Cal Women Pass Another Test: Bears Survive Auburn In 63-59 Win

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By Morris Phillips

BERKELEY, CA–Wet spots on the floor, silver shoes, experienced players showing their nerves were part of an unusual night of basketball with Auburn and California Friday night at Haas Pavilion.

That describes the first 38 minutes of action. Then, in the final two minutes of close game, things really became unsettled with missed defensive assignments that led to missed layups by Auburn, followed by missed free throws by Cal.

A water-logged, rain-weary crowd was made to pause and likely ask, “Who wants this?”

The answer was Cal, who overcame a couple of two-possession deficits in the final quarter to prevail, 63-59, and improve to 6-0 on the season.

“I wasn’t proud of how we played, but I’m proud of how we fought,” coach Charmin Smith said.

After falling behind 57-51 with 5:11 remaining, the Bears responded with back-to-back 3-pointers from Lulu Twidale to tie, the start of a 12-2 finishing run that left the visiting Tigers empty handed.

“We missed a couple of layups there when we’re up, and we became impatient toward the end,” Auburn coach Johnnie Harris admitted.

What was frustrating for Harris was invigorating for Smith, who found the silver lining to match her silver shoes in what was a grit over substance-type ballgame.

“I think we really locked in at the end when we needed to and made some crucial plays, and got some crucial stops in order to get the win.”

Twidale led Cal with 22 points, and Ioanna Krimili added 14. The pair combined to make seven threes, all of which seemed to come at critical times with Auburn bearing down.

The Tigers and Bears currently project to qualify for the NCAA Tournament with the only previous loss by either team belonging to Auburn at Oregon on Wednesday. But the fast season starts by both have come without late, close game experience. That was apparent as the mistakes arose in the final two minutes with the game on the line.

“You learn from it. You learn from these losses, and you get better,” Harris said.

Deyona Gaston (16 points) and Taylen Collins (13) were the leading scorers for Auburn. Tahlia Scott, who scored 28 points against the Ducks, and 26 against Arkansas-Little Rock, was held to 7 points on 3 of 9 shooting.

The Bears next take the court in Palm Springs at the Acrisure Arena, meeting Michigan State on Monday morning at 11:00am.

San Jose Sharks Legends Game 2024 was one to remember

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There were a flow of emotions this weekend surrounding Sharks fans with it being Joe Thornton weekend. The weekend started off with the Legends game on Friday November 22nd held at Tech CU Arena.

By Madison Montez

SAN JOSE–Joe Thornton spent 15 seasons wearing a Sharks Jersey. Out of the 15 seasons, he represented the team as an Alternate Captain for 1 season in 2006-2007 and a Captain for 4 seasons from 2010-2014. Coming into the arena and reading the names on the rosters, it was clear that Team Teal would have the advantage having players such as Joe Pavelski, Owen Nolan, Dany Heatley, Scott Thornton, Mike Ricci, Ryane Clowe, Evgeni Nabokov.

The legends game was split up into two 24 minute halves. Joe Thornton started as Team Teal’s captain. The puck dropped in the first half and Team Teal opened up the scoring at 1:29 seconds on a Ryan Clowe goal assisted by Joe Pavelski and Joe Thornton.

Team Teal struck again a minute later on a Tommy Pederson goal. Team White wasn’t going down without a fight scoring at 5 minutes on a goal by Raffi Torres. Team Teal struck again at 10:24 by Mike Ricci assisted by Ryane Clowe and Dany Heatly to bring the score to 3-1. Team White struck on a breakaway by Devin Setoguschi assisted by Patrick Marleau at 18:26 cutting Team Teal’s lead to 1.

Team Teal extended their lead on a goal by the man of the weekend Joe Thornton assisted by Joe Pavelski at 21 minutes. With 4 seconds left, Team Teal scored again on a Mike Brown goal assisted by Owen Nolan and Scott Thornton to make the score 5-2.

