Tag: Cal Bears basketball

Cal’s second-half comeback falls short in 71-68 loss to Hokies

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Cal Bears guard Andrej Stojakovic guard (2) goes for the throw down against the Virginia Tech Hokies at Haas Pavilion on Sat Jan 11, 2025 (Cal Bears photo)

By Daniel Dullum

Saturday, January 11, 2025

Despite a valiant Comeback, California came up short in its men’s basketball game against Virginia Tech, as the Hokies earned a 71-68 Atlantic Coast Conference victory at Haas Pavilion.

It was Cal’s sixth loss in its last eight games.

The Golden Bears (8-8 overall, 1-4 ACC) were down 22 points in the second half. Cal’s Andrej Stojakovic scored 22 of his game-high 24 points to spark the Golden Bears late rally. Stojakovic’s 3-point attempt rimmed out as time expired.

Jeremiah Wilkinson scored 14 points for Cal, including 11 in the second half. Stojakovic and Wilkinson combined to score 30 of the Golden Bears’ last 31 points of the game.

Jayden Young was the top scorer for Virginia Tech with 14 points, while Tyler Johnson turned in a double-double (11 points and 12 rebounds) for the Hokies (7-9 overall, 2-3 ACC).

The Golden Bears missed their first 13 shots of the game, trailing 15-4 early, eventually trailing 42-33 at halftime. Cal was trailing by 21 seven minutes into the second half when it used a 26-7 run, and tied the game at 58-58 with 6:03 remaining. Virginia Tech reeled off a 9-0 run to maintain the lead for good.

Next weekend, the Golden Bears travel to Tobacco Road for ACC games against North Carolina on Wednesday (4 p.m.) and North Carolina State on Saturday (3 p.m.).

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.

Bears stave off disaster with another painful win over Trojans in overtime 83-77

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The Cal Bears forward Grant Newell (14) and guard Jalen Cone (15) jump for joy as the Bears defeated the USC Trojans in OT for Cal’s tenth win of the season at Haas Pavilion in Berkeley on Wed Feb 7, 2024 (Cal Bears photo)

Wednesday, Feb. 7, 2024

Haas Pavilion, Berkeley, California

USC Trojans 77 (9-14 Overall; 3-9 Pac-12)

California Golden Bears 83 (10-13 Overall; 6-6 Pac-12)

By Stephen Ruderman

The Bears dodged a bullet, and beat the USC Trojans in overtime, 83-77, to cap off yet another painful win in what was their first win against USC in over seven years.

The Bears returned home following a convincing win over the Arizona State Sun Devils in Tempe on Saturday to host a USC Trojans team, who had beaten the Bears in each of their previous 11 matchups.

There would be no scoring in the first minute of the game, but Cal struck first with a dunk and jumper from Fardaws Aimaq. Arrinten Page laid one in to put USC on the board, and Joshua Morgan hit a jumper to tie it, 4-4.

Aimaq hit a jumper to put the Bears back ahead at 6-4, as he scored each of the Bears’ first six points tonight, and the two teams remained neck and neck for the next several minutes.

The Bears led 22-21 when Grant Newell was fouled with 8:34 remaining in the first half, and Newell made both shots from the line. From there, Jalen Cone took off, as he hit back-to-back-to-back threes to open up a 33-25 lead for the Bears.

Cone went for fourth-straight three, and was fouled, but he then hit all three shots from the line to make it 36-25 with 5:39 to go.

The Trojans then made a charge, and scored six unanswered points to cut Cal’s lead to 36-31. However, Aimaq made a pair of dunks, and Newell made a jumper, as the Bears went into the half with a 6-0 run to open their lead back to 11 at 42-31.

The Bears carried their momentum into the second half, as Jalen Celestine hit a three ball, and Jaylon Tyson laid one in, as the Bears’ run extended to 11-0 to make it 47-31. Boogie Ellis was fouled and made one of two from the line, and DJ Rodman, the son of NBA Hall-of-Famer Dennis Rodman, laid one in to give USC a reprieve.

