Tag: California Golden Bears

Cameron Indoor Statement: No. 16 Duke Snatches Cal’s Women, 72-38

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By Morris Phillips

DURHAM, NC–Coach Charmin Smith admitted facing highly regarded Duke wasn’t a great matchup for her Bears. But it was the biggest game of the season thus far, and she rightly expected her group’s competitive juices would surface.

The Bears competed, but they did so with multiple Blue Devils clawing and scratching for every available basketball. At first, Duke was annoying. In the second quarter, annoying became acute, causing Smith to call a timeout trailing 25-11. That timeout preceded another shot miss and two turnovers in less than a minute. The rout was cemented, and Duke ran off, winning 72-38.

“We weren’t able to handle the pressure well enough today to get any type of good looks for our scorers,” Smith said. “It was a rough night.”

Cal’s turnovers were game killers. A season-high 31 included 13 from Marta Suarez and Ioanna Krimili combined alone. That had both preoccupied and caused Smith to try other options briefly. Lulu Twidale saw so many Duke defenders leaping at her in closeouts, it’s not clear that she saw the basket when she finally made one late in the third quarter. Kayla Williams may have gotten the worse just by counting each time she had to pick herself off the floor after a Blue Devil leveled her to prevent a quality shot.

I thought it was a complete defensive performance by our group,” coach Kara Lawson said.

Zahra King, Cal’s freshman point guard, entrusted to maintain control of the basketball when Cal’s primary options failed may have suffered the telling moment of the evening when Duke defensive specialist Taina Mair ripped the basketball from King with such force that she found herself falling out of bounds. But Mair simply threw the basketball off King to maintain possession, which left King both speechless and action-less.

“I thought she was maybe the most impactful player in the game for us,” Lawson said of starting guard Mair, who was scoreless. “Her intensity, her competitiveness, her edge, how she disrupted, point of attack defense, five assists, one turnover, four steals. She just demanded her space out there. I told her that after the game. There’s so many more ways to impact winning other than scoring.”

Cal managed to get up 22 shots before halftime, a number rivaled by their 17 turnovers. The second half saw the Blue Devils grab 13 offensive rebounds, which severely limited Cal’s comeback hopes. The Cameron Indoor Stadium scoreboard captured it all, which wasn’t much. The Bears scored nine points in the second quarter and seven points in the third.

“They played phenomenal defense, and we really struggled with it,” Smith said.

Toby Fournier had 23 points, 11 rebounds to pace the hosts. Ashlon Jackson added 16, and Reigan Richardson had 14. Williams led Cal with 8 points.

Cal seeks a split in North Carolina on Sunday at Wake Forest, a team that couldn’t avoid an 0-6 start in ACC play on Thursday when their late comeback against Stanford fell short. The Demon Deacons are the only ACC without a conference win.

Cal Women Thump Florida State 82-70, Improve To An NCAA Tournament-Worthy 16-2

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By Morris Phillips

BERKELEY, CA–Now 18 games into a magical season, the Cal Bears are settling in, refining their methods, and embracing the responsibility of publicly voicing their goals.

Beating talented Florida State 82-70–after leading by as much as 34 points–made for a big statement, as did the bigger challenge of limiting Ta’Niya Latson, the nation’s leading scorer. Cal accomplished both by winning their third straight conference game and holding Latson to 13, more than 14 points below her average.

“Our goal is to make the NCAA Tournament, and that means we have to beat some ranked opponents, got to protect the home court, and were doing that,” coach Charmin Smith declared. “The growth for us is making sure that we don’t have any letdowns. We understand there is a target on our back now.”

Right now, Golden Bears’ opponents are struggling to locate a moving target, a metaphor embodied by Cal’s five starters and their balanced offensive attack that is highlighted by superior 3-point shooting. Cal buried seven threes in Sunday’s first half, and those makes were a major reason Cal built an insurmountable 50-25 halftime lead.

“They’re a really good basketball team,” coach Brooke Wyckoff said. “They play well at home, and we let them get out to a hot start, which is what you can’t do against this team. They’re really confident right now.”

Wyckoff explained that Latson’s struggles came from Cal committing several players to keep tabs on her and not letting the Seminoles get their running game unleashed. That last part is simply a battle of wills. If Florida State wanted to run, Cal’s objective was to make shots in part to slow the Seminoles in transition. Mission accomplished as FSU missed 23 of their first 31 shots from the floor, a product of Cal’s early success.

