans shot 90% from the field and 100% from three in the first nine minutes and gained a controlling lead early. UNLV closed the gap by shooting proficiently from the field, 24 points in the paint, but were scoreless in the final three minutes of the half which kept SJSU on top. SJSU held the lead at half 39-32.

Tibet Gorener and Alvaro Cardenas both led the Spartans with 10 points and SJSU’s largest lead was 12 points. The Spartans have held leads in the past, but they haven’t had a great track record of holding leads. 

The second half was a complete breakdown for the Spartans as they lost the lead to the Rebels halfway through the second half. UNLV went on a 14 of 14 run to end the game and put a dagger in the heart of the Spartans and pop the balloon of energy in the Event Center. UNLV wins 77-65 decisively. Keylan Boone led the Rebels with 18 points and was a huge deciding factor in this game. 

The Spartans couldn’t hold this lead and it’s another loss on the season, most importantly another loss in the Mountain West Conference. The next game for SJSU is against Utah State in Utah on January 30th and the Spartans look to regain some momentum going into February.

Stanford Cardinal game wrap: Cardinal Wounded and Heartbroken in Bears’ Territory, 73-71, on a Friday Night Battle of the Bay I

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Stanford Cardinal guard Kanaan Carlyle (3) takes a a shot against the Cal Bears forward Grant Newell (14) and forward Fardaws Aimaq (00) in second half action at Haas Pavilion in Berkeley on Fri Jan 26, 2024 (AP News photo)

By Michael Roberson

BERKELEY, Calif. — The Stanford Cardinal (10-9, 5-4 Pac-12) dropped Part ! of the Battle of the Bay against the California Golden Bears (8-12, 4-5 Pac-12), 73-71, inside Haas Pavilion.

Stanford scratched the scoreboard first , on a split free throws scenario.by senior forward Spencer Jones. Cal took their only lead in the first half (4-3( shortly thereafter.

Although the home team was not able to get over the hump again in the first 20 minutes, Cal kept the game within reach by halftime. Stanford ked by as much as 8 points, and half of that at intermission, 40-36.

No Cardinal hooper reached double=digits, although a triumvirate had 8 points to show for themselves. Spencer Jones, Michael Jones and Kanaan Carlyle all had 2/3 of a dozen points. The Golden Bears had one player with at least 10 points. Junior guard Jaylon Tyson tallied 10 points and 5 rebounds.

Stanford increased the lead to 10 points, early in the second half. However, the Bears clawed their way back, and presumably took the lead 51-50 at the 12:43 mark, Unfortunately for Cal, the three-point shot by senior Jalen Cone, was ruled a 2-pointer instead.. Cal still didn;t get over the hump. at that juncture of the game.

Stanford went on a 7-0 run after that, seemingly in control of the contest. The Golden Bears were determined to come back and eventually be in front of their cross-Bay neighbors and rivals.

After that first disappointment early in the second half, Cal did officially get into a leading position 62-60 (7:13). Despite letting go of a 10-point advantage, Stanford regained the lead on several occasions. As a matter of fact, the game was tied 8 times and there were 7 lead changes.

Those moments were obviously late in the ball game, because overall Stanford had the lead for approximately 31 and a half minutes, while California had their advantage for 26 less minutes than the Cardinal, but led when it really counted,,,at the final whistle.

With the consistent back and forth of the final minutes and seconds, it came down to game-winning free throws by redshirt junior guard, Jalen Celestine, with :58 remaining on the clock. Stanford had a costly turnover by Maxime Raynaud, the Celestine converted another FT, which presented the final score of 73-71, California Golden Bears.

Stanford had 0 players in double-digits at the half, but garnered four at game’s end. Spencer Jones (13), Brandon Angel (12), Kanaan Carlyle (12) and Maxime Raynaud (11) & 13 rebounds.

Cal had a lone player to reach those heights after 20 minutes of playing time, but had a whopping 6 after 40 minutes of regulation time. Jaylon Tyson (14), Fardaws Aimaq (13) & 12 rebounds, Jalen Celestine (12), Keonte Kennedy (11), Grant Newell (11) & 10 rebounds and Jalen Cone (10).