The Trojans then started to slowly chip away at the Bears’ lead. Tyson made a jumper and a layup, but a three-ball by Kobe Johnson cut the lead to 51-39 with 15:32 remaining.

From there, there would not be any scoring for nearly three minutes until Rodman hit a three to make it 51-42. Isaiah Collier made a layup; was fouled; and then hit his shot from the line to cut the Bears’ lead to just six at 51-45.

The Bears were now in danger of blowing another big lead. However, they responded swiftly with a 7-2 run, which featured a three by Tyson; a jumper by Celestine; and a layup by Keonte Kennedy, as the Bears opened their lead back up to 58-47 with 9:05 to go.

Collier then went on a show, and scored seven unanswered points to make it 58-54. Tyson laid one in, and hit one from the line after being fouled on the play, but the Trojans were relentless, as Morgan slammed one down, and Collier hit a layup and a pair of free throws to make it just a one-point game at 61-60.

Once again, there the Bears were on the verge of blowing yet another big lead in a season that has seen them do so so many times. However, Tyson and Cone each hit threes to make it 67-62 with 1:58 remaining, and things were looking good for the Bears.

However, these were the 2023-2024 California Golden Bears, and there was going to be more pain for the Bears and their fans in this one. Ellis and Rodman each made layups to make it 67-66. Tyson and Aimaq each missed layups, and Collier was fouled and made one of two at the line to tie it, 67-67 with 27 seconds to go.

After an intentional foul, Jaylon Tyson missed a three at the buzzer, and we were headed to overtime.

So there you had it, another blown lead for the Bears in this wild roller coaster ride of a season. However, through all the pain, there has been tremendous excitement and glory, and we were about to see whether the Bears had anymore in them.

Aimaq was fouled and made one of two from the line to start overtime, but Ellis laid one in to give the Trojans the lead, 69-68. It was USC’s first lead since Bronny James, the son of NBA star Lebron James, who was in attendance at Haas Pavilion tonight, hit a three to put them up 14-13 in the early part of the first half.

Tyson slammed one down to put the Bears back ahead, but Collier drew a foul and hit two from the line to do the same for USC. Tyson was fouled and hit two from the line, and then Collier was fouled, but only hit one from the line, as the game was tied, 72-72.

Jalen Celestine lit up the sellout crowd at Haas Pavilion with a three to put Cal up 75-72, but of course the Trojans were not going to make this easy. Following a layup by Kobe Johnson, Cone hit a three to make it 78-74, but go figure, Rodman hit a three to make it 78-77 with 36 seconds remaining.

Kennedy then drew a foul, and he hit both from the line to make it 80-77. Aimaq blocked a layup by Collier; then Celestine took the rebound, and was fouled. Celestine made one of two from the line to make it 81-77.

After Rodman missed a three, USC had no choice but to foul Celestine, who took the rebound, but Celestine made both from the line, and Bears held on to win it, 83-77.

Just another painful win for the Bears, who have had so many of them in a comeback season following their second-worst in team history. But hey, if you’re going to have even a close-to-.500 season following a 3-29 season, there is going to be a lot of pain. That’s just how it goes.

With this win, the Bears have won four of their last five. They improve to .500 in conference play at 66, and improve to 10-13 overall. This is also Cal’s first win against USC since Jan. 8, 2017, which was during the Bears’ last winning season.

As for the individual players, Jaylon Tyson had an incredible night, as he scored 27 points. Jalen Cone was also pretty solid with a 20-point performance. Isaiah Collier scored 20, and DJ Rodman scored 17 for USC. Bronny James did hit that three early in the first half, but he only scored five on the night in front of his old man.

Now the Bears will welcome the UCLA Bruins into the House of Pain for a 2:30 p.m. tipoff on Saturday.

Wildcats too much for Bears, as Arizona clobbers Cal 91-65

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The Cal Bears Fardaws Aimaq (right) tries to contain the Arizona Wildcats Oumar Ballo (left) in the first half at the McKale Memorial Center in Tucson on Thu Feb 1, 2024 (AP News photo)

Thursday, Feb. 1, 2024

McKale Memorial Center, Tucson, Arizona

California Golden Bears 65 (8-13 Overall; 4-6 Pac-12)

Arizona Wildcats 91 (16-5 Overall; 7-3 Pac-12)

By Stephen Ruderman

Coming into Tuscson to play the 11th-ranked Arizona Wildcats proved to be too much for the Bears, as they were clobbered by Arizona, 91-65 .