In all 18 games thus far, the Bears have shot the ball terrifically. Their shortcomings have centered around turnovers and defensive lapses. But increasingly, the team has limited its issues in those areas and seen its stock grow. In their next five games, Cal will see its two most prominent opponents in Duke and No. 3 Notre Dame, both on the road. Picked 14th in the ACC pre-season poll, the Bears didn’t figure to impact either team. Now, they might be ready for both, despite both contests being on the road.

“This year, the biggest difference that I see is we’re finishing games. We had some leads against really good teams last year, and we let them slip away. And this year, we’re able to get the wins.”

Cal Women To Be Pushed By Florida State, Nation’s Leading Scorer, Ta’Niya Latson

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By Morris Phillips

BERKELEY, CA–Brooke Wyckoff’s Seminoles have never been to Berkeley. This season, they’ve yet to face a ranked opponent and No. 24 Cal is up next. And they’re coming off a frustrating loss at Stanford in which they scored 84 points, and lost in regulation.

When you’re 13-3 with big goals, you crawl back to the hotel, recharge, and spend little time waxing poetically about your beautiful January weekend in Northern California.

“What it takes is a standard of excellence on both ends of the floor,” Wyckoff said immediately, in reflecting on the trip so far, including a loss at Stanford that was simply not what she wants from her experienced, talented team.

The host Cardinal came in a mess, and left blessed. Losers of five of their last six, Stanford pushed the pace, and made shots. They also dominated the glass, and never trailed after 9-8 early in the first period. Wyckoff demanded her team assess themselves, individually and collectively, and take responsibility for their performance in the 89-84 loss.

“We need better defense, no uncontested threes,” she said. “We scored 84 points, which is less than what we normally score, but enough to win a basketball game.”

Ta’Niya Latson, the nation’s leading scorer at 27.7 ppg, put up 24 but wasn’t on her game. Two games ago, she scored 40, and she’s exceeded 24 on ten other occasions. But against Stanford, she needed 22 shots to reach that 24, and defensively, she got caught on a couple of instances outside of reach of Stanford shooters.

Latson’s response to a subpar game could be Cal’s biggest concern. The junior guard is rarely out of pocket and produces big numbers effortlessly and seemingly from muscle memory. Cal will dial up several different defenses, but Latson’s unlikely to be phased.

“It’s the natural growth as a player, from day one she’s seen every type of coverage thrown at her,” Wyckoff said of Latson. “She’s more comfortable now than ever.”

Latson’s body maturity after a couple of seasons in a university-style gym is noticeable. At 5’8″, she’s exceptionally smooth, and now, with the increased muscle, far less likely to be impeded in the paint, even by defenders that are five or six inches taller.

Cal will counter with their uncanny shooting prowess that ranks them 12th nationally in made threes per game at 10.1. They shoot 46 percent from the floor, which ranks 37th. At Haas Pavilion, the Golden Bears are 10-0 and their crowds are building as their 15-2 won-loss record gains notice.

Wyckoff, a year removed from a cancer diagnosis, and an intense regime with chemotherapy, is again enjoying the process, and the intense competition within the ACC that coaches crave.

“You’re preparing for opponents, you’re playing games,” Wyckoff said, in comparing her coaching career to a form of therapy.

“(Having that distraction) was a huge blessing. And an amazing staff supported me through it,” she said about last season before declaring that her chemo treatments have ended for now.

Cal Women Shoot Up No. 21 N.C. State In 78-71 Win

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By Morris Phillips

BERKELEY, CA–By the time Kayla Williams went washing machine, and put N.C. State defender Zoe Brooks into a spin cycle at the elbow before finishing over fast closing  post Tilda Trygger, the Golden Bears shot making display was already in full effect.

Coach Wes Moore hinted to Thursday’s game as being a continuation of his opponent film study that clearly demonstrated Cal’s basketball team as exceptional shooters. The game validated Cal, and the show started early and continued late.

Ioanna Krimili struck first with a floater in the game’s first 13 seconds. Then Lulu Twidale buried a three as soon as Kayla Williams’ pass arrived on a rope. Marta Suarez casually dropped a three. The Haas Pavilion crowd, minus a few friends, perked up fast and got loud.