After a brief intermission, the puck dropped in the second half. Joe Thornton switched over to serve as Team White’s Captain. Team White was the first to score at 9 minutes scored by Scott Hannan assisted by Andrew Desjardins and Joe Thornton to make the score 5-3.

Team White cut Team Teal’s lead down to 1 (again) on a Patrick Marleau goal at 17 minutes. With 5 seconds left in the game, Team White tied the game at 5 on an Alexei Semenov goal. After being tied, the game went to a shootout where it went to Round 3 until Joe Pavelski scored and Team Teal walked away with the win.

Sacramento Kings podcast with Jeremiah Salmonson: Kings playing .500 ball tip off against Clippers tonight in the Southland

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The Sacramento Kings forward Keegan Murray (13) takes a shot against the Atlanta Hawks guard Garrison Matthews (right) at Golden One Center on Mon Nov 18, 2024 (AP News photo)

On the Sacramento Kings podcast with Jeremiah Salmonson:

#1 How bad is it for the Kings right now as they are shorthanded and were defeated by the Atlanta Hawks 109-108 in Sacramento on Monday.

#2 De’Andre Hunter led the Hawks with 24 points and teammate Dyson Daniels had four blocks and Daniels was able to block another shot in the closing seconds of the game.

#3 The Hawks Trae Young had 19 assists, Clint Capela scored 14 points and pulled down 14 rebounds, and was able to score the clutch three points which were the difference to win the game in the closing seconds.

#4 Keon Ellis had a career game with 33 points, including nine 3 pointers. The Kings were without the injured Domanta Sabonis (back), DeMar DeRozan (back), and Malik Monk (right ankle sprain) which was a factor in the loss.

#5 The Kings try it again tonight at Intuit Dome in Inglewood against the Los Angeles Clippers. The Clippers are 9-7 and won their last game against the Orlando Magic 104-93. The Clippers are ninth in the Western Conference. The Clippers who lost to the Houston Rockets in a two game group stage series. The Clips have turned it around and have won three straight games.

Join Jeremiah for the Kings podcasts each Friday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

NHL podcast with Len Shapiro: Bruins Korpisalo saves 21 to shutout Utah 1-0; Knights clip Senators 3-2; plus more NHL news

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Utah Hockey Club center Alexander Kerfoot (15) tumbles in front of Boston Bruins defender Brandon Carlo (25) and goaltender Joonas Korpisalo (70) in the second period at TD Garden in Boston on Thu Nov 21, 2024 (AP News photo)

On the NHL podcast with Len Shapiro:

#1 The Boston Bruins Joonas Korpisalo stopped 21 shots to shutout the Utah Hockey Club on Thursday night in Boston. It was the first game under interim head coach Joe Sacco who replaced former head coach Jim Montgomery who was fired after accumulating a 120-41-23 record after two seasons. Sacco said that the win felt pretty good and for the guys it was even more important.

#2 The Vegas Golden Knights wound up handing the Ottawa Senators a 3-2 loss, their fourth straight loss on Thursday at the Canadian Tire Center in Ottawa. Knights Ilya Samsonov stopped 39 shots. Samsonov made 16 saves in the third period including an amazing slide across the crease for a pad save on the Senators David Perron’s wrist shot.

#3 With just 52 seconds left in the game the Detroit Red Wings Lucas Raymond scored a go ahead goal as the Wings came back from behind to beat the New York Islanders at Little Caesar’s Pizza Arena in Detroit 2-1. It’s was a rough road trip for the Islanders who drop to 1-2-2. Raymond said that everyone wants to score goals but as long as were winning games everybody is happy.

#4 The New Jersey Devils defeated the Carolina Hurricane 4-2 in New Jersey on Thursday. Jesper Bratt scored two goals and an assist. Jack Hughes got three assists and Devils goaltender Jacob Markstrom stopped 20 shots in his 500th career game.

