Stanford Cardinal football podcast with Michael Roberson: Stanford closes season against San Jose State Spartans in San Jose Friday

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Cal wide receiver Jonathan Brady (6) reaches out to make one of his two fourth quarter catches against the Stanford Cardinal cornerback Colin Wright (6) at Cal Memorial Stadium in Berkeley on Sat Nov 23, 2024 (Cal Bears photo)

On the Stanford Cardinal podcast with Michael Roberson:

#1 The Stanford Cardinal dropped their last game for their eighth loss of 2024. The Cardinal got off to a great start against the Cal Bears in Berkeley in the battle for the axe with two touchdowns in the first quarter taking a 14-0 lead on two touchdowns carries from Cardinal quarterback Justin Lamson.

#2 Cal would score the only points in the second quarter when Bears quarterback Fernando Mendoza threw to Trond Grizzell for 16 yards cutting Stanford’s lead 14-7.

#3 Stanford in the third quarter would pull away with a touchdown pass from running back Micah Ford to wide receiver Emmett Mosely. Stanford took a 21-10 lead going into the third quarter.

#4 Cal scored a couple of touchdowns in the fourth quarter at 10:09 Mendoza threw a 30 yard pass to wide receiver Jonathan Brady and at 2:40 Mendoza once again hit his favorite target Brady for a 22 yard touchdown as Cal comes back for a 24-21 win.

#5 Stanford concludes the 2024 regular season at San Jose State. The Spartans are coming off a loss in their last game to the UNLV Rebels 27-16. How do you see these two matching up at Spartan Stadium in San Jose this Fri Nov 29 with a kick off at 1:00pm PST.

Michael Roberson does the Stanford Cardinal football podcasts each Thursday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Cal Bears football podcast with Morris Phillips: Cal set to face the mighty SMU Mustangs in Dallas Saturday

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Cal Bears linebacker Jackson Simon (8) celebrates scoring on a fumble return against the Stanford Cardinal at Cal Memorial Stadium in Berkeley on Sat Nov 19, 2024 (AP News photo)

On the Cal Bears football podcast with Morris:

#1 The Stanford Cardinal dropped their last game for their eighth loss of 2024. The Cardinal got off to a great start against the Cal Bears in Berkeley in the battle for the axe with two touchdowns in the first quarter taking a 14-0 lead on two touchdowns passes from Cardinal quarterback Justin Lamson.

#2 Cal would score the only points in the second quarter when Bears quarterback Fernando Mendoza threw to Trond Grizzell for 16 yards cutting Stanford’s lead 14-7.

#3 Stanford in the third quarter would pull away with a touchdown pass from running back Micah Ford to wide receiver Emmett Mosely. Stanford took a 21-10 lead going into the third quarter.

#4 Cal scored a couple of touchdowns in the fourth quarter at 10:09 Mendoza threw a 30 yard pass to wide receiver Jonathan Brady and at 2:40 Mendoza once again hit his favorite target Brady for a 22 yard touchdown as Cal comes back for a 24-21 win.

#5 Cal concludes it’s regular season against the SMU Mustangs at Gerald J Ford Stadium in Dallas this Sat Nov 30th with a 12:30pm PST kickoff. The Mustangs are having a season they are 10-1 and are on a eight game winning streak. How do you see this match up this Saturday at SMU.

Morris Phillips podcasts Cal Bears football Thursdays at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Cal Women Capture Acrisure Classic Consolation Game 74-62 Over Arizona

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By Morris Phillips

This time, the Cal women looked composed and focused… when they weren’t turning the ball over.

Clearly a sign of improvement, the Bears displayed their version of Bear Down, by methodically leaning on Arizona in a 74-62 win in the Acrisure Classic Consolation Game in Palm Springs that featured 25 points from Michelle Onyiah.

“Our biggest strength was getting the ball into Michelle and the way that she finished around the rim,” said Charmin Smith, who rode off into the sunset on Onyiah’s back after both were interviewed on television after the game. “We didn’t have that yesterday. I’m really proud to see her get a career high and do what she needed.”

In contrast to the jumbled manner in which the Bears concluded their loss to Michigan State, this was a walk in the park with the Cal perimeter players getting the ball to their 6’3″ center repeatedly where she converted a high rate of success.

