Tag: Cal Bears basketball

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

Cal Bears basketball game wrap: Strong second half solidifies Bears a win in home opener 60-49 against Nicholls

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The Cal Bears Matt Bradley (20) puts some defense on the Nicholls State offense. Bradley led Cal with 26 points in the Bears first win of the 2020-21 season (calbears.com photo)

By Barbara Mason

It had been 275 days since the Cal Bears had played at Haas Pavilion so it has been a long time coming. Monday night the Bears played their home opener taking on Nicholls State. Cal was leading at half-time 23-18. The Bears sealed the deal with a strong second half surge winning by the score of 60-49. Cal outscored Nicholls in the second half 37-31.

Cal’s Matt Brandley turned in a solid performance scoring 26 points in this third game of the season. Grant Anticevich also had 11 points in this game. The Bears sank 10 3-pointers courtesy of starters Anticevich with three and Brandley who also had three. Makale Foreman and Ryan Betley both turned in two 3-pointers each.

While the Bears did trail early by a slim margin 4-3 they really turned it around going on an amazing 18-2 run inside of nine minutes in the first half. Nicholls made it interesting when they tied up the game at 23 early in the second half. It was a 3-pointer by Brandley that put the Bears ahead for the remainder of the game. They never looked back taking this game by a comfortable margin.

The Bears now have a 2-1 record after beating Northwest WA handily while dropping one to Oregon State for their only loss this season. The Bears will meet their biggest challenge Thursday night when they take on Arizona State. That game will also be played at Haas with tip-off at 7:30. The game will be televised on the Pac-12 Network.

 

NCAA basketball shutdown podcast with Morris Phillips: Cancellation of games sinking in

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calbears.com photo: Haas Pavilion Berkeley home of the Cal Bears will sit empty until next basketball season next fall and when the Coronavirus epidemic is lifted which is expected at it’s earliest by the end of March or the beginning of April

March Madness shutdown podcast with Morris:

#1 Cal won that last and final game of the 2019-20 season with a win over the Stanford Cardinal on the night before all NCAA games were suspended putting the Bears and Cardinal and the NCAA in an uncharted position never seen before.

#2 Over the weekend it finally sank in all games in the NCAA for 13 tournaments and the NITs will not be planned.

#3 For the selection process on the brackets the NCAA committee announced it could announce the brackets

#4 Women’s basketball hasn’t started the selection process yet and men’s has only began to put the bracket together but now it’s not possible that the games will be played.

#5 For the students a double whammy not only their classes are all canceled but now but their teams are now on hold until this virus breaks.

Morris does cover Cal Bears basketball at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Beavers shut down Cal and Bradley’s game 74-56 at OSU

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calbears.com photo: The Cal Bears Paris Austin who led Cal in scoring with 18 points takes the ball up court against the Oregon State Beavers on Saturday night in Corvallis

By Michael Duca and Morris Phillips

The Cal Bears (13-18) on Saturday night lost their leading offensive player in Matt Bradley to foul trouble with 2:30 left in the game after an exchange with the Oregon State Beavers (16-13) Gianni Hunt that got Bradley a technical foul. Cal also lost the contest 74-56.

Bradley scored 23 points looking back on his game against the Beavers on Feb 1st could only muster eight points last night at OSU. For the Bears Bradley has consistently put up double figures every game this season but the Beavers defense frustrated him all Saturday night to just those eight points and most likely flared him up at the end of the game to get the technical.

In the first half of the game the Beavers keyed in on him and Bradley could only get one three pointer towards the end of the half. The Bears Paris Austin finished first in scoring with 18 points followed by Kuany Kuany with 11.

Beavers seniors Tres Tinkle and Kylor Kelly who were honored in the last regular season game went out and scored a combined 43 points for Tinkle 24 points and for Kelly 19 points. Tinkle got a hug from his father OSU head coach Wayne Tinkle after Tinkle left with 51 seconds left in the game.