Following a pair of thrilling late wins, the Bears were headed to Arizona to play the number-11 Wildcats

Arizona won the opening tip, and Caleb Love hit a jumper right away. Oumar Ballo followed that up with a second-chance layup to give the Wildcats an early 4-0 lead. Fardaws Aimaq hit a three-ball to put Cal on the board, but that proved to be their only real action of the night.

From there, the Wildcats just took off. Ballo led the way, as Arizona jumped out to a 16-6 lead just four minutes and 11 seconds into the game.

The Bears made a slight bit of noise. Jalen Celestine hit a three, and Rodney Brown Jr. laid one in to cut the deficit to 17-11, but the Wildcats pounded the Bears into submission from there.

The Wildcats went on a 12-0 run to open it to 29-11, and they kept going, as they went into the half up 48-28.

The Bears did chip away at Arizona’s lead a bit in the early minutes of the second half. Celestine made a three to make it 54-39 with 15:56 to go. Cal has come back from some significant deficits throughout this season, and they certainly believed they could tonight.

However, the Wildcats were simply too good. Ballo made a hookshot and a second-chance layup immediately after Celestine’s three, and Arizona put the game away for good, as they ended up winning it by 26 points at 91-65.

Almost everything has been a team effort for the Bears this season. There have not been too many games where one player dominated the scoring. This has been the case in wins and losses.

Tonight was no different with Cal’s stagnant offense. Jalen Celestine led the scoring with just 13 points, and was 5-for-10 in field goals. Brown scored 12, and Aimaq and Jaylon Tyson each scored 10.

Ballo had the big night for Arizona, scoring 22 points, and going a perfect 8-for-8 in field goals. Keshad Johnson had a solid night with 15 points, and KJ Lewis scored 14.

The Bears fall to 4-7 in Pac-12 play, and fall to 8-13 overall, as they will now head northwest up Interstate-10 to Tempe, where they will take on the Arizona State Sun Devils for a noon tipoff on Saturday.

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

Tyson’s 23 points not enough; Cal drops first three Pac-12 matches

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The Cal Bears guard Rodney Brown Jr (1) tries to defend against the USC Trojans guard Bronny James (6) in the first half Galen Center in Los Angeles on Wed Jan 3, 2023 (AP News photo)

Wednesday, Jan. 3, 2024

Galen Center, Los Angeles, California

California Golden Bears 74 (4-10 Overall; 0-3 Pac-12)

USC Trojans 82 (7-7 Overall; 1-2 Pac-12)

By Stephen Ruderman

The Bears began their all-Los Angeles road trip with an 82-74 loss to the USC Trojans, despite a 23-point performance from Jaylon Tyson as they have now dropped their first three Pac-12 games.

The Bears were trying to start fresh after a devastating loss to the Arizona State Sun Devils on Sunday, and they would try to do so against a USC team, who had dropped five of their previous six games coming into tonight.

Cal won the opening tip, and Keyonte Kennedy hit a jumper to put them on the board early. Joshua Morgan then made a jumper for USC, followed by a layup by Isiah Collier to make it 4-2 Trojans. 

USC maintained a small lead throughout the next several minutes, but a jumper by Jaylon Tyson tied it at 8-8, and a layup by Tyson gave the Bears a 10-8 lead. Collier hit a jumper for USC to tie it, and then Jalen Cone hit a three-ball to make it 13-10 Cal.

USC then scored seven unanswered points to take a 17-13 lead, but Cal quickly responded, as Rodney Brown Jr. hit a free throw, and Tyson tied it with a three. DJ Rodman hit a three for the Trojans to give them a 20-17 lead, but Fardaws Aimaq then laid one in, and Tyson hit a jumper to put the Bears back ahead at 21-20 with 7:42 left in the first period.