Onyiah finished 11 of 14 from the floor, and 3 of 4 from the foul line. With Arizona missing post defender Breya Cunningham, Onyiah’s efficiency kept Cal in front from midway in the second quarter to the game’s conclusion.

“We just got murdered by the post players this weekend, and some of that was because we’re missing size and Breya’s presence inside,” Arizona coach Adia Barnes said.

Cal stacked up 13 offensive rebounds and made 20 of 26 foul shots. They conducted their offense patiently despite the Wildcats’ pressure defense. Cal’s 21 turnovers aided Arizona’s ability to hang around to the final minutes. Cunningham missed both games in Palm Springs when a family member was hospitalized, and she returned home immediately.

“Arizona is a really aggressive defensive team” Smith said. “They have some really active and athletic players on offense who can get to the basket, but we wanted to be the tougher team on both ends of the floor. And I think we did that, and I think that allowed us to get the win.”

Lulu Twidale added 18 points for Cal, and Gisella Maul played 20 minutes and scored 10 points in the absence of Jayda Noble, who was present but unable to participate.

Leading scorer Jada Williams led Arizona with 18 points, but she needed 17 shots to get there, and she missed a key, second half stretch due to foul trouble.

The Bears (7-1) are off for an entire week before hosting No. 20 Alabama and traveling to Pacific next weekend.

San Jose Sharks fall to Ottawa Senators in midweek matchup 4-3

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Henry Thrun (3), Mario Ferraro (38), Nico Sturm (7), and Will Smith (2) celebrate with Klim Kostin (10) after scoring a goal. (Via San Jose Sharks/X)

Despite dominating the whole game, the San Jose Sharks fell to the Ottawa Senators 4- 3.

By Madison Montez

SAN JOSE–The San Jose Sharks hosted the Ottawa Senators for a midweek matchup Wednesday night. This is the first meeting between the two teams this season. The last time these two teams faced off was on March 9th where the Sharks won 2-1 on two Thomas Bordeleau goals.

San Jose went onto the powerplay early when Ridly Greig took a 2 minute penalty for interference but weren’t able to take advantage. Shortly after coming off of the penalty kill, Ottawa opened up the scoring on an Adam Gaudette goal at 4:35 of the 1st. Ottawa had their first opportunity on the powerplay as Klim Kostin took a 2 minute penalty for high-sticking. 42 seconds into the powerplay, Josh Norris scored his 9th of the season assisted by Drake Batherson and Tim Stutzle.

Although outshooting Ottawa 24-10, Ottawa kept their lead throughout the 2nd. At 9:19 into the 2nd, Mario Ferraro cut down Ottawa’s lead to 1 assisted by Will Smith and Klim Kostin. This was Ferraro’s first goal of the season.

Previous to this, he hadn’t scored since April 13th against the Minnesota Wild. Ottawa extended their lead to 3-1 at 15:22 on a Tyler Kleven goal; his first of the season assisted by Claude Giroux. Late into the 2nd period with 23.6 seconds left, Mario Ferraro went to the box for holding which meant Ottawa would start the 3rd period on a 1:45 powerplay.

San Jose cut down Ottawa’s lead again on a goal by Macklin Celebrini assisted by William Eklund and Jake Walman at 4:48. San Jose stayed alive at 12:32 with a Will Smith PPG assisted by Fabian Zetterlund and Timothy Liljegren. With 5 minutes left in the 3rd, Adam Gaudette netted his 2nd of the night assisted by Tom Stutzle and Brady Tkachuk to seal Ottawa’s 4-3 win.

Three stars of the game:

1. Tim Stutzle

2. Will Smith

3. Adam Gaudette

San Jose will be back in action on Friday hosting the Seattle Kraken at 12:30pm.

Wilkinson has another big night with 25 points, as Cal downs Mercyhurst 81-55 for 6-1 start

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Cal Bears forward Joshua Ola-Joseph (1) throws down against the Mercyhurst Lakers at Haas Pavilion in Berkeley on Wed Nov 27, 2024 (Cal Bears X photo)

Wednesday, Nov. 27, 2024

Haas Pavilion, Berkeley, California

Mercyhurst Lakers 55 (4-4)

California Golden Bears 81 (6-1)

By Stephen Ruderman

Jeremiah Wilkinson had another big night, as he scored 25 points and led the Bears to an 81-55 shellacking of the Mercyhurst Lakers, and the Bears are now off to their best start in eight years.

