Tag: Cal Bears

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

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

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?

Early Start Served Fast: Cal blitzes Idaho State 88-36 to start 2-0

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By Morris Phillips

BERKELEY, CA–Crazy kids wanting to yell and scream half-filled Haas Pavilion Thursday morning. They were obliged by the Cal Bears, who provided three-point shooting, blocked shots, nifty steals, and rebounds that led to fastbreaks… a lot of fastbreaks.

A howling success was realized as Cal posted a lopsided 88-36 win to move to 2-0 on the season. Ioanna Krimili paced Cal’s balanced scoring with 18 points.

“It’s amazing to see all those kids, and I had the opportunity to also work with some of them in some of the schools, so it was great,” Krimili said. “The energy was very high, and it’s always amazing to play in front of them.”

A 14-1 start to the game immediately pushed the visiting Bengals to the brink, and their tepid shooting wasn’t anything near what was needed to recover. Idaho State shot 22 percent from the floor, which was the biggest reason Cal posted a 52-point margin of victory, the first time they’ve dominated to that extent since December 2015 against Cal State Northridge.

Idaho State was limited to single-digit scoring in three of the quarters. They outscored Cal 12-11 in the second and trailed by 16 at the half, by 39 after three.

The pace, in the half court and transition, was fast throughout. Coach Charmin Smith wants her team to hustle for quality shots in transition, and they achieved that with 22 fastbreak points, augmented by 13 offensive rebounds and 14 second-chance points. 

“We’re really trying to emphasize good shot selection and getting easy baskets, and I think we have weapons all over the floor, so it’s really hard to stop us when we’re sharing the basketball,” Smith said. “Our defense fuels our offense when we’re getting stops, and we get to play fast. I think we’re a really hard team to guard.”

Kayla Williams and freshman Zahra King were blurs attacking the basket. The graduate/freshman duo at the point combined for 20 points, seven rebounds, including the first nine points of King’s career. Michelle Onyiah added 10 points, eight rebounds.

Cal isn’t pre-ordained to be an effective shooting team from distance, but they certainly can trust shot artists Krimili and Lulu Twidale, who undoubtedly have the green light from the 3-point arc. Krimili has the most made threes of any returning player in Division 1 and Twidale is in Krimili’s class with her fast, confident release as soon as daylight breaks. The duo have combined for 16 of Cal’s 24 3-point makes to start the season.

“I think the nice thing about our team is that we have so many people that can score the ball, and I knew I can score the ball. I know my teammates are going find me.”

Idaho State, picked to finish eighth in the 10-team Big Sky conference, got seven points each from Halle Wright and Maria Dias. Piper Carlson was the Bengals’ leading rebounder with seven.

Cal visits San Jose State on Saturday to meet the Spartans at the Events Center at 1pm.

Bears storm back from early deficit and power themselves to 91-73 win over Cal Poly for first 2-0 start in five years

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Cal Bears guard Andrej Stojakovic (2) takes the ball down court against the Cal Poly Mustangs on Thu Nov 7, 2024 (Cal Bears X photo)

Thursday, Nov. 7, 2024

Haas Pavilion, Berkeley, California

Cal Poly Mustangs 73 (0-2)

California Golden Bears 91 (2-0)

By Stephen Ruderman

After falling behind early, the Bears came back to take the lead in the first half, and they pulled away in the second half on their way to a 91-73 win over Cal Poly.

After an 86-73 win over CSU Bakersfield to open the season on Monday night, the Bears welcomed the Cal Poly Mustangs to Haas Pavilion tonight. The Mustangs opened their season across the bay with an 86-78 loss to the University of San Francisco Tuesday night.

The Mustangs wasted no time getting to work tonight. Mike Riniker made a layup, and Isaac Jessup hit a three ball to stake Cal Poly to an early 5-0 lead.

DJ Campbell made a layup to put the Bears on the board, but Jessup hit another three, and Ethan Menzias hit a three of his own to make it 11-2. Cal Poly would make it 17-5 a few minutes later with 14:01 to go, and the Bears needed to get things under control before this game got out of hand.

As the game approached the halfway mark of the first half, the Bears started to chip away at Cal Poly’s lead. Jovan Blacksher Jr. hit a three to make it 17-8, and that would start an 11-2 run for the Bears that would close the Mustangs’ lead to 19-16.

The game would remain steady over the next few minutes. Rytis Petraitis was fouled and hit both from the line to close the gap to 24-22, and two minutes later, he hit a three to give the Bears their first lead of the night.

The Bears then went on another 11-2 run to jump out to a 35-26 lead with 2:27 to go. However, the Mustangs suddenly regained the momentum and went on an 8-2 run to close Cal’s lead to 37-34. The Bears would go into the half up 39-35.

Come the second half, the Bears put the game away. Andrej Stojakovic hit a three 36 seconds in, and Cal scored 12 unanswered points to blow the game open, as they now led 51-35. The rest of the game was smooth sailing, and the Bears won it 91-73.