#5 The Colorado Avalanche’s Miles Wood scored the go ahead goal in the third period against the Washington Capitals for a 2-1 win at the Capital Center on Thursday. The Aves Mikko Rantanen scored and goaltender Alexander Geogiev stopped 28 shots for the win.

Len Shapiro does the NHL podcasts each Friday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Wilkinson and Stojakovic combined for 44 points, as Bears beat Air Force 78-69 to continue hot start

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Cal Bears guard Jeremiah Wilkinson (0) takes the ball up the floor against the Air Force Falcons at Haas Pavilion in Berkeley on Thu Nov 21, 2024 (Cal Bears photo)

Thursday, Nov. 21, 2024

Haas Pavilion, Berkeley, California

Air Force Falcons 69 (1-4)

California Golden Bears 78 (4-1)

By Stephen Ruderman

Jeremiah Wilkinson had his coming out party, as he scored 23 points, and along with a 21-point night by Andrej Stojakovic, led the Bears to a 78-69 win over the Air Force Falcons at Haas Pavilion to continue the team’s hot start.

While out on the road last week, the Bears suffered their first loss of the season at Vanderbilt last Wednesday. However, they bounced back by pulling off a 71-66 win at USC on Saturday.

The Bears returned home and welcomed the Air Force Falcons to Haas Pavilion, as they looked to build on their strong start to the season. The Falcons got off a quick 4-0 lead out of the gate, as Ethan Taylor hit a jumper, and Byron Brown laid one in. Andrej Stojakovic then hit a turnaround jumper to get the Bears on the board just over two minutes in.

Cal jump ahead 8-4, but the Falcons quickly came back to take an 11-9 lead. Jeremiah Wilkinson, who checked in with 13:08 to go, made a layup to tie it at 11-11.

The Bears then jumped out to a 30-15 lead with 5:26 to go. The Falcons then closed out the first half with a 12-5 lead to cut Cal’s lead almost in half, and the Bears took a 35-27 lead into the half.

Wilkinson had only scored 13 points in the Bears’ first four games, but he scored nine points in the first half tonight. Rytis Petraitis led the Bears in scoring in the first half with 11 points.

Andrej Stojakovic only scored five points in the first half, but he came alive in the second half. Stojakovic scored seven of the Bear’s eight points in the opening five minutes of the second half, but the Falcons had cut the lead to 45-40.

Wilkinson, who had checked back in early in the second half, carried his mojo over and hit a pair of layups to make it 49-41. However, the Falcons scored six unanswered points to close it to just a two-point game at 49-47.

From there, the Bears would start to pad their lead again. Wilkinson, Stojakovic and Dort led the charge, and in a matter of minutes, the Bears were back to a 10-point lead at 62-52.

The Bears made it 66-52. Like in the first half, the Falcons made a late run to close the lead to seven, but Cal still won comfortably by a final of 78-69.

Stojakovic scored 16 points in the second half, and was 6-for-9 in field goals after going an abysmal 2-for-10 in the first half. Lee scored eight points in the second half, and he, Stojakovic and Wilkinson combined for 38 of the Bears’ 43 points in the second half.

Wilkinson scored 14 in the second half to cap off his 23-point night. He was 8-for-12 in field goals on the night, including 2-for-3 from beyond the arc. Stojakovic finished just behind Wilkinson with 21 points, and Lee ended up with 12.

The Bears improve to 4-1, and they will look to keep it going when they take on the Sacramento State Hornets at Haas Pavilion on Sunday. Tipoff will be at 1 p.m.

Sharks Fall 3-2 in Shootout to Blues; Forth loss for SJ in five games

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The St Louis Blues left wing Jake Neighbours (63) scores the game winning goal in the shootout past San Jose Sharks goaltender Yaroslav Askarov (30) at the Enterprise Center in St Louis on Thu Nov 21, 2024 (AP News photo)

By Mary Walsh

The San Jose Sharks lost 3-2 in a shootout to the St.Louis Blues Thursday. Nathan Walker, Jordan Kyrou and Jake Neighbours scored for the Blues. Jordan Binnington made 22 saves for the win. Alexander Wennberg scored twice for the Sharks. Yaroslav Askarov made 29 saves in the loss.

