Tag: ACC

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.

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.

Cal Bears podcast with Stephen Ruderman: Cal stays ahead of Sac State with six point win 83-77 at Haas Pavilion

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Cal Bears Ryti Petraitis forward (31) and guard Andrej Stojakovic (2) exchanges high fives during their game against the Sacramento State Hornets at Haas Pavilion on Sun Nov 24, 2024 (Cal Bears X photo)

On the Cal Bears podcast with Stephen Ruderman:

#1 The Cal Bears (5-1) and the Sacramento Hornets (1-4) played some tight basketball at Haas Pavilion. Although the Bears had led for most of the game and came away with a 83-77.

# 2 Cal leading scorer Ryti Petraitis had the right touch on the ball making his shots and leading Cal in scoring Andrej Stojakovic with 20 points to defeat the Sacramento State Hornets.

#3 Cal has won five of their last six games and won three in a row and having the home floor the Bears heard the Hornets footsteps behind them in earlier parts of this game.

#4 The Hornets leading scorers Julian Vaughns and Jacob Holt were keeping Sac State in the game but Cal were able to do enough to keep the Hornets away with a ten point gap.

#5 Next game for the Golden Bears is against the Mercyhurst Lakers (4-3). The Lakers were crushed today by the Air Force Falcons (2-4) 82-48. The Bears should have a shot at getting this one Wednesday night at Haas Pavilion.

Stephen Ruderman is the Cal Bears MBB beat writer at http://www.sportsradioservice.com and wherever you get you podcasts

Stanford game wrap: Cardinal UnAble to Capture the Axe from Golden Bears, 24-21, in Big Game #127 & Senior Day in the East Bay

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The Cal Bears offense lines up against the Stanford Cardinal defense in the battle for the axe at the Big Game at Memorial Stadium in Berkeley on Sat Nov 23, 2024 (photo by Stanford Athletic Department)

By Michael Roberson

BERKELEY, Calif. — The Stanford Cardinal (3-8, 2-6 ACC) failed to confiscate the Axe from the longtime rival California Golden Bears (6-5, 2-5 ACC), 24-21, in the 127th matchup of the two historic Bay Area schools.

Stanford wasted no time at all in continuing their momentous play from the previous game’s upset. The Cardinal capitalized on their first possession gift, despite losing the coin toss. Cal deferred their possession until the second half, but may have soon regretted that decision.

Stanford took that drive down the field and scored midway through the quarter. Quarterback Justin Lamson rushed into the end zone for a one yard keeper. Right away the Cardinal were up 7-0. That was not the end of their first quarter scoring either.

On Stanford’s second possession, they duplicated the prior drive, with a little deviation. Lamson scored again on a keeper, but the second one was from two yards away. After two drives, with 1:27 left in the quarter, the Cardinal were up 14-0 in front of a full Memorial Stadium. The same score was in place after 15 minutes of play.

In the second quarter, with the teams switching sides of the field, Stanford’s consecutive scoring streak halted, and Cal managed to get off the goose egg. Redshirt-Sophomore QB Fernando Mendoza got his Bears going with a 50 yard scamper, deep into Cardinal territory. He later tossed a 16-yard TD pass to redshirt-junior receiver Trond Grizzell. California cut the deficit in half, 14-7.

Both teams had missed field goals from 50+ yards from the goal posts. After 30 minutes of regulation, Stanford led 14-7, but Cal was set to receive the kickoff at the beginning of the third quarter.

In the third stanza, not much happened for most of the quarter. Stanford used a trick play to expand their lead, with 6:33 left in the period. Running back Micah Ford threw a two yard touchdown to freshman WR Emmett Mosley V.. Stanford was up by two touchdowns (21-7), with a great deal of momentum.

Subsequently upon the kickoff, Cal fumbled the return, giving Stanford the ball on their own 20-yard line. A minute later, the Cardinal botched a FG attempt, and turned the ball over to the Golden Bears.

The home team parlayed that miscue into three points on their behalf, with :47 left in the quarter. Redshirt-senior kicker Ryan Coe converted a 46-yarder, which brought them within 11 points, 21-10. At the end of third quarter, Stanford still led 11, 21-10.

The final quarter had California continue to claw their way back into the contest, Mendoza threw a dart 30-yard touchdown pass to junior WR Jonathan Brady, to the delight of the Cal faithful. The Golden Bears were within five, but could not complete the two point conversion attempt, They were trying to get within three, which would only require a field goal to tie.

The Golden Bears were on a drive late in the quarter, putting themselves in position to win the Big Game And keep the Axe. With 2:40 left in the game, Mendoza to Brady happened again. The second time was for 22 yards, and they converted the two point conversion, putting the Bears up by three, 24-21.

Cal stole all the momentum from their arch rivals from across the bay, and got the raucous crowd into a frenzy. The Golden Bears completed the very unlikely comeback, after being down by 14 twice, and won by three, 24-21.

The Axe remains in Berkeley!

Stanford will next be in action Friday, November 29 in the Capital City of the Silicon Valley, to take on the San Jose State Spartans at 1:00 PM PST on CBS. Cal travels to Fort Worth, Texas to take on the Southern Methodist Mustangs, November 30, at 2:30 PM CST on ESPN2

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.

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

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.