Stanford will next be in action Thursday, February 1 in the Grand Canyon State, as they take on the Arizona State Sun Devils at 6 PM PDT/7 Mountain.. on ESPN2. Cal plays against the Arizona Wildcats, on the same date, a half hour earlier, on P-12 Network.

Note: Both Coach Haas and Madsen both were coaching against their Alma Maters, and are excited the both will continue in the Atlantic Coast Conference.

New Mexico Beats San Jose State In A 95-75 Blowout

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The San Jose State Spartans guard Myron Amey Jr. gives chase of the basketball as the New Mexico Lobos guard Jalen House (10) tries to control the ball at Provident Credit Union Event Center in San Jose on Wed Jan 24, 2024 (AP News photo)

Wednesday, January 24th, 2024

By Troy Ewers

SAN JOSE–The newly ranked New Mexico Lobos are in the Event Center to face the San Jose State Spartans. The Lobos come into San Jose looking for consecutive Mountain West road wins for the first time since a three game MW road win streak from the end of the 2017-2018 season to the start of the 2018-2019 season.

The Spartans on the other hand have had four of the five conference games decided by three points or fewer. They lost at Wyoming on a buzzer beater, lost by only three to No. 19 San Diego State, won at the buzzer at Air Force, and lost on a last second shot to Fresno State.

The Spartans have yet to play a conference game where the winning team won by more than ten points, Boise State came closest when they beat the Spartans by nine. The Lobos got a 20 point win over the Spartans 95-72 at Provident Credit Union Event Center.

The first half started with New Mexico having complete control five minutes into the game, missing only two shots at first. Fouls further put the Spartans slightly behind, but they kept the gap close at times.

Shooting only 33% in the first half is what couldn’t get the Spartans any type of lead in the first half, but their leading scorers were Tibet Gorener with 12 points and MJ Amey Jr. with 11 points and a halftime buzzer beater, who are two of the four players on this Spartans team who average more than ten points per game.

At halftime the Lobos had an 11 point lead 43-32, but the game felt closer than what the stats and score displayed, the energy in the building was behind the Spartans, especially after Amey Jr.’s buzzer beater. 

The second half was where the wheels fell off for the Spartans. 18 turnovers for SJSU and the Lobos scored 22 points off of these turnovers. At one point the Spartans closed the gap to nine points, but that was it the deficit was too great for San Jose State to overcome.

New Mexico’s leading scorer with 18 points was Jalen House, who even scored three straight threes as he playfully talked trash with the Spartans crowd. The leading scorer for San Jose State was Amey Jr. with 24 points and nine rebounds, but that didn’t stop the Lobos from dominating the game. The final score 95-75 New Mexico with another road win. 

New Mexico has now won four straight games by double figures as well and this is their fourth straight win in general.

The next game for SJSU is against UNLV, Saturday January 27th in the Provident Credit Union Event Center and SJSU is finally out of the crazy loop where all the games were decided by three or fewer, even though I’m sure they’d want it to be a win.

Stanford Cardinal Basketball podcast with Michael Roberson: VanDerveer “I’m overwhelmed” in becoming winningest NCAA coach

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Tara VanDerveer acknowledges the Maples Pavilion crowd after winning her 1,203rd game an NCAA record against the Oregon State Beavers on Sun Jan 21, 2024 at Maples Pavilion in Palo Alto (AP News photo)

On the Stanford Cardinal podcast with Michael:

#1 You were there to see it Michael on Sunday as NCAA history was made by Tara VanDerveer becoming the winningest coach in NCAA history with her 1,203 win.

#2 VanDerveer pass coach K better known as Duke and Army coach Mike Krzyzewski for the record. That’s a storied career Krzyzewski held but VanDerveer had been working on this record for awhile and achieved it with a win over the Oregon State Beavers 65-56.

#3 Those in attendance admired VanDerveer’s class after the game thanking the fans, the marching band, and asked the band to stop playing and got on the PA and told the Maples Pavilion crowd that she was overwhelmed.

