Tag: California Golden Bears

Cal Bears basketball podcast with Michael Duca: Cal now on a four game win streak; It’s the Big Game at Stanford next on Sunday

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The Cal Bears Grant Anticevich (15) led with 25 points against the Pacific Tigers on Wednesday at Haas Pavilion in Berkeley (photo by Cal Athletics Dept)

On the Cal Bears basketball podcast with Michael:

#1 Michael when this season began no one would have predicted that the Cal Bears (8-5) would be three games over .500. The oddsmakers had the Bears nearly 12th from last place in the nation at the start of the season.

#2 Cal picked up their eighth win on Wednesday afternoon and it was not even close as they clobbered the Pacific Tigers (5-9) 73-53 a 20 point win and a huge contribution from Cal leading scorer Grant Anticevich with 25 points.

#3 Head coach Mark Fox has to be excited with Cal’s offense last night the Bears had four players in double figures and he’s got players like Anticevich, Justine Celestine, Andre Kelly, and Jordan Shepherd going on all cylinders right now.

#4 Michael, if you had to point to one or maybe two things that have accelerated offense that improved this team as they are on a current four game win streak.

#5 The Bears head to Palo Alto and on the hill at Maples Pavilion to face their cross bay rivals the Stanford Cardinal Sun Dec 26 at 4:00pm. The Cardinal have been doing well in their own right winning six of their last nine games. Their latest win came on Wednesday night against Wyoming 66-63 and they take on Liberty at noon today. Tell us how you see Cal and Stanford matching up on Sunday?

Michael does the Cal Bears basketball podcasts each Thursday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Stanford Cardinal basketball podcast with Daniel Dullum: Stanford looks to pick up second straight win against Liberty in Diamond Head Classic

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The Stanford Cardinal Jaiden Delaire (11) led the Cardinal with 17 points on Wed Dec 22, 2021 against the Wyoming Cowboys in the Diamond Head Classic in Honolulu (file photo Stanford Cardinal)

On the Stanford Cardinal podcast:

#1 The Stanford Cardinal’s (7-4) Jaiden Delaire 17 points and Spencer Jones 15 points were a huge help as the Cardinal just got by the Wyoming Cowboys (9-2) at Diamond Head Classic in Honolulu on Wednesday afternoon 66-63.

#2 Wyoming got 25 points with 11 rebounds from Graham Ike who led in scoring teammates Hunter Maldonado had 18 points and Xavier DuSell finished third in scoring with 13 a great effort but Wyoming falls three points short and faces Northern Iowa in the consolation tournament.

#3 Wyoming had the ball with 8.1 seconds left in the game but couldn’t convert two three point attempts to try and at least tie up the ball game. Stanford comes away with a three point win and have now won six of their last nine games.

#4 Jones and Michael O’Connell were key for Cardinal scoring combining for 11 points in Stanford’s final 14 points of the game.

#5 Stanford battles the Liberty Flames (8-4) who have won seven of their last eight games. Liberty got a win today against Northern Iowa (4-6) 75-74 on Wednesday in a razor close game. Liberty had four players in double figures in the win. Daniel talk about how you see this match up in Honolulu between Stanford and Liberty with a 12 pm PST tip today.

Join Daniel for the Stanford Cardinal basketball podcasts at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Fast Finish: Cal races past Pacific in the second half, wins 73-53 in non-conference finale

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By Morris Phillips

BERKELEY, CA–Three seasons into Coach Mark Fox’s Cal tenure, his holiday humor has taken hold. After visiting Pacific closed the first half Wednesday with a 14-2 burst, being humorous wasn’t easy and probably cathartic.

“It was going to be an ugly Christmas at halftime,” Fox conceded.

Fox was left ashen with the Tigers awakening. After suffering under Cal’s attention to defensive detail, Pacific turned a pair of eight-point deficits into a five-point halftime lead. The process was sudden, unexpected and wholly threatening to the big brother school holding a 26-2 advantage in the series between the schools. The process took 6 1/2 minutes and had the Bears reeling.

But then the second half commenced, and the sunshine returned on an ugly, rainy afternoon. The Bears responded decisively with a 48-point second half in a 73-53 win.

Grant Anticevich led the Bears with 25 points, 11 rebounds and a career-best seven 3-pointers. Essentially before Anticevich closed the deal, Jared Celestine (career-best 12 points), Jordan Shepherd and Andre Kelly (11 points each) kept the Bears afloat.

In a game of subtle twists, almost all predicated on defense in the absence of eye-popping offense, Fox pointed to an unlikely turning point with 10:33 remaining and Cal clinging to a two-point lead. If anything was comical, Fox’s declaration displayed it.