Stanford Cardinal podcast with Michael Roberson: Cardinal looking to snap 6 game skid against Louisville Saturday on the Farm

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The Stanford Cardinal quarterback Ashton Daniels (14) is trucking down field against the NC State Wolfpack in Raleigh NC Sat Nov 2, 2024 (Stanford Cardinal photo)

Stanford Cardinal podcast with Michael Roberson:

#1 Stanford had a tough time shutting down NC State Wolfpack on Sat Nov 1st in Raleigh as NC State crushed the Cardinal 59-28. The Cardinal defense was left on the field for most of the game and just couldn’t stop the NC State offense who had a big day in scoring.

#2 Not only were the Cardinal steamrolled by NC State this last loss marks Stanford sixth straight loss in a row.

#3 The win for the Wolfpack ended their two game home losing streak. The Cardinal just couldn’t stop the Wolfpack run and in third quarter the Wolf Pack exploded for three touchdowns that pretty much put the game of reach for Stanford.

#4 For Cardinal quarterback Justin Lamson only 3-8, 103 yards passing, one touchdown, and one interception. From all intense and purposes Lamson didn’t get enough time because it was four and out in most of Stanford’s offensive series.

#5 Up next for the Cardinal the Louisville Cardinals (6-3) this Sat Nov 16th. The Cardinals have won three of their last five games. The Cardinals won in their last game 33-21 against Clemson on Sat Nov 2. It’s the Cardinals vs. the Cardinal at Stanford Stadium a 12:30pm PST.

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

Cal Bears podcast with Morris Phillips: Cal to host Syracuse Saturday; Bears look for a fifth win

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Cal Bears and Xavier Carlton (44) had a leg up on the Wake Forest Demon Deacons at Wake Forest on Sat Nov 9, 2024 (Cal Bears photo)

On Cal Bears podcast with Morris Phillips:

#1 Morris talk about how big of a day was it for Cal Bears (4-3) quarterback Fernando Mendoza who threw two touchdown passes against Wake Forest in Cal’s 46-36 win last Saturday?

#2 For Mendoza 40-56 on passing for 385 yards threw only one interception and for the most part was getting good protection up front.

#3 Cal head coach Justin Wilcox had to be relieved as this was Cal’s first road win since Sep 7 after beating Auburn 21-14. Wilcox said that the team kept after Wake Forest the whole game long, “Really proud of them for finding a way to win. Just proud of them for staying in the moment.”

#4 Talk about how valuable Liam Johnson’s interception was and how huge it was to keep Cal three points ahead of Wake Forest late in the game.

#5 Next up for Cal the Syracuse Orange come calling. Syracuse (6-3). The Orange have won four of their last six games. Syracuse in their last game last Saturday lost a tough one to Boston College 37-31 in Boston. Cal has home field at Berkeley Memorial coming off the win against Wake Forest. How do you see this match up this Saturday?

Cardinal Frustrated and Withstood the Lumberjacks 90-64, on a Tuesday Night inside Maples

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Maxime Raynaud forward (42) throws down against the Northern Arizona Lumberjacks at Maple Pavilion in Palo Alto on Tue Nov 12, 2024 (Stanford Cardinal photo)

By Michael Roberson

STANFORD, Calif. — Led by Maxime Raynaud’s double-double (22 points & 11 rebounds), the Stanford Cardinal (3-0, 0-0 ACC) broke the axes of the Northern Arizona Lumberjacks (2-1, 0-0 Big Sky) 90-64, on a cool evening on the Farm.

The Lumberjacks opened the game by chopping a huge chunk of wood out of the Cardinal. NAU went on an 8-0 run before Stanford even knew what happened. They were held scoreless for slightly over three minutes of the first half. The visitors led by as much as nine points in the first 20 minutes.

The Cardinal finally got on the scoreboard at the 16:58 mark of the first block of the contest, when Jaylen Blakes converted two free throws. However, that was only the beginning of his squad’s scoring barrage. Stanford went on two double-digit runs (16-0 & 10-0).

Stanford led by as much as 24 points, performing a 32-point turnaround from their slow beginning of the battle with their figurative arch rival. They had to settle for a 2-point reduction in their lead at intermission, 48-26 Cardinal.

Senior forward Maxime Raynaud led everyone with 13 points, while adding eight rebounds. Junior guard Oziyah Sellers contributed 12 points, while fellow junior guard Benny Gealer dropped in 10 points. The Lumberjacks were led by senior guard Trent McLaughlin’s 12 points.

At the midway point, Stanford was leading comfortably and in total control. The only question was, could they hold on to the lead?

That became a concern at the beginning of the second half. As they did in the beginning of the game, the Lumberjacks wielded their axes to the tune of a 5-0 run, giving the impression they were going to make a dramatic comeback. That was short lived, as the Cardinal went on an 8-0 run themselves, and increased their halftime margin by seven more points. Their largest lead reached 29 points, and they led overall approximately 25 more minutes than their Copper State opponent.

The Cardinal had other players pitch in to stymie the Lumberjacks. Blakes scored 13 of his 15 points in the second half, and both Raynaud (22) and Ryan Agarwal (15) added 9 points to their first half tallies. Gealer (10) did not score in the second stanza, but did give two assists (5), while Sellers (17) scored five more points.

Northern Arizona had two teammates join McLaughlin (20) in the double-figure category. Junior guard Oakland Fort and redshirt-junior forward Carson Towt had 13 and 11 points to their respective totals.

With the latest victory, (90-64) Stanford had their first 3-0 start in five years (2019-2020).

The Cardinal will next be in action Sunday, November 17, hosting the UC Davis Aggies at 1:00 PM PDT on ACCNX. NAU stays in California and heads East to Stockton, Thursday, November 14, to take on the Pacific Tigers at 7:00 PM PDT.