Bronny James hit a jumper to give USC the lead again, and Jalen Celestine hit a three to give the lead back to the Bears at 24-22. Rodman then hit a three to put USC back ahead, and start a 15-5 run, which would take the Trojans into the half with a 37-29 lead.

USC then hit the ground running in the second period, as Rodman hit a three to start things off. Cone hit a jumper for the Bears, but Kobe Johnson hit a three for the Trojans, and Collier laid one in to open USC’s lead to 45-31.

The Trojans led 61-44 with 12:27 remaining, as they had pretty much put the game away. USC would keep that rather-large lead for the next several minutes, and they were up 73-61 with 5:45 remaining. 

However, the Bears made some noise. Kennedy hit a jumper, and Cone hit a three, as it was now 73-66 with 4:53 remaining. Boogie Ellis then hit a three for USC with 2:37 remaining to make it 76-66, but Celestine hit a jumper, as well as the free throw after he was fouled, and Tyson dunked on. Suddenly it was 76-71 with just two minutes remaining.

Despite the Bears’ valiant efforts, they still ultimately fell short, as the Trojans held on to win it, 82-74.

The Bears fall to 4-10, and are now 0-3 to start Pac-12 play. They will head over to UCLA to play the Bruins Saturday night at 7:00.

Cal Shellacked by Arizona in first game of conference play 100-81

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Arizona Wildcats guard Caleb Love (2) takes a shot against the Cal Bears Jalen Cone (left) in first half action at Haas Pavilion in Berkeley on Fri Dec 29, 2023 (AP News photo)

Friday, Dec. 29, 2023

Haas Pavilion, Berkeley, California

Arizona Wildcats 100 (10-2)

California Golden Bears 81 (4-8)

By Stephen Ruderman

The California Golden Bears were absolutely routed by the Fourth-Ranked Arizona Wildcats, 100-81, in their first game of Pac-12 play this season.

The Bears, who went an abysmal 3-29 last season, were off to a 4-7 start in non-conference play this season. Their first Pac-12 opponent would be one of the best teams in the country, the number-four Arizona Wildcats. To simplify it, it was over from the get-go.

There was no scoring for the first minute of the game, but afterwards, the Wildcats just unloaded, as they jumped out to a 24-5 lead just eight minutes and 12 seconds in, and eventually a 35-10 lead with 8:50 to go. The Wildcats’ defense also shined, as missed shots and a pair of turnovers burned the Bears in the early going.

The Wildcats kept the ramage up throughout the remainder of the first period. The Bears were simply just omermatched, and Arizona ended up going into the half with a 54-26 lead.

However, the Bears did put up a bit of a fight in the second period, as they started things off with a 17-9 run in just the first three minutes and 36 seconds. The Bears then kept a steady pace with the Wildcats the rest of the way.

The Bears outscored Arizona in the second period, 55-46, and for a team rebounding from an abysmal season last year to have a decent second period against a powerhouse like the Wildcats can be considered a small victory.

Jaylon Tyson led the scoring for the Bears with 22 points. Jale Celestine scored 14 points, and Fardaws Aimaq scored 10. However, the team also missed a lot of shots, as Tyson was 8-for-16.

For the Wildcats, Caleb Love scored 22 points; was 7-for-10 in field goals; and a perfect 3-for-3 from beyond the arc. Motieju Krivas scored 18 points, and Oumar Ballo scored 17, as both were 6-for-7 in field goals.

The Bears will take on the Arizona State Sun Devils at Haas Pavilion on New Years Eve Sunday evening. Tipoff will be at 5 p.m.

Cal Battles Through Two Overtimes Losing to the Butler Bulldogs 97-90

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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.

Jalen Cone carries Cal to strong bounceback win over CSU Bakersfield 83-63

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Cal Bears guard Jalen Cone (15) takes a jump shot against the CSU Bakersfield Roadrunners at Haas Pavilion in Berkeley on Mon Nov 13, 2023 (Cal Bears photo)

Monday, Nov. 13, 2023

Haas Pavilion, Berkeley, California

CSU Bakersfield Roadrunners 63 (1-2)

California Golden Bears 83 (2-1)

By Stephen Ruderman

Following a tough loss to the University of Pacific Tigers, Jalen Cone shined with 23 points and seven three-pointers, as the Cal Bears beat the California State University of Bakersfield Roadrunners comfortably by a final of 83-63.