“Lars made a couple of big free throws,” Fox said.

Cal increased the pressure a few minutes later with a 21-2 closing run that yielded a 20-point victory.

And what specifically turned the contest into a rout? Probably, Pacific’s lack of resolve, nothing new for a young ballclub who has yet to score more than 67 points in any of its nine losses. That frustration kicks in when you shoot 36 percent in the second half and suffer 13 turnovers.

Jaden Byers led Pacific with 10 points, Jeremiah Bailey and Sam Freeman added eight points a piece. For new coach Leonard Perry, an encouraging six-minute stretch didn’t come with much else to extoll. And yes, the humor was eliminated.

“They’re learning, they’re trying, and it’s been a hard adjustment,” coach Leonard Perry said of UOP’s trajectory. “They stick in there and they compete during practice.”

The Bears established an eight-game home win streak along with momentum leading to their next test, January 2 at Stanford. Can the Bears win on the road, and can they win in the Pac-12?

We’re making progress and now we’ve got to see if we can beat the people in the league,” Fox said.

Cal Bears basketball podcast with Morris Phillips: Cal now 2 games over .500 take on Pacific Wednesday night at Haas

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Cal Bears Jordan Shepherd drives against the Dartmouth Big Green Sun Dec 19, 2021 at Haas Pavilion in Berkeley (photo by Cal Bears Athletics)

On the Cal Bears podcast with Morris:

#1 Morris talk about the injury to the Cal Bears’ (7-5) Makale Foreman who had a reoccurrence of a previous injury when he fell in the second half of Sunday’s game against the Dartmouth Big Green (3-7). I knew you said the injury was indefinite any update to how long he will be out?

#2 Cal got an edge with their first lead with 4:23 remaining before the half and lead at the break by four points.

#3 In the second half Cal grew a 12 point lead over Dartmouth but didn’t fare much better than the Big Green in shooting at 42 percent and 26 percent from the three point line.

#4 Morris, when Foreman was felled that really put the pressure on Jalen Celestine, Sam Alajiki and Jared Hyder, and Jordan Shepherd’s minutes spiked which caused concern.

#5 The Bears host the Pacific Tigers (5-9) on Wednesday night at Haas Pavilion, Pacific has struggled losing five of their last six games and an 11 point affair to the UC Davis Aggies 77-67 on Sunday. How do you see Pacific and Cal matching up on Wednesday?

Join Morris for the Cal Bears podcasts each Monday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Bear Down: Defense carries Cal past Dartmouth 61-55, but Foreman suffers significant injury

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By Morris Phillips

BERKELEY, CA–Coach Mark Fox wasn’t joking around. In his mind, Dartmouth’s Brendan Berry, the Ivy League’s 3-point savant, was comparable to Steph Curry.

And Fox’s concern didn’t end with Barry. Secondary threats Taurus Samuels and Ryan Cornish were also capable of big shooting nights, so Fox made a choice, and a commitment.

“Dartmouth is a great three-point shooting team,” said Fox. “Our objective was to take away the three-point shot even at the expense of giving up some two-point shots, and ultimately we did a pretty good job of that.”

Never mind that the Big Green had suffered five, consecutive losses including an embarrassing late game collapse at Stanford on Thursday, resulting in an overtime loss. And Fox didn’t overplay Cal’s success at Haas Pavilion, where they were looking for a sixth, consecutive win. Instead the Cal coach was seeking some certainty that wasn’t rooted in modest winning or losing streaks. To him, a defensive strategy that emphasized his club’s fast improving defense was the path to take, with entertainment value barely a concern.

“Our defense was consistent enough to win,” Fox reiterated. “It wasn’t pretty, but we’ll take it.”

Cal stopped Barry cold in his tracks, limiting Dartmouth’s leading scorer to 10 points, and misses on five of his six 3-point attempts. Cornish and Samuels didn’t fare any better, failing to make even one three between them. And Cal kicked in a decisive effort on the glass as well, spearheading their 61-55 win on Sunday afternoon.

Jordan Shepherd led Cal with 11 of his 18 points after the halftime break. Andre Kelly added 14, and Grant Anticevich came up big with seven points and a career-best 15 rebounds.

Cal took its first lead, 22-21, with 4:23 remaining before halftime. The Bears led by four at the break, and saw their advantage grow to as much as 12 midway through the second half. But this was a struggle with Cal’s offensive numbers–42 percent shooting, and 26 percent from three–not much sexier than the visitors.