#4 In Men’s basketball after winning three of their last four games the Cardinal took a tough loss to the USC Trojans 93-79 on Jan 6th. The Cardinal high scorer was Michael Jones who finished with 23 points. Three Cardinal players finished in double figures.

#5 After some 20 days off from live action the Cardinal are back at it again facing the Cal Bears at Haas Pavilion in Berkeley on Fri Jan 26th. Cal has played some stunning games and won their last game against the Washington State Cougars 81-75 on Saturday. Cal has won three of their last six games. Do you see this Cardinal-Bears match up as a anyone could win game?

Michael Roberson does Stanford Cardinal podcasts for http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Spencer Jones’ Hot Hand and Cardinal Subdued the Huskies Trek through the Bay, 90-80

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The Stanford Cardinal (14) takes a jump shot against the Washington Huskies at Maples Pavilion in Palo Alto on Sat Jan 20, 2024 (AP News photo)

By Michael Roberson

STANFORD, Calif. — Senior Spencer Jones’ career-high 30 points & tied school record 8 Threes helped the Stanford Cardinal (10-8, 5-3 Pac-12) stave off the charging Washington Huskies (11-8, 3-5 Pac-12). 90-80 on a wet evening on the Farm.

Stanford converted the opening basket of the game within the first 15 seconds of play. However, Washing trumped that with a three to take their only lead of the game at 3-2 (19:28).

The Huskies attempted to get over the hump the rest of the half and beyond. They made 9 of the 10 free throw attempts, while the Cardinal had no gift shots. Stanford 7/15 3-pointers in the first 20 minutes, which superseded the FT disparity. Stanford was in front by as many as 13 points.

By the time the recess whistle sounded, the Cardinal had an eight point lead, 39-31. Neither team had a player reach the double-figure plateau. The Jones Brothers (Spencer & Michael) both had 8 points to lead the Cardinal, while the Huskies were led by junior forward Wilhelm Breidenbach with 8 points and 5 rebounds.

At the midway point of the contest, Spencer had a pedestrian two made treys. That changed dramatically over the final 20-minute stanza.

In the second half the Huskies continued to try and chip into the lead, but trailed by 14 late in the game. Every attempt to tie the game and/or take the lead, Spencer Jones had the answer.

Jones hit 6 three-pointers in the second half; even more so, timely shots. Washington was gaining momentum, and had possession of the ball down two. They didn’t convert, then Spencer drilled a Dagger 3 to stop them in their tracks.

Washington continued to attack their conference foes, barrage of bombs from threeland and 21 made free throws, exclusively in the second half, were too much for the hoopers from the Great Northwest.

At the final buzzer, the home team won by 10, 90-80, and put themselves in a good position in the conference standings.

Besides Spencer, three other teammates reached double digits in scoring. Kanaan Carlyle had 16 points and 5 assists. Michael Jones and Brandon Angel both contributed 13 points.

Washington offered to that category, including two with double-doubles. Keion Brooks Jr. (20 points/11 rebounds), Moses Wood (19), Breidenbach (12/10), Sahvir Wheeler (12) and Paul Mulcahy (10).

The Cardinal are next in action Friday, January 26, as they travel to Berkeley for Part 1 of the Battle of the Bay versus California at 7 PM PDT on FS1. Washington heads back to Seattle to host the Colorado Buffaloes on Wednesday, January 24 at 8 PM PDT on ESPNU.

Bears blow another big lead, but bounce back to beat Cougars in overtime thriller 81-75

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Jaylon Tyson (20) guard for the Cal Bears was key against the Washington State Cougars on Sat Jan 20, 2024 at Haas Pavilion in Berkeley in the Bears overtime win (file photo by Cal Bears)

Saturday, Jan. 20, 2024

Haas Pavilion, Berkeley, California

Washington State Cougars 75 (13-6 Overall; 4-4 Pac-12)

California Golden Bears 81 (7-12 Overall; 3-5 Pac-12)

By Stephen Ruderman

BERKELEY–After blowing an 11-point lead, and trailing by seven with two minutes and three seconds to go in the second half, the Bears bounced back, and they beat the Washington State Cougars in a thriller in overtime, 81-75

The Bears were looking to bounce back after a pair of devastating losses. They blew a massive lead against the Oregon Ducks in Eugene on Jan. 13, and then they lost a wild seesaw battle to the Washington Huskies on a buzzer beater Thursday night.