Blacksher once again led the Bears in scoring tonight with 18 points, as he was 6-for-13 in field goals, and 4-for-7 from beyond the arc. Stojakovic scored 15 points, though he struggled and missed a lot of shots, as he was 5-for-17 in field goals, and just 2-for-9 from beyond the arc.

Petraitis scored 13 points going 3-for-4 in field goals and hitting his only three. The bulk of Petraitis’ scoring came on free throws, as he was 6-for-8 from the line. B.J. Omot scored 10; Christian Tucker and Lee Dort scored eight; and Joshua Ola-Joseph and Jeremiah Wilkinson scored six.

The Bears are off to a 2-0 start for the first time in five years, and they will have the next five days off as a nice reward. Then, they will hit the road for the first time this season, as they will travel to Nashville, Tennessee to play the Vanderbilt Commodores on Wednesday, and then they will return to California to play the USC Trojans down in Los Angeles next Saturday.

Tipoff next Wednesday will be at 7 p.m. CST/5 p.m. PST.

Newbies lead Cal to 86-73 win over CSU Bakersfield in season opener

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Cal Bears guard DeJuan Campbell (3) is all smiles on opening night against the CSUB Roadrunners at Haas Pavilion in Berkeley on Mon Nov 4, 2024 (Cal Bears X photo)

Monday, Nov. 4, 2024

Haas Pavilion, Berkeley, California

CSU Bakersfield Roadrunners 73 (0-1)

California Golden Bears 86 (1-0)

By Stephen Ruderman

The Cal Bears (1-0) opened the 2024-2025 season, and a bunch of new faces shined in an 86-73 win over the CSU Bakersfield Roadrunners (0-1) at Haas Pavilion in Berkeley on Monday night.

Following a brutal 3-29 2022-2023 season, the Bears bounced back under first-year head coach Mark Madssn to go 13-19. It wasn’t the greatest record ever, but it didn’t come without its memorable and heartbreaking moments.

The Bears had some epic come-from-behind wins last season, as well as big wins against stronger teams. They even had a chance at a winning season until they lost their final four.

Most of the faces from last season are gone, and the Bears are now in the Atlantic Coast Conference as Madsen returns for his second season. With new blood in the Bears’ locker room, and an entirely new starting lineup of transfers, Madsen would try to build off the momentum from last season.

First up in this new season would be the CSU Bakersfield Roadrunners out of the lesser-known Big West Conference. Right away, one of the newcomers made his presence known. I’m talking about Andrej Stojakovic, the son of former NBA forward Peja Stojakovic, who believe it or not transferred over from Stanford of all places.

Stojakovic hit a three 15 seconds into the game to put the Bears on the board and stake them out to an early 3-0 lead. Over a minute later, he would hit a layup to make it 5-2. Oddly enough, Stojakovic was just 3-for-9 in field goals, but his perfect 9-for-9 in free throws led him to a 16-point performance.

The Roadrunners would take an 8-7 lead a few minutes later, but that would be the only lead they would hold the entire night.

The Bears went into the half with a 46-28 lead. One of the biggest themes in Bears’ games last season was that whichever team had a big lead at halftime was likely to lose it in the second half. Fortunately for the Bears, that did not happen Monday night.

Yes, the Roadrunners made things a little bit interesting late, as they cut the lead in half. However, a strong finish gave the Bears a comfortable 86-73 win.

The leading scorer for the Bears Monday night with 17 points was Jovan a Blacksher Jr., a transfer from Grand Canyon University playing his sixth season of college basketball. Blacksher was 6-for-14 in field goals, and 3-for-7 from beyond the arc.

BJ Omot, a transfer from the University of North Dakota, scored 13 points. DJ Campbell, who transferred from Stockton University, scored 12; and Mady Sissoko, who came over from Michigan State University, scored 10.

The Bears are 1-0, and they will welcome the Cal Poly Mustangs into Haas Pavilion Thursday night. Tipoff will be at 7 p.m.

Experience Goes A Long Way: Cal’s Women Open With Impressive 90-58 Win Over Short-Handed St. Mary’s

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By Morris Phillips

BERKELEY, CA–Lost among the excitement of Cal’s decisive 90-58 opening night win and their prospects for a competitive debut season in the ACC was former Cal assistant Jeff Cammon trying to get his Gaels’ back to Moraga with their confidence intact.

Last season, Cammon had a lot more experience on the team bus, and St. Mary’s nagged Cal in a 74-69 loss in which they came dangerously close to the home team after trailing by 15 with just seven minutes remaining.

On Monday, with two freshman guards playing extensively, without marquee offensive leader Zeryhia Aokuso and his entire team flubbing on an intricate, defensive game plan, Cammon watched the evening unravel in a 2nd quarter that saw the Bears outscore his group 22-6 and lead 42-21 before the break.

“It’s super challenging,” Cammon said. “You’re dealing with young ladies who have almost zero experience at the Division 1 level, not to mention we haven’t been together too long. We went to Italy but this is a whole different deal.”