But in the end Fox was pleased, with a couple of caveats. Those misgivings began with Makale Foreman’s foot injury that likely will leave him sidelined indefinitely. When Foreman was felled in the second half–a reoccurrence of a previous injury–that put tremendous pressure on the rest of the Cal rotation. While Cal got meaningful contributions from Jalen Celestine, Sam Alajiki and Jared Hyder, Shepherd’s minutes spiked, causing concern.

“Jordan Shepherd played a massive number of minutes, and we’ll have to get some relief there.”

The Bears conclude their non-conference schedule on Wednesday when Pacific of Stockton visits Haas Pavilion. The Tigers suffered a lopsided 77-67 home loss to UC Davis on Sunday, a game in which the Tigers trailed 41-21 at the break.

Bengals Bashed: Cal gets a rare laugher in 72-46 win over Idaho State

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By Morris Phillips

BERKELEY, CA–Defense wins championships, and it also wins December non-conference games against overmatched opponents.

Don’t leave home without it, or make yourself at home with it.

Cal’s 72-46 victory over Idaho State was all defense after halftime, as the Bears ran away from Idaho while limiting the visitors to five made baskets after the break.

“We know as disjointed as our roster has been with injury that offensively it’s going to take a while to develop some chemistry,” coach Mark Fox said. “But I really wanted us to play hard defensively, and I thought in the second half we really showed that.”

The Bears benefitted in a stretch of 12 consecutive ISU misses that allowed Cal to stretch their lead to 49-30 with 11 minutes remaining. Idaho State shot an uncompetitive 28 percent from the floor in dropping an eighth consecutive game after opening the season with a win over NAIA Eastern Oregon.

Fox jumbled his starting lineup by promoting Makale Foreman and Sam Alajiki at the expense of Kuany Kuany and Joel Brown. While Kuany is out while dealing with an ankle injury, Brown played his normal minutes as a reserve. But the biggest beneficiary may have been Lars Thiemann, who came up with a career-best 12 points, three rebounds and a block in 19 minutes of action. The 7’1″ center’s presence gave the Bears defense force, and offensively his points were part of Cal’s decisive 42-16 edge in points in the paint.

“When he comes into the game he’s always capable of that,” guard Jordan Shepherd said of Thiemann. “We see it every day in practice.”

Marsalis Roberson, the freshman from Bishop O’Dowd in Oakland, made his collegiate debut, playing a couple of minutes in each half.

Idaho State was led by Robert Ford III with 11 points. Tarik Cool played the most minutes, and put up 14 shot attempts, but he couldn’t get it going, finishing with eight. The Bengals were outrebounded 44-32.

“We are feeling pretty beat up right now,” coach Ryan Looney said. “It has been a tough stretch and there a lot of things we need to do better.”

Andre Kelly had 12 points for Cal, and Grant Anticevich put up 10 points and 10 rebounds. Jordan Shepherd had 11 points on 4 of 10 shooting.

The Bears have won five, consecutive home games and at 5-5 will be afforded an opportunity to move above. 500 when Santa Clara visits Haas Pavilion on Saturday evening.

Withered In The Wasatch: Utah limits Cal in decisive 2nd half, wins 66-58

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By Morris Phillips

Things just got progressively more difficult for the Cal Bears in Salt Lake City on Sunday afternoon.

From realizing an early eight-point lead, then having to tussle to maintain some portion of that lead at the halftime break, the Cal Bears found resistance from host Utah almost immediately.

That pressure was ratcheted with Utah’s 10-0 run to take the lead four minutes into the second half, and it didn’t relent. Utah’s focus on stopping Cal’s top three offensive threats carried all the way through to the final horn, and a 66-58 Utes’ victory.

“We never found a rhythm in the second half,” coach Mark Fox said. “Our three-point shooting in the first half was good to us, and in the second half not so much. We have to have a more mature approach. We still had a possession late where we missed a couple of good threes that would have got it to a one-possession game.”

The Utes targeted Andre Kelly, Jordan Shepherd and Grant Anticevich for statistical close shaves, and they did a precise job, limiting the trio to 12 makes and no threes in a combined 33 shot attempts. Cal best offensive threats never got started–their teammates did, most notably Makale Foreman–and they certainly didn’t finish off anything.

Utah doubled Kelly in the post, which kept him to just six shot attempts. For Anticevich and Shepherd, the Utes were careful to stay attached, especially when either were looking to unleash a three.

“I don’t think we nearly demanded the ball well enough in the post,” Fox said of how his Bears reacted to Utah’s defensive approach. “I don’t think the post trap led us to a bunch of turnovers, but I don’t think we nearly executed with the authority that we need to on the offensive end to create advantages.”