Despite the loss, postgame comments were still fairly upbeat. Sharks goaltender Yaroslav Askarov said, of the team’s effort: “The boys played really good in front of me and battled before the end of the game. I appreciate it and I am happy to be part of this team.”

Sharks goal scorer Alexander Wennberg said, of his contribution to the game: “It’s nice to, when the team needed, to kind of like step up and then score the goals. But it’s a full team effort, it’s not one player. I mean obviously we’re all working together, six on five, we have a game plan so it’s just a full team effort.”

The Blues scored on the first shot of the game, 11 seconds in. Nathan Walker was in front of the net to catch a pass from Radek Faksa on the boards. Askarov had just gotten back to the net after playing the puck and was not ready to stop the shot.

The Sharks tied the game with their third shot, on the power play at 8:23. Mikael Granlund carried the puck behind the net before sending it ahead to Alexander Wennberg. At the side of the net, Wennberg took a shot. That did not go in, but he reached behind the goaltender and nudged the puck over the line. Assists went to Granlund and Macklin Celebrini.

St. Louis outshot the Sharks 15-7 in the first period. The Sharks took one penalty and the Blues took two.

The game remained tied until 11:47 of the second period when Jordan Kyrou tipped in a shot from Pierre-Olivier Joseph. That was the Blues’ third shot of the period. Assists went to Joseph and Robert Thomas.

The Sharks were much closer in shots in the second period, with six to the Blues’ seven. There were no penalties called in the second.

The Sharks tied it up in the final seconds of the third period with their goaltender out for an extra skater. Alexander Wennberg scored at 19:51 with a shot through traffic. Assists went to Granlund and Celebrini.

The shots were even at nine in the third period. In Overtime, the Sharks had two shots and the Blues had one. In the shootout, the Sharks sent out Mikael Granlund, Machlin Celebrini and William Eklund. The Blues sent Brayen Schenn, Jordan Kyrou and Jake Neighbours. Only Neighbours scored

The Sharks next play on Saturday at 5:00 PM PT in San Jose against the Buffalo Sabres. It’ll be Joe Thornton night where the Sharks will be paying tribute to the hockey legend retiring his number. Thornton played in the NHL from 1997 to 2022. Thornton played for the Sharks from 2005 to 2020. The Sharks will be raising his sweater number 19 to the rafters next to former teammate Patrick Marleau whose number 12 is also retired.

Stanford Cardinal podcast with Michael Roberson: Cal-Cardinal kick off for the axe Saturday in Berkeley; Stanford coming off big win over Louisville

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Stanford kicker Emmet Kenny (right) jumps into the arms of punter Connor Wesleman (15) after booting a 52 yard game winning field goal in the fourth quarter at Stanford Stadium to defeat the Louisville Cardinals on Sat Nov 16, 2024 (Stanford Cardinal photo)

Stanford Cardinal podcast with Michael Roberson:

#1 Michael, how important was this win for the Cardinal to defeat the Louisville Cardinals last Saturday on Senior day at Stanford Stadium?

#2 How big is Stanford kicker Emmet Kenny who booted a 52 yard field goal with time expiring to defeat 38-35. The Cardinal in winning snapped a six game losing streak beating a No.22 ranked team Louisville.

#3 The Cardinal worked hard to just get this win and after six straight loses head coach Troy Taylor has to be more than relieved, saying that he gives credit to his seniors and that this the last time a lot of them will be playing at Stanford Stadium and breathing it in and making the moment memorable.

#4 Michael talk about the job that quarterback Ashton Daniels did under center he kept it close all game long throwing for 298 yards, for three touchdowns. Wide receiver Emmet Mosely V caught two of those touchdown passes for 168 yards.