Today, the Bears were up against another strong Pac-12 force in the Washington State Cougars, winners of three in a row coming in. The second of the three wins was a 73-70 win over the eighth-ranked Arizona Wildcats, and the Bears were once again going to have their hands full.

The Cougars won the tip, and got on the board right away on a jump shot by Isaac Jones. There then wouldn’t be any scoring for a minute and a half. The Bears missed three shots; the Cougars missed one shot, and had a turnover. Fardaws Aimaq then got Cal on the board with a jumper.

The Cougars had some early momentum, particularly with the three-ball, as Adrej Jakimovski responded to Aimaq’s jumper with a three. Keonte Kennedy hit a jumper, but Jaylen Wells hit a three to give the Cougars an 8-4 lead. Following a free throw by Aimaq and a layup by Jaylon Tyson, Jakimovski hit another three to make it 11-7.

Jalen Cone hit a three, and then Rice Myles hit two from the line after being fouled. Aimaq laid one in; Myles hit one of two from the line; and Grant Newell hit a three to give Cal their first lead of the day.

The Bears caught fire, as Newell’s three was the beginning of a 13-2 run that fueled the Bears to open up a 27-16 lead with 8:26 to go in the first half. Tyson, Aimaq, Gus Larson, Jalen Celestine and Cone all scored during the run.

Myles hit a jumper to make it 27-18 with 7:41 remaining, and then there wasn’t any scoring for nearly three minutes. The teams traded points in the final few minutes of the first half. Jaylon Tyson and Jaylen Wells traded layups; Jakimovski hit a jumper to make it 29-24; and Cone and Jakimovski traded threes to make it 32-37 with 2:51 to go.

The Cougars were able to claw back into the game, as a jumper by Rueben Chinyelu made it a three-point game at 32-29. However, the Bears went into half up 36-29 after dunks by Tyson and Aimaq.

The Bears were able to maintain a semi-steady lead as the second half got underway, and a dunk by Aimaq made it a nine-point lead at 42-33.

Then, the Cougars came storming back, and in what has been an unfortunate recurring theme for the Bears this season, they blew another big lead. Rice Myles was fouled, and hit one of two from the line, which started a 9-0 run by the Cougars to tie the game.

Jakimovski was also fouled, and hit one of two from the line. Rice and Jakimovski both made layups, then Rice hit a jumper, and tied the game from the line after he was fouled.

Just like that, the Bears had blown yet another lead, and the Cougars were not done. Myles hit a three with exactly 10 minutes remaining in the second half to give Washington State a 49-46 lead, and they kept going. Oscar Cluff hit a pair at the line, and then he made a layup and a free throw after he was fouled on the play to open up a 54-48 lead for Washington State.

Jaylon Wells hit a three with 4:20 left to give the Cougars their biggest lead at 59-52, and the game appeared to be over. However, the Bears, who had blown many big leads this season, had also come back from a fair share of deficits this season, and they had another comeback in them.

The teams traded points for the next two minutes, and a jumper by Myles Rice had the Cougars up 65-58 with just 2:03 to go. Aimaq laid one in, and hit a free throw after he fouled on the play; Rice missed a three; and Jaylon Tyson hit a three to suddenly make it a one-point game.

Tyson laid one in, and Jalen Cone hit two from the line after being intentionally fouled to give the Bears a 68-65 lead, but Myles hit a three at the buzzer to send the game into overtime notched at 68-68.

Overtime began, and after three missed shots by the Bears, Jalen Celestine hit a three to put Cal back ahead. Tyson was fouled, and hit one of two from the line; and Keonte Kennedy slammed one down to open Cal’s lead to 74-68.