Meanwhile, Charmin Smith’s Bears were unyielding, relying on their size, talent, and experience to wear down St. Mary’s from the early minutes to the final horn. Sophomore Lulu Twidale led Cal with 24 points, Marta Suarez added 17, and the graduate core of Ioanna Krimili (124 games at the D1 level), Kayla Williams (112 games) and Michelle Onyiah (105 games) combined for 34.

Cammon said Onyiah might have presented the biggest challenge with her quick, rehearsed post moves and 6’3″ grown woman confidence.

“Michelle is such a challenge for us. She’s so big and athletic for us,” Cammon said. “It puts a little pressure on us. Do we sink down and try to help or leave her to go one-on-one against our bigs?”

Smith wanted improvement, and she has it, declaring that this is her most impressive roster in six seasons as head coach. Last year, Smith and the Bears experienced a breakthrough with 19 wins and a WNIT Tournament postseason berth. With the additions of impact transfer portal additions, Williams, Jayda Noble, and Natalia Ackerman, Cal could surprise in the coast-to-coast ACC.

Williams ran the offense seamlessly in place of departed point guard Leilani McIntosh, and Krimili selflessly assisted Williams as Cal complied 17 assists on 28 made baskets. Inside the paint, Cal had their way with 18 more free throw attempts than the Gaels. Outside, they made 14 threes on 30 attempts.

Cal’s 22nd-ranked recruiting class showed nerves as the quintet of rookies combined to shoot 1 of 8 from the floor.   Kamryn Mafua, the highest ranked Cal freshman according to recruiting services, buried a wide-open three with 1:09 remaining to give Cal its biggest lead of 34 points.

The Bears have a Thursday matinee affair at 11:00 a.m. against Idaho State at Haas Pavilion before traveling to San Jose State on Saturday.

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Cal Bears podcast with Morris Phillips: Cal ends four game loss streak with a vengeance beating Oregon State 44-7

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Cal Bears wide receiver Nyziah Hunter (13) rushes on Oregon State Beavers defensive lineman Jacob Shuster (62) in second half action at Cal Memorial Stadium in Berkeley on Wed Oct 30, 2024 (AP News photo)

On the Cal Bears podcast with Morris:

#1 Cal Bears quarterback Fernando Mendoza had himself quite an afternoon last Sat Oct 26th at Memorial Stadium against the visiting Oregon State Beavers with a career high of 364 yards and two touchdowns in defeating the Beavers 44-7.

#2 Morris this was important morale victory for the Bears who had been on a four game losing streak and wanted to break out and get one back in the win column.

#3 Cal was so far ahead that they even had a 31-0 halftime lead and everything on both sides of the ball were working for Cal.

#4 This was under different circumstances to have a meeting between these two teams as they were both in the Pac 12 that since broke up over the off season with Cal being an ACC team and Oregon State 1 FBS. Taking that in consideration was there any advantage for Cal knowing this Beavers team from playing against every year going into last week’s game?

#5 Cal now head to play Wake Forest Demon Deacons next Friday Nov 1 at 5:00pm PT. Wake Forest has won three of their last four games. Wake Forest just edged the Stanford Cardinal last Saturday at Stanford Stadium 27-24. Cal is coming off a big offensive game and Wake Forest is coming off some big wins how do you see this match up this Saturday?

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

Cal Bears podcast with Morris Phillips: Cal hoping to end skid against Oregon State Saturday at Berkeley

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NC State Wolfpack tight end Justin Joly (15) fell short of scoring a touchdown after being tackled by Cal Bears defensive back Cam Sidney (20) in the first half at Memorial Stadium in Berkeley (AP News photo)

On the Cal Bears podcast with Morris Phillips:

#1 Morris it was quite an afternoon last Saturday as the NC State Wolfpack edged the Cal Bears at Memorial Stadium 24-23 from your view how close of a game was it for Cal in trying to seal the deal on this one?

#2 The Wolfpack’s CJ Bailey was successful in scoring two touchdowns and getting 306 yards enough offensive yards to get the job done.

#3 First half a close game where Cal had NC State close 13-10. The Bears Jaivian Thomas with an impressive 49 yard run for Cal’s first score of the game making it 7-0 with 13:47 in the first quarter. Second quarter Cal kicker Derek Morris booted a 41 yard field goal at 1:12 and Morris added another three points with a 26 yard field goal seven seconds left to close out the first half Cal in front 13-10.

#4 Third quarter again Morris kicked a field goal at 9:10 and a seven yard carry for a touchdown by Thomas with 24 seconds left in the quarter making it 23-10. In the fourth quarter the Wolfpack got touchdowns from Dacari Collins and Hollywood Smothers that edged out the Bears in the for a 24-23 Wolfpack win.

#5 Next game at Cal this Sat Oct 26 at 1:00pm PT as former co Pac 12 team the Oregon State Beavers come calling. The Beavers lost to UNLV last Saturday 33-25. The Beavers are 4-3 and have lost three of their last five games. The Bears are on a four game losing streak and hope to snap it this Saturday how do you see Oregon State and Cal matching up this Saturday?

Morris Phillips does the Cal Bears podcasts each Thursday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com