After winning the first two games of this homestand, the Bears welcomed the Mercyhurst Lakers to Haas Pavilion for a Thanksgiving Eve affair. For those wondering, Mercyhurst University is located in Erie, Pennsylvania, and the Lakers are a Division I team from the Northeast Conference.

Mady Sissoko started the night with a dunk to give the Bears a 2-0 lead out of the gate. The Lakers are not a well-known team, but they made some noise early on. Aidan Reichert hit a jumper, and Max Jusianiec made a layup to give Mercyhurst a 4-2 lead. Shemar Rathan-Mayes was then fouled and hit both from the line to make it 6-2.

Jeremiah Wilkinson made his mark with his 23-point performance against Air Force last Thursday, and he scored another 16 points against Sacramento State on Sunday. Wilkinson checked in, and got his night started by hitting one of two from the line after being fouled to make it 6-5. Wilkinson then hit a three to put Cal back ahead 8-6.

From there, the Bears took complete control. Cal went into the half up 41-23, and then won after an uneventful second half by a final of 81-55.

Wilkinson had his best night yet, scoring points. He was 9-for-12 in field goals, and 6-for-8 from beyond the arc.

Andrej Stojakovic scored 15 points, though he continued to struggle, as he was just 5-for-12 in field goals. Joshua Ola-Joseph scored 13, going 5-for-7 in field goals.

The Bears are now off to a 6-1 start, their best in eight years. They will be off for the next five days, and then they will head to Columbia, Missouri to play the Missouri next Tuesday. Tipoff will be at 6 p.m. in Columbia, 4 p.m. back home in Berkeley.

Kings Fourth Quarter Surge Beats Minnesota 115-104

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Sacramento Kings guard Malik Monk (0) roars after scoring and drew a foul as the Minnesota Timberwolves guard Mike Conley (10) looks on in first half action at the Target Center in Minneapolis on Wed Nov 27, 2024 (AP News photo)

By Barbara Mason

The Sacramento Kings (9-10) will surely enjoy their Thanksgiving turkey dinner tomorrow after beating the Minnesota Timberwolves (8-10) 115-104 Wednesday night. The Kings trailed after one quarter and turned it on in the second quarter and bringing it home in the fourth quarter outscoring Minnesota by a shocking 34-18 closing the game on fire.

The Kings hit sa couple of three’s at the end of the game to seal the deal. Domantas Sabonis and bench wizard Malik Monk had 27 points each to finish off the Timberwolves. The team was without DeMar DeRozan in this game.

Game recap: The opening quarter was tight and after the first 12 minutes of play the Timberwolves had a slight edge leading the Kings 33-31. Sacramento turned this game around in the second quarter outscoring Minnesota 38-24 and leading at the half 69-57. Defensively the Kings were running Minnesota ragged .

When it looked as if the Kings had it all going, they fell apart in the third quarter getting outscored 29-12. After having led at the half they now found themselves trailing 81-86 and had some work to do. The fourth quarter was a wild one.

The Kings did outscore the Timberwolves 34-18 in the quarter but with 3:21 left in the game, the score was tied at 102. Sacramento put the screws to Minnesota from that point forward through the rest of the game with De’Aaron Fox Clutch Fox hitting two shots from downtown and Jae Crowder hitting a third to close out this game. The final was 115-104 with Sacramento sealing the deal in the final three minutes of the game.

Despite the absence of DeMar DeRozan out due to a lower back injury, the Sacramento Kings played a solid game offensively and defensively. The injury bug continues to hamper Sacramento although DeRozan is listed as returning this Friday.

The high score for the Kings was bench player Monk and Domantas Sabonis both scoring 27 points in the game. The surge in the final minutes of the fourth quarter was spear-headed by Monk and Fox.

Fox finished with 26 points and Sabonis had another double double scoring 27 points and 12 rebounds. Monk and Fox combined to outscore Minnesota 17-2 in the final five minutes of the game. Their four game losing streak had been broken and the Timberwolves now have lost seven of nine. The best news of all besides the win was the effort by Monk who appears to have fully healed from that right ankle injury suffered a few weeks ago.