Fittingly, the Cougars were not going to make it easy. Andrej Jakimovski hit a three, and Isaac Jones dunked on to make it a one-point game with 2:13 to go.

However, the Bears did not give in this time. Tyson hit a jumper with 1:51 to go, and then no points were scored for a minute and one second. That was Tyson was fouled, and sent to the line, where he made both shots, as the Bears let it 78-73 with 50 seconds to go.

Jakimovski went for a layup, but was rejected by Tyson. After the Cougars rebounded, the Bears called a 30-second timeout. Rice Myles missed a jump shot, and the ball was rebounded by Keonte Kennedy. Kennedy passed to Cone, who was intentionally fouled, and Cone made both shots to put the game away at 80-73.

Jakimovski missed a three with 12 seconds to go, but the Cougars still intentionally fouled Jalen Celestine, who made one of two from the line to make it 81-73. Jakimovski laid one in to trim the deficit to six with two seconds remaining. The Cougars appeared ready to commit another foul, but they realized that there was no use in doing so, and the Bears had somehow miraculously won it, 81-75.

Blowing big leads has indeed been an unfortunate and recurring theme for the Bears in a season that has also featured some incredible wins, and that has been a clear night-and-day difference from last season. The Bears haven’t had the best season, but to bounce back from a 3-29 season to what the Bears have done thus far this season has been no small achievement.

The Bears will now welcome their hated rivals, the Stanford Cardinal, into Haas Pavilion for a 7 p.m. tip Friday night.

Cal Bears podcast with Stephen Ruderman: Cal grabs 7th win in House of Pain in overtime 81-75

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The Cal Bears bench erupts in overtime against the Washington State Cougars at Haas Pavilion in Berkeley on Sat Jan 20, 2024 (Cal Bears photo)

On the Cal Bears podcast with Stephen:

#1 Stephen, The Cal Bears (7-12) in the first half had the lead for most of the game and got scoring help from guard Jalen Cone who they relied on for three of his key five three point jump shots.

#2 The Washington State Cougars (13-6) tried to close the gap with just over three minutes left in the first half and got some high scoring from Andrej Jakimvovski who scored 12 points to lead the Cougars at half time. Cal came away with a seven point lead at the half.

#3 The Cougars who did trail at halftime it was surprising at some levels as the Cougars came into the game with a 13-5 record to Cal’s 6-12 record. Cal has outplayed a number of colleges who had better records.

#4 Bears who had at one time had an 11 point lead saw all that go away after the Cougars ended up tying the game 44-44 at 11:11 in the second half action.

#5 The Cougars who pulled away and had their biggest lead at seven. But with just seconds left in the game Cal caught up trailing by one point. With 21.5 seconds left Cal got a key basket by Jaylon Tyson to put Cal up 66-65. Cone sank two free throws to put Cal up 68-65 with 4.2 seconds left.

#6 The Cougars got a tying basket at the buzzer from Myles Rice making it 68-68 and forcing overtime at Haas Pavilion. One the overtime tip was made the Bears got key baskets from Jalen Celestine and a slam dunk Keonte Kennedy to retake the lead 74-68 with 3:28 in overtime. Cal win it 81-75.

#5 Cal concludes this three game homestand against the Stanford Cardinal on Fri Jan 26th with a 7:00pm PT tip off. The Cardinal come into Haas Pavilion having won four of their last six games. Stephen Cal has lost two close contests how do you see this one next week Friday night here at Haas which Bears head coach Mark Madsen calls a House of Pain.

Stephen Ruderman covers the Cal Bears at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Cardinal’s Bark Scratched off by Cougars, 89-75, Late Night on the Farm

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The Stanford Cardinal forward Maxime Raynaud (42) takes a jump shot over the Washington State Cougars forward Oscar Cluff (45) in the first half at Maples Pavilion in Palo Alto on Thu Jan 18, 2024 (AP News photo)

By Michael Roberson

STANFORD, Calif. — The Stanford Cardinal (9-8, 4-3 Pac-12) were overwhelmed by the aggressive Washington State Cougars, (13-5, 4-3 Pac-12) 89-75, on an 8 PM start time at Maples Pavilion.