#5 The Big Game at Berkeley is next you’ll be on hand at Cal Memorial to cover this thriller talk about what this game means for Stanford and what a tradition this is playing for the axe?

Michael Roberson covers the Stanford Cardinal for http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Cal Bears podcast with Morris Phillips: Stanford-Cal all set to battle for the axe this Saturday at Memorial Stadium

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Cal Bears running back Jaivian Thomas (25) takes off for a 75 yard touchdown in the second quarter against the Syracuse Orange at Cal Memorial Stadium in Berkeley on Sat Nov 16, 2024 (AP News photo)

Cal Bears podcast with Morris Phillips:

#1 Morris talk about how the two interceptions by the Syracuse Orange defenders helped protect Syracuse’s lead and did it at all play with Cal quarterback Fernando Mendoza psyche.

#2 The Orange did have a dominating defense stopping the Bears ground game and that made a difference in winning by an eight point edge.

#3 The Bears had a tough time getting to Syracuse quarterback Kyle McCord who was 29-46 for 323 yards. The Golden Bears defense had a tough time trying to stop Syracuse running back LeQuint Allen who ran for 109 yards and two touchdowns.

#4 Much respect in spite of the Bears struggle Syracuse head coach Fran Brown said that Mendoza was tough to figure out at times, “Mendoza, he’s very crafty,” said Brown. “He’s got a strong arm and a quick trigger finger, so we knew we had to switch the picture up a lot for him.”

#5 Morris, it’s the Big Game this Saturday at Memorial Stadium in Berkeley. The Bears (5-5) and the Cardinal (2-8). The Bears have won two of their last four games and the Cardinal snapped a six game losing streak after winning last Saturday 38-35 against the Lousiville Cardinals.

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

Stanford Cardinal game wrap: Cardinal Remains Perfect, after Fighting off Spartans 70-63, Wednesday Night inside Maples

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Stanford Cardinal forward Maxime Raynaud (42) and forward Chism Okpara (10) try and stop the Norfolk State Spartans guard Christian Ings (0) from taking a shot at Maple Pavilion in Palo Alto on Wed Nov 20, 2024 (Stanford MBB X photo)

By Michael Roberson

STANFORD, Calif. — The Stanford Cardinal (5-0, 0-0 ACC) kept their untarnished 2024-25 season record alive (5-0), after defending the Farm from the charging Norfolk State Spartans (4-2, 0-0 MEAC), 70-63.

Norfolk State made the first basket of the game less than :40 after tip off. That would be the largest lead they were able to accomplish in the first 20 minutes, as Stanford went on a 14-0 run of their own. Although they were down by double-digits immediately, they still fought back.

The Cardinal had a lead as high as 15 points, but with the help of a 6-0 run, the Spartans kept the deficit within single digits for a large portion of the first half. Five points was Stanford’s lead at recess; 38-33 Cardinal at the half.

Maxime Raynaud was the lone Stanford player with at least 10 points. He scored 12 points and grabbed 6 rebounds. Graduate senior guard Brian Moore Jr. paced the Spartans with 10 points.

The second half began with Stanford junior forward Chisom Okpara splitting a pair of free throws, giving his team a six point advantage. However, Norfolk State responded with a 7-0 run to overtake the Cardinal with their first lead (40-39) since early in the first half. They actually increased the margin to two points, which equaled their biggest lead overall.

After two lead changes and two more ties, Stanford eventually took over the game, late in the game. Junior Guard Oziyah Sellers was very instrumental in Stanford staving off the Spartans, as he scored 9 of his 15 points in the second half. This included a huge 3-pointer and crucial free throws down the stretch.

When the final whistle sounded, after 40 minutes of competition, Stanford was the victor, by seven points (70-63). This win happened despite shooting a ptiful 34% from the floor, and 24% from beyond the arc. Two other Cardinal hoopers joined Sellers in the double-digit club.