The high score for the Timberwolves was Anthony Edwards who finished with 29 points and 5 rebounds. Julius Randle scored 21 points and had 9 rebounds as the Timberwolves struggle to turn their season around after having had a good start. The Kings outscored them in the paint 64-36 and despite scoring 29 points Edwards was 9 of 24 from the field.

Game notes: The Kings ended their four game skid against the Timberwolves at Target Center. The Kings come into this game after a Monday night loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder 130-109. Sacramento had finally seen the return of Sabonis and DeRozan but still suffered the loss to the Thunder.

They were to turn this thing around against the Timberwolves who despite being a very good team have really, much like the Kings, been struggling. The Kings got help from Fox with 26 points and Sabonis 27 points and the Timberwolves have some weapons of their own in Edwards 29 points and Randle 21 points.

Friday night the Kings will travel to Portland for a matchup with the Trail Blazers. Tipoff for that game is scheduled for 7:00 PM as Sacramento will be looking to make it two wins in a row. and getting back to five hundred.

Headline Sports podcast with Jessica Kwong: Hawks fined $100,000 for benching Young; Bucks Giannis sits out due to knee injury Tuesday; plus more news

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Atlanta Hawks guard Trae Young (11) drives on the Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum (0) at State Farm Arena in Atlanta on Tue Nov 26, 2024 (AP News photo)

On Headline Sports podcast with Jessica Kwong:

#1 Jessica, the Atlanta Hawks deliberately benched Trae Young to keep him out of the NBA Cup Game on Nov 12th. The Hawks were fined $100,000 for benching Young. The Hawks claimed that Young was suffering from  tendinitis in his right Achilles. The NBA sited that the Hawks were in violation of the player participation policy. The league said that unless a team seeks approved reason to bench a star player and demonstrate that they would end up being investigated and disciplined.

#2 The Milwaukee Bucks Giannis Antetokounmpo sat out Tuesday’s game against the Miami Heat due to a swelled up left knee. Antetokounmpo had been a question mark leading up to Tuesday’s game but after taking pre game warm ups it was decided he would sit this one out. The Bucks still won the game 106-103.

#3 The Houston Rockets have improved immensely thanks to the help from Alperen Sengun who tallied 22 points, 10 rebounds, and 11 assists and picking up his third triple double for the season. The Rockets got a 117-111 win in overtime over the Minnesota Timberwolves. The Rockets picked another win this time over the Philadelphia 76ers on Wednesday night 122-115.

#4 The Los Angeles Lakers LeBron James and the Phoenix Suns Kevin Durant are ageless as both were trading off dunks in their game on Tuesday night in a game the Lakers lost their third straight game. 127-100. Durant scored 23 and LeBron finished with 18. Although neither were the leading scorer that presence that both players bring give their teammates that much more confidence.

#5 Los Angeles Lakers assistant coach Lindsey Harding has put in the hard work to get where she is today. Lindsey started out in the WNBA, played in Turkey and Russia, she was a scout for the Philadelphia 76ers, she was an assistant coach for the Sacramento Kings 2022-23, then became a head coach for the G League Stockton Kings 2023-24 and won the coach of the year award and now is an assistant coach at the Lakers. She is one of six female NBA assistant coaches. She’s climbing the ladder and someday will become a NBA head coach.

Join Jessica for Headline Sports every other Wednesday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

San Francisco 49ers podcast with Jeremey Harness: Will Purdy get to start in Buffalo on Sunday?

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Seattle Seahawks linebacker Boye Mafe (53) chases San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy (13) who runs for his life in the second half of action at Levi Stadium in Santa Clara on Sun Nov 17, 2024 Purdy’s last game before he was out with injury. (AP News photo)

San Francisco 49ers podcast with Jeremey Harness:

#1 What it got to be like for the 49ers to facing the Buffalo Bills this Sunday on the first day of December without four of their pro bowlers?

#2 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan said that “It’s nice when your one game out of first place in your own division.” Despite the 49ers recent troubles missing star players and quarterback Brock Purdy playing hurt.