Stanford never led in the game, and started the contest off being down 6-0 early in the first half.  Washington State led by as much as 16 points in the initial half, on runs of 6-0 and 13-0.

The Cardinal tried to keep it close in the initial half, and had several chances to tie the ballgame.  However, the Cougars utilized that large run to open up their widest margin, around the 4:00 mark.

Washington State managed to lead by 13 at halftime, 42-29.and presented two players in double figures.  Redshirt freshman guard Myles Rice had 16 points and 5 assists, while his senior forward teammate Isaac Jones scored 15.

Freshman Kanaan Carlyle was the only Cardinal player to eclipse 10+ points (11), as the team shot 44% from the field and committed 12 turnovers.  WSU only gave away the ball 1/3 of the amount of their Pacific – 12 opponents, and shot 51% themselves.

The second half was a similar story, as Washington State scored the first four points of the second half.  Immediately they were up by 17.Their largest advantage (19) came within the first six minutes of part two of the conference battle.

Stanford made many attempts to cut into the deficit, and managed to get it down to  single-digits (2:30) on a Michael Jones FT, 82-73 WSU.  Unfortunately for the Cardinal.the aforementioned Rice made an immediate layup. putting them back up by 11.  After two made free throws by Jaylen Wells, Rice hit his 5th and final three (5/10)  and the Cougars’ final tally of 89 with 42 seconds left in the game.

Cardinal sophomore guard Benny Gealer made a layup  shortly thereafter, notching his team’s 75 points.  WSU was in the position of taking a knee, the football equivalent of dribbling the clock out until the buzzer,  After that timeframe, the Cougars were the 14-point victors, 89-75 over the home squad Cardinal. 

The Cardinal were led in scoring by Kanaan Carlyle’s career-high and record breaking 31 points.  Maxime Raynaud helped out with a double-double (22 points & 10 rebounds) and Benny Gealer chipped in 12 points and dished 4 assists.

The Cougars were led by the electrifying Myles Rice’s impressive statline,  He scored a game-high 35 points, dropped 8 dimes and swiped 4 steals,  They also had three other players in double-figures.  Isaac Jones (24), Jaylen Wells (13), and Oscar Cluff (12) and 14 rebounds.

Stanford will be next in action Saturday, January 20, hosting the Washington Huskies at 6 PM PDT on the Pac-12 Network.  Washington State heads across the Bay to Berkeley to battle California on the same at 2 PM PDT, also on the Pac-12 network.

Note:  Kanaan Carlyle’s 31 points set a Stanford freshman record for most points by a first year player.  He also has the most points by a TRUE Freshman In the Pac-12 conference this season

Myles Rice’s 35 points is the most in the conference by an overall freshman, because he’s a Redshirt Freshman,

Bears lose wild seesaw game to Huskies on buzzer beater 77-75

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Washington Huskies guard Sahvir Wheeler (right) looks to pass the ball while being guarded by the Cal Bears guard Keonte Kennedy (3) at Haas Pavilion in Berkeley on Thu Jan 18, 2024 (AP News photo)

Thursday, Jan. 18, 2024

Haas Pavilion, Berkeley, California

Washington Huskies 77 (11-7 Overall; 3-4 Pac-12)

California Golden Bears 75 (6-12 Overall; 2-5 Pac-12)

By Stephen Ruderman

Following a wild seesaw game, the Bears took a late lead, but blew it in the final minutes, as they lost, 77-75, on a last-second buzzer beater by Moses Wood.

The Bears had the win of the season in their last home game at Haas Pavilion on Jan. 10 against the Colorado Buffaloes. Then, they went on the road, and blew a massive lead to the Oregon Ducks Saturday night in Eugene. They were hoping to recreate the magic of their last home game, as they returned home to take on the Washington Huskies.