Michael Duca and Morris Phillips cover Cal basketball for http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Stanford Cardinal basketball podcast with Jerry Feitelberg: Cardinal coming off two straight loses hopes to put it together tonight against OSU

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The Stanford Cardinal’s Oscar da Silva (13) takes a lay up against the Cal Bears Lars Thiemann (21) at Haas Pavilion in Berkeley on Sat Jan 26th (ap photo)

On the Stanford Cardinal podcast with Jerry F:

#1 The loss for Stanford (15-4) to Cal (8-10) certainly came at a big surprise as the Bears Paris Austin scored two free throws that clinched it for Cal 52-50.

#2 It was a battle and Stanford heard Cal’s footsteps all game long as Stanford took a 23-21 half time lead into the dressing room

#3 In the second half Cal clipped the Cardinal’s chances in the closing minutes of the game 31-27

#4 Cal had a 17-2 run on Stanford to catch up and although both teams scored a low total it was a cliffhanger all game long

#5 Stanford finds themselves in a very strange place on a two game losing streak coming off loses to USC and then Cal. The Cardinal face the Oregon State Beavers (12-8) they’ll be heavily relying on Oscar da Silva and Daejon Davis for tonight’s game.

Join Jerry Feitelberg for the Cardinal podcasts on Thursdays at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

 

Headline Sports with Barbara Mason: 49ers-Chiefs expected to be a toss up; Osaka favored to win Australian Open; plus more

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mercurynews.com photo: Terry Bradshaw, left, concludes the NFC Championship trophy presentation as San Francisco 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo (10), George Kittle (85), Raheem Mostert (31), Richard Sherman (25) an head coach Kyle Shanahan along with their family members celebrate their NFC Championship after defeating the Green Bay Packers 37-20 at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif., on Sunday, Jan. 19, 2020.

On Headline Sports with Barbara:

#1 The San Francisco 49ers dominated the Green Bay Packers in November and they did it again on Sunday with a 37-20 win

#2 The Kansas City Chiefs can be tough customers and with quarterback Pat Mahomes you can’t underestimate him on any given Sunday

#3 The Super Bowl draw millions and this one will be no different and this game is expected to be a toss up between the 49ers and Chiefs

#4 In the Australian Open on Sunday and won again on Tuesday, defending champion Naomi Osaka went 6-2, 6-4, to go onto defeat Marie Bouzkova on day one. Osaka faced Saisai Zheng in the second round.

#5 The Cal Bears and the Stanford Cardinal men’s teams tip off on Sunday at Haas Pavilion for Pac 12 basketball. The Bears are coming off two tough loses to USC and UCLA meanwhile the Cardinal lost to USC and beat UCLA

Barbara Mason hosts Headline Sports each Tuesday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Cal Bears podcast with Morris Phillips: Cal drops two in a row to Southland schools

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latimes.com photo: The UCLA Bruins David Singleton (31) tries to put the block on the Cal Bears Matt Bradley (20) on Saturday night at Pauley Pavilion

Cal Bears podcast with Morris:

#1Cal (8-10) struggles again another loss this time to the UCLA Bruins (9-9) at Pauley Pavilion in Los Angeles 50-40 on Sunday

#2 Just a huge lack of offense by the Bears scoring only 40 and even though the Bruins weren’t setting any scoring records either the Bears just couldn’t break the glass ceiling at Pauley Pavilion.

#3 The Bears in the second half just couldn’t muster any scoring getting only 19 points was this a matter of just a bad offensive night or the Bruins found a way to hold Cal back?

#4 Matt Bradley led Cal in scoring with 17 it was not a 30 point night but he continues to be consistent in leading in scoring

#5 Cal (8-9) will try try again in the Big Game as Stanford (15-3) comes calling on Sunday Jan 26th at Haas Pavilion

Morris Phillips does the Cal basketball podcasts each Monday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com