It was a quiet Monday night at Haas Pavilion both in the crowd, and on the court, as it took two minutes for either team to score. Devin Askew hit a three ball two minutes and 13 seconds into the game, and Cal struck first. Jalen Cone also hit a three to make it 6-0, but the Roadrunners scored seven unanswered points to take a 7-6 lead.

Cal bounced back and took a 13-9 lead. Ugnius Jerusevicius hit a free throw, and then Higgins hit a three for the Roadrunners to tie it at 13-13 with 11:55 left.

The score was then 16-16, and after Cone hit another three with 10:09 left, the Bears went on a roll. Cal went on a 36-21 run to go into the half up 49-34.

The Roadrunners scored five unanswered points to start the second period as part of a 7-1 run as they cut the score to 50-41, but Cal responded swiftly, and put the game away.

In addition to Cone’s performance, all five of Cal’s starters scored double digits, as the team hit 13 threes as a whole. Fardaws Aimaq scored 14 points; Jaylon Tyson scored 13; Devin Askew scored 12; and Grant Newell scored 10. Each starter also hit at least one three, as Askew and Newell both hit two, and Aimaq and Tyson hit one.

As for Bakersfield, Kaleb Higgins led the way with 22 points, but Cal’s defense kept the rest of the Roadrunners at bay.

Cal is back over .500 at 2-1, and the opening homestand will continue on Thursday, as the Bears will welcome the Montana State Bobcats to Berkeley for an 8:00 tipoff.

Cal Bears report: Mark Madsen named Golden Bears head coach; Leaves Utah Valley after three seasons

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 Utah Valley head coach Mark Madsen directs his team during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game against Kentucky in Lexington, Ky., Monday, Nov. 18, 2019. Madsen becomes the new Cal Bears head coach for the 2023-24 season. (AP file photo)

By Michael Duca and Morris Phillips

Mark Madsen knew the job was his but he had to complete coaching at Utah Valley in the NIT semifinals against the UAB Blazers on Tuesday night. Had the Wolverines won and advanced Madsen would have held off on his official announcement that he would take the job at UC Berkeley in the Cal Bears men’s basketball program.

Utah Valley lost by two points 88-86 in overtime and that was the last and final game that Madsen would be coaching at Utah Valley as he makes his way to the Pac 12 to coach the Golden Bears. Madsen who was a Stanford Cardinal standout and a NBA veteran, finished coaching Utah Valley to a WAC Championship and led the Wolves to a 28-9 record this season.

Over his three seasons at Utah Valley he put together an impressive record at 34-15. Madsen before joining Utah Valley was an assistant coach at the Los Angeles Lakers. Madsen was an assistant coach in the G league and at Stanford. As a college player Madsen was an accomplished player achieving the two time all conference.

Madsen is best remembered for his performance in the Final Four in 1998 and making it as a first round pick in 2000 and helped the Lakers win two championships. Madsen left the Lakers and played six years for the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Madsen’s name came up as a possible replacement for Stanford head coach Jerod Haase but Stanford decided at the end of the Pac 12 Tournament to keep Haase as head coach. Cal was considering St Mary’s head coach Randy Bennett, Bennett said he wanted to stay at St Mary’s and so the Bears focused their attention in going after Madsen.

Cal fired head coach Mark Fox at the conclusion of the Pac 12 Tournament after Cal was eliminated in the first game of the tournament. Fox guided the Bears to a 3-29 season in 2022-23. Cal hadn’t been to the big dance tournament since 2016. Cal had gone through three head coaches since their last tournament, Cuonzo Martin 2014-2017 (62-39), Wyking Jones 2017-2019 (16-47), and Mark Fox 2019-2023 ( 38-87).

Morris Phillips and Michael Duca are Cal Bears beat writers for http://www.sportsradioservice.com