The game’s progression told a simple tale: With Cal shut down in the paint, they initially made tough shots, especially Foreman who had eight of his 13 in Cal’s 26-18 start. But Foreman’s scoring ceased at halftime, and his teammates couldn’t follow his lead. The Bears missed all eight 3-point attempts and shot 29.6 percent after the break.

Both Gach led Utah with 19 points, six rebounds and Branden Carlson–a gametime decision with an ankle issue–started slow, but came up with 10 of his 12 after break, presumably when his injured ankle loosened up. Utah was 2 of 11 from three before the break, but much better with 6 of 14 afterwards.

“It wasn’t a fire and brimstone speech or anything like that at halftime,” Utah coach Craig Smith said. “But it was a matter-of-fact speech and we made a few adjustments with our screen and roll defense, which really helped us.”

The Utes avoided consecutive, home losses to start Pac-12 play, while Cal couldn’t surprise the entire West Coast with a 2-0 conference beginning after they were picked to finish 12th. Still, the early taste of league action was good for the Bears (4-5, 1-1) and their quiet confidence, and they’ll try to expand on it when they host Idaho State on Wednesday.

Bears In The Paint: Cal takes its case inside in 73-61 win over Oregon State

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By Morris Phillips

BERKELEY, CA–Cal didn’t win the statistical battle in the painted area on Thursday night, but they showed up, and that really was the key to their eye-catching 73-61 victory over Oregon State in their Pac-12 opener.

Clinging to a one-point halftime lead, Cal open the second half with ten of the first 11 points, all scored in the paint, to take control of a close game. They would go on to lead by as many as 16 and win by 12, with Jordan Shepherd (25 points, eight rebounds) and Andre Kelly (20 points, 12 rebounds) leading the way.

“We were really ready to play,” coach Mark Fox said. “At the end of the night we won the game.”

The Bears being picked to finish last in conference, but finding a way to win their first Pac-12 outing is no doubt a story, but the Beavers dropping a seventh straight game may be more noteworthy. Oregon State was beat decisively on the glass, and couldn’t stop Cal’s top scorers while losing by double-digits for the third time in their seven-game skid.

The Bears outrebounded Oregon State 42-24, attempted 19 free throws, making 16 and scored 28 points in the paint. The Beavers tallied 40 points in the paint, but did little else well. Leading scorer Warith Alatishe had 21 points, eight rebounds, but his three fouls committed were painful. The first two of Alatishe’s fouls came late in the shot clock, and the third put Cal in the bonus too early in the second half, dooming a potential comeback by the visitors.

“We stayed composed,” Shepherd said, when asked about OSU’s late, modest run that brought them within 60-53 with 4:10 remaining.

Andre Kelly scored in double figures for the sixth time this season, and he’s shooting 67.5 percent from the floor. Kelly has double-digit rebounds in four of the eight games. In the second half Thursday, Kelly was six for seven as Cal shot 54 percent from the floor.

Oregon State missed 14 of its first 17 shots after halftime, and Cal closed it out by making nine of their 10 free throw attempts down the stretch. The Utes were limited to ten free throw attempts, making six.

Cal improved to 4-4 on the season, and they travel Salt Lake City on Sunday to face Utah Utes, beaten 93-73 by USC in their conference opener on Wednesday. The Utes have dropped two straight after a 5-0 start to their season. The Trojans saw four of their five starters score in double figures in the rout.

Cal Puts Hands On Fresno State: Defensive effort keys Bears’ 65-57 win at Haas

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By Morris Phillips

BERKELEY, CA–Active hands, defensive intensity and limiting second chances, the Cal Bears had some admirable phrases attached to their performance against Fresno State on Sunday night.

And one more: salting it away late which the Bears did in getting past the Bulldogs, 65-57 at Haas Pavilion.

Jordan Shepherd scored 17 points, and the Bears used a 13-4 run with eight minutes remaining to pull away from Fresno State. The Bulldogs were forced into uphill mode from the outset, falling behind 11-2 then suffering a lackluster effort on the glass combined with some untimely turnovers.

“We didn’t do what we needed to do to score and make the stops that we needed to on the road,” Fresno State coach Justin Hutson said. “We didn’t play a mature game to be able to come out and get a win on the road in front of a crowd. We just didn’t get the job done tonight.”

Conversely, Cal was ready to go from the start, and backed their early lead with an inspired defensive effort that kept the Bulldogs off the foul line and held to a season-low 57 points. Fresno State shot 36 percent in the first half and 43 percent for the game.