#3 The 49ers coming into Buffalo at 5-6. The Buffalo Bills handed the Kansas City Chiefs their first loss on Nov 17th 30-21. The Bills are not only tough at home but their seven game over .500 at 9-2. This no doubt will be one of the toughest games of the season for San Francisco especially with quarterback Brock Purdy in question.

Jeremy Harness filled in for David Zizmor for the San Francisco 49ers podcast heard every Wednesday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

San Francisco Giants podcast with Stephen Ruderman: Bumgarner might return in front office; Crawford retires; How do you replace Snell?

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Former Arizona Diamondback and San Francisco Giants pitcher Madison Bumgarner is being considered for a front office role with the Giants according to sources (AP file photo)

San Francisco Giants podcast with Stephen Ruderman:

1. With the Dodgers agreeing to sign Blake Snell to a five-year $182-million deal, how do you think that shapes up the Dodgers and the National League West next season?

2. With deferred money on this contract similar to that of Ohtani’s contract, what impact will this have on the game, and how will “small market” teams respond?

3. With the Giants losing out on Snell, where do they do from there?

4. Brandon Crawford has announced his retirement after a 14-year career. What stands out from his career, and what role could you see with him going forward with the Giants?

5. President of Baseball Operations Buster Posey has expressed interest in bringing Madison Bumgarner in for a role. What kind of role do you imagine?

Stephen Ruderman is a San Francisco Giants beat writer for http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Spartans Shield Cal Women in 78-72 win at the Acrisure Classic in Palm Springs

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By Morris Phillips

At some point, Michigan State needed that 96.3 points a game, and that best-nationally 50.5 average margin of victory to be a factor.

For almost three quarters, Cal made sure the numbers didn’t matter. After that, the Spartans took over, and the numbers were overwhelming.

Trailing 58-42 with 2:12 remaining in the third quarter, MSU took flight, outscoring the Bears by 22 the rest of the way in a 78-72 victory at the Acrisure Classic in Palm Springs on Tuesday afternoon.

“We got a shot of confidence, started to play better, started getting stops without fouling,” coach Robyn Fralick said. “This tournament is what you want, amazing arena, amazing destination, great teams to play against.”

The Bears played the first of 19 men’s and women’s games at Acrisure Arena over a four-day period ending Friday. The crowd was sparse given the 11:00a.m. tip, but the game was nationally televised and played at a high level.

For 28 minutes, the Bears made shots and kept MSU as far as they possibly could from scoring at least 90 points for the sixth time in their seven games thus far. But the Spartans didn’t conduct themselves like they were cooked. And when their persistence at getting to the basket started to work, along with some friendly whistles, they pounced, and Cal was held scoreless for a significant stretch.

A 16-2 run from the point of Cal’s biggest lead wasn’t answered until Lulu Twidale calm sank a three with 6:30 left. Cal still led 65-60, but Michigan State was fully realized. Julia Ayrault, turning and facing with the ball at every opportunity, drew some fouls that eventually would get Marta Suarez and Michelle Onyiah to their fifth fouls. The Spartans got it done at the foul line, making 11 of 14 in the final quarter.

The contrast was jarring as Cal limited MSU to 2 of 19 shooting with three turnovers in the second quarter when they seized control with the finish of an 18-0 run that put them 36-26 four minutes before the half.

Twidale and Suarez keyed that stretch with eight points a piece, while Michigan State saw its shooting get as low as 27 percent from the floor before the break.

Cal (6-1) played without key reserve Jayda Noble, who coach Charmin Smith decided to replace with additional minutes from Gisella Maul, freshmen Lola Donez, and Gabrielle Abigor. Four Bears starters scored in double figures led by Twidale with 20 points.

Ayrault had 22 points, nine rebounds despite missing 13 shots. She also keyed the Spartans’ gritty style and pestering defense that totaled 10 steals and 20 offensive rebounds.

“Michigan State plays very aggressive,” said coach Shea Ralph of Vanderbilt, MSU’s opponent in Tuesday’s championship game. “Watching them today, they play really hard, they press. A lot of what we saw today against Arizona we’re going to see again tomorrow.”

Cal plays Arizona in the consolation game at 11:00a.m. on Wednesday with Michigan State-Vanderbilt to follow at 1:30p.m.