The Bears won the opening tip, and got on the board right away on a jump shot by Fardaws Aimaq. That was followed up by a layup by Keion Brooks Jr. to tie the game, and a shot from the line to give Washington the lead. 

A three-ball by Jalen Cone, and a layup by Jaylon Tyson gave Cal a 7-3 lead, but the Huskies tied it with jumpers from Paul Mulcahy and Sahvir Wheeler. The Bears took three more leads before the Huskies put together a bit of a run to take an 18-14 lead with 11:33 to go in the first period.

The Bears then struck with a 12-2 run to take a 26-20 lead. It was an overall team effort, as Gus Larson, Rodney Brown Jr., Jalen Celestine, Jaylon Tyson and Keonte Kennedy all contributed to the run.

The Bears led 30-25 with 5:26 to go before the half, but the Huskies scored six unanswered points to take the lead back, 31-30. That began a 15-5 run by Washington going into the half, as they took their biggest lead of the night at 40-35.

When the second period began, the Huskies continued their momentum. Keion Brooks Jr., and Fardaws Aimaq each missed threes, and then Sahvir Wheeler hit a three to extend Washington’s lead to 43-35. Jaylon Tyson laid one in, but Brooks hit a jumper, and Wilhelm Breidenbach hit a three to open up the Huskies’ lead to 48-37.

The Bears, who have been through a number of seesaw battles already this season, were poised to make this game another wild one. Jalen Cone made a pair of threes and a free throw, and Aimaq slammed two down and laid one in, as the two of them alone combined for a 13-4 run by Cal to put the Bears right back in it within two at 52-50.

The Huskies then scored nine unanswered points. Brooks and Braxton Meah both made layups, and Moses Wood made all three from the line after being fouled from beyond the arc, as the Huskies now led it 59-50 with 12:12 to go.

The Bears once again stormed back. Grant Newell hit a jumper; Cone hit a three; and Kennedy hit a jumper to make it 62-57. Newell laid one in, and Aimaq hit a free throw and a jump shot to tie the game at 62-62 with 6:52 to go.

Kennedy then hit a three to put Cal back ahead, and that was followed by a three ball by Anthony Holland to tie it. 

Aimaq took control from there, as he hit a layup, a free throw and a jumper. Jalen Cone hit one from beyond the Arc, and the Bears led it 73-67 with just 2:05 to go. The Bears look poised to pull out another big win in what was yet another wild game. Wheeler hit a jumper with 1:54 to go, and neither team was able to hit a bucket over the next minute and 22 seconds.

The Bears led 73-69 with just 32 seconds to play, but this wild game was nowhere near over. Moses Wood was fouled going for three, and hit two of his shots from the line to make it 73-71. Koren Johnson then elected to foul Cone, who hit both shots to give Cal their two points back, and make it 75-71 with 31 seconds to go.

The Huskies gave the ball to Holland, who hit one from downtown to make it a one-point game. Aimaq was fouled, and missed both from the line. Koren Johnson took the rebound, and passed the ball to Brooks, who tried to lay one in, but was rejected by Aimaq. 

Four seconds remained. Wheeler threw the ball inbounds to Brooks, who passed to Moses Wood. Wood took the ball, and fired from beyond the arc just in front of the courtside seats with 1.7 seconds to go. Grant Newell tripped Wood, as he tried to block the ball, but with the ball in the air, it was up to the physics of Woods’ shot, which went in just 0.3 seconds before the Buzzer.

Wheeler had won it for the Huskies, and was stormed by his teammates in what was an incredible win for Washington. For the Bears, it was their second-straight devastating loss, and another devastating loss in a rebuilding season full of them. 

Cal has definitely had a far better season than their brutal 3-29 campaign a year ago, but like any rebuilding team in any sport at any level, the Bears have had their growing pains. The Bears have played in a number of seesaw games this season, and have blown a fair amount of leads, but they have also bounced back from some of those devastating losses to win some incredible games.

The Bears will have another chance to do so Saturday, as they will welcome in the Washington State Cougars for a 2 p.m. tip on Saturday at Haas Pavilion.