Credited with just three offensive rebounds, Fresno State was kept from second opportunities, and they got burned on their 12 turnovers which Cal used to fashion a 15-4 edge on points off turnovers. Orlando Robinson, Fresno’s 7-foot, junior center led them with 25 points, nine rebounds, but he didn’t get a lot of help from his teammates combating the Bears in the paint.

Isiah Hill was the only other Bulldog to score in double-figures but he was held to 10 points, missing his nine of his 13 shots from the floor.

A 16-9 run to open the second half got the Bulldogs even at 37. But after the game was tied at 40, Cal responded with their run to put the game away as Grant Anticevich scored six of his 13 points as Cal went up 53-44 with 3:19 remaining.

Andre Kelly contributed 14 points on 6 of 8 shooting, and his scoring was instrumental in Cal’s fast start.

The Bears are 3-4 on the season after consecutive losses accumulated in Florida. Next, they open Pac-12 competition with a home game against Oregon State on Thursday, and a trip to Salt Lake City on Sunday to face the upstart Utah Utes.

The match-up with the Beavers undoubtedly gives Cal its most favorable scheduling break of the season thus far with Oregon State on a six-game losing streak, including consecutive losses to Tulsa, Samford and Princeton.

While the Bears may sense a team in disarray, Oregon State is simply a team defined by returning experience as well as a completely-retooled backcourt that has been outplayed in parts of the team’s seven games. OSU is poised for improvement sooner rather than later.

The Beavers may also sense something well: that the Bears, picked to finish last in conference, might be just what coach Wayne Tinkle’s team needs to see this Thursday in order to end a losing skid and open conference play in style.

UCLA blows out Golden Bears 42-14, ends Cal’s bowl hopes

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Cal Bears quarterback Chase Garbers (7) is sacked and at the bottom of the pile brought down by UCLA defenders defensive back Cameron Johnson, right, and linebacker Mitchell Agude at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena on Sat Nov 27, 2021 (AP News photo)

By Daniel Dullum
Saturday, November 27, 2021

California’s slim hopes of playing postseason football were dashed Saturday night at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, Calif., when UCLA used a big second half to bury the Golden Bears 42-14.

The Pac-12 Conference loss eliminates the Golden Bears (4-7 overall, 3-5 Pac-12) from bowl eligibility. UCLA (8-4, 6-3) ended its regular season tied with Arizona State for second place in the Pac-12 South. Cal is assured of its second straight losing season, and a losing Pac-12 record for the 12th straight season.

Bruins quarterbaack Dorian Thompson-Robinson completed 19 of 28 passes for `64 yards and three touchdowns, while not being intercepted or sacked. He also gained 102 rushing yards on 13 carries. Zach Charbonnet led the Bruin rushing attack with 106 yards and a touchdown on 22 attempts.

Charbonnet, Greg Dulcich and Kyle Phillips each caught six passes for UCLA.

Cal signalcaller Chase Garbers had a tough evening, being picked off twice and sacked four times. He finished 16 of 31 for 125 yards and no touchdowns. Christopher Brooks ran 12 times for 61 rushing yards, and Kekoa Crawford and Marcel Dancy each caught five passes for the Golden Bears.

The Bruins gained 282 rushing yards against the top run defense in the conference. Cal was held to 91 total rushing yards.

UCLA opened the scoring with a 41-yard field goal by Nicholas Barr-Mira at 9:47 of the first quarter. The Bruins extended their lead to 10-0 on the first play of the second quarter, when Phillips hauled in a 4-yard touchdown pass from Thompson-Robinson.

The Bears broke through six minutes later, when Brooks scored on a 14-yard run, and, at 7:34 of the second period, Garbers ran in on a 1-yard quarterback sneak, giving Cal a 14-10 lead,

But the Bruins responded with a 64-yard scoring drive that consumed 6 minutes and 29 seconds. With 32 seconds left in the first half, UCLA surged back ahead to stay at 17-14 on Kazmeir Allen’s 8-yard touchdown run.

From there, the Bruins scored 25 unanswered points throughout the second half to blow the game open. Dulcich snared a 29-yard scoring pass from Thompson-Robinson, and Barr-Mira kicked a 46-yard field goal, giving UCLA a 27-14 lead after three quarters.

Early in the fourth quarter, Charbonnet’s 1-yard TD run, and Phillips’ second scoring pass reception from Thompson-Robinson – this time for 4 yards – gave the Bruins a commanding 42-14 lead.

Cal closes out its season next Saturday, when the Bears host Southern California in a game that was postponed from an earlier date due to Cal’s team COVID outbreak. Kickoff is scheduled for 8 p.m.