Cal Bears guard Jalen Cone (15) takes a jump shot over the Butler Bulldogs guard Jahmyl Telfort (11) at Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis on Sat Dec 9, 2023 (photo by Cal Bears MBB)
By Barbara Mason
The California Bears battled through two overtimes eventually losing to the Butler Bulldogs 97-90. The Bears fought through the first overtime but came up short only managing another tie. Going into the second overtime Cal couldn’t keep up with Butler. The Bulldogs won the second overtime 14-7 and the game 97-90.
The California Bears (3-6) took on the Butler Bulldogs (8-2) Saturday afternoon. The Bears are coming off a nice win over the Santa Clara Broncos last Saturday 84-69.
The first half of this game was a close one. California won the opening half 37-34 taking the lead into the locker room at halftime. Butler would respond in the second half winning it by the score of 39-36. As regulation expired this game was tied at 73. The game had been a battle from tipoff and would continue into the first overtime.
The first overtime of this game was a thriller with neither team able to capture much of a lead and this resulted in a second tie between the two teams. At 4:14 in the second overtime the two teams remained tied at 85. At 3:23 the Bulldogs began to make a move and they did not let down.
Butler took the lead and built on it for the remainder of the overtime eventually winning 97-90. This was a horrible disappointment for the Bears who had played so well throughout the entire game and the first overtime. The Bulldogs just wore them down in the second overtime.
Fardaws Aimaq had 24 points for California along with 16 rebounds followed by Jalen Cone who had a great game hitting 7 of his 17 3-point attempts. He finished with 23 points. Keonte Kennedy made a nice contribution with 20 points and Jaylon Tyson added 16 points. Cal had led by as much as 12 points in the first half but could not maintain the lead.
Posh Alexander had the high for the Bulldogs with 21 points followed closely by Jahmyl Tekfort with 20. The starting lineup for the Bulldogs had a great game but their bench pushed them over the top with 21 points to the Bears 5 points off the bench.
This was Butler’s fifth win in a row. They had shot at 52% to Cal’s 46%. The two teams were a percentage point apart on three’s; Butler with 42% and Cal with 41% in a game well-played by both teams.
Next Saturday the Cal Bears will play Mississippi in San Antonio. This will be a challenge for California taking on the 8-0 Ole Miss. Tipoff for the game is scheduled for 4:30 PM.
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