Maxime Raynaud continued his great play, by contributing another double-double (20 points and 10 rebounds), and he blocked two shots and had two steals. A great performance for the USBWA National Player of the Week. Jaylen Blakes also chipped in 18 points and 6 rebounds. He too had two steals added to his tally.

Norfolk State had three players with at least 10 points on the scoring sheet. Brian Moore Jr. (24), Christian Ings (17), and Jalen Myers (10), all led the way for their tenacious cross-country battle with Stanford.

The Cardinal will next be in action Saturday, November 23 at Santa Clara University to take on the Broncos at 6:00 PM PDT on ESPN+. Norfolk State travels to Arizona on Friday, November 22, to take on the Grand Canyon University Lopes at 6:00 PM local time.

Made Baskets And Turnovers: Cal Runs Past Grambling 86-63 Despite 26 Turnovers

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By Morris Phillips

BERKELEY, CA–Coach Charmin Smith needs her Cal team to clean up their ball handling and cut down on the turnovers. But on Wednesday, Smith scheduled Grambling, a conundrum disguised as a basketball team that lives and breathes by forcing their opponents to cough up the ball.

The result: an 86-63 win for the hosts, but the Bears committed 26 turnovers, which set off alarms inside Haas Pavilion.

“We have to take better care of the ball,” Smith admitted. “We know that. We’re living dangerously right now. We have to clean it up.”

The Bears are 5-0 with a signature win at Gonzaga. As a testament to how well they’ve played overall, the Bears have spent every second of their five second halves so far with at least a 10-point lead. That’s noticeable and impressive enough to capture ESPN Bracketology’s attention, which projects the Bears as an NCAA qualifier as a No. 11 seed.

Of course, the season is young, and bigger tests are on the immediate horizon, starting with Auburn’s visit to Berkeley on Friday night. Following Auburn, the Bears  will see Michigan State and either Arizona or Vanderbilt in Palm Springs. All three schools are also projected as NCAA teams, meaning the jockeying for postseason position starts now.

What Smith liked was just as apparent as the unsightly turnovers: a five-minute stretch in the third quarter in which Cal made eight 3-pointers. That ballooned Cal’s 13-point lead to a 67-41 advantage that effectively ended the visiting Tigers upset aspirations.

Lulu Twidale led Cal with 19 points, a total boosted by her efficient 4 for 7 shooting from distance. Marta Suarez added 16, Ioanna Krimili had 15, and freshman post Gabrielle Abigor scored 11 on 4 for 4 shooting.

Kahia Warmsley led Grambling with 16 points, and Douthshine Prien and Lydia Freeman had 10 each. The Tigers were the SWAC regular season champions last season, winning 23 games. Coach Courtney Simmons concedes that her group, with 10 new faces this season, doesn’t shoot it well, but they do commit to a tremendous amount of defensive activity across all 94 feet, which explains how they succeed in the SWAC. But against Cal, the disparity in made threes (12-1 for Cal) and 32 percent shooting for the Tigers made for a lopsided result.

“If you research and do your homework on this, we probably shot 30 something percent last year and won 23 games,” Simmons said. “The key to the way we play is to rebound the basketball. In this system, there’s no such thing as a bad shot. We don’t go out and recruit kids that can only shoot the basketball. I recruit athletes to give the kids that can shoot the ball a little bit of problems.”

Simmons, intently dissecting the numbers with a scoresheet in hand, conceded that her Tigers fell short of 30 offensive rebounds, their average which leads the nation. Grambling managed “just” 19 o-boards, which wasn’t enough to compensate for their poor shooting.

“It’s the discipline factor. It’s not finding the shooters in transition, which was the same thing that happened to us at Tulane (in their previous game),” she said.

Auburn, a physical, defensive-minded group as well, arrives on Friday in a rematch of last season’s meeting in Alabama that went to Cal, 67-53 with Suarez scoring 27 points.