The No. 24 Golden Bears would limp through the remainder of the opening quarter, then suddenly seize control early in the second. Suarez’s three 3-pointers in less than a minute neatly erased the visitors’ lead, put Cal in the driver’s seat, and frustrated Moore, who abruptly called a timeout.

“They’re a very explosive offensive team,” Moore said. “We knew that coming in. Four starters shoot over 40 percent from three. I thought (Michelle Onyiah) really did a nice job for them tonight as well. So they had a great balanced attack.”

In the first, authentic big game at Haas since 2018, Cal showed out. Coach Charmin Smith knew it and expressed joyous relief.

“I’m just really proud of this team. I think this was a great program win,” Smith said. “Those (N.C. State) guards have been to a Final Four.”

“That’s what we do. That’s what we say. We make threes in tough moments. I was just feeling it,” Suarez said.

“Having shooters all around the floor, it creates a lot of space for everybody, so that was what coach kind of mentioned.”

On a night where the referees effectively kept both teams away from the free throw line (only 16 free throws were attempted in the game), shooting was the key to victory. Both teams displayed Top 25 shot making, but Cal had the ball in Williams’ hands, and she was either efficient or spectacular all night.

For the entire 40 minutes without a substitution, Williams probed, attacked, and dechipered. Each time down the floor, and with the ball in her hands, she broke the Wolfpack defense and found her teammates. When the defense relaxed, she got to the basket with a series of jaw-dropping finishes.

“I thought Williams killed us off the bounce,” Moore admitted.

Suarez led Cal with 17 points. Krimili, Onyiah, and Williams each added 15. Twidale contributed 11, and Gabrielle Obigor and Jayda Noble provided critical play off the bench.

N.C. State’s unflappable duo of Saniya Rivers and Aziaha James combined for 33 points, but they missed 19 shots, and couldn’t string together a flurry of buckets that would have surely given the hosts pause.

Cal (15-2, 3-1) hosts Florida State on Sunday at 2 p.m. The game provides Cal an opportunity to remain connected to league-leader Notre Dame, the only conference team that’s undefeated in league play. The Bears visit the Irish on February 9.

Mustang Must: Cal Women rebound with 81-66 win at SMU

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Cal Bears forward Marta Suarez led with 19 points against the SMU Mustangs in Dallas on Sun Jan 5, 2025 (Cal Bears photo)

By Morris Phillips

There’s nothing like weekend travel in the ACC. The Golden Bears know that after experiencing 48 hours of idled frustration following an unanticipated loss at Clemson. In this case, a rough Friday and Saturday prior to a triumphant Sunday afternoon at SMU in Dallas.

It wasn’t easy excursion, but it was productive.

The Bears relied on great shooting, including 10 made threes to get past Clemson. Five of those threes fell in the third quarter when Cal extended a four-point halftime lead to 64-51 after three quarters. Marta Suarez was the most aggressive shooter with 19 points on 9 of 12 from the floor.

“That’s a really good team,” SMU coach Toyelle Wilson said of Cal. “They’re Top 20 for a reason. They can shoot the ball, they can get downhill. They’re physical. Charmin has done a great job with that program. 

“But it wasn’t our day, and the girls know: we’re going to have to take some bumps and bruises to get through this ACC conference. Today was a good day for us to learn a lot.”

Cal returned to physical play with 40 rebounds and a healthy edge on the glass, along with 36 points in the paint. The referees weren’t all plussed, and they assessed fouls to Michelle Onyiah and Suarez that limited both players’ minutes.

Kayla Williams impressed legendary North Carolina All-American point guard Ivory Latta, who said, “she’s so poised. She really controls that offense.”

Williams killed with efficiency. She had 17 points, seven assists, and five assists. The visitors followed Williams’ lead: after squandering a pair of second quarter leads, the Bears led the entire second half, briefly by as many as 19 points.

Nya Robertson led the Mustangs with 22 points, but she needed 20 shots to get there. Chantae Embry had 12 points, and Ella Brow added 10.

The Bears (14-2, 3-1) return to Berkeley on Thursday to meet ranked opponent North Carolina State at Haas Pavilion.

Clemson’s Late Spurt Sends Cal Women To 69-58 Defeat In ACC Road Opener

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By Morris Phillips

Won-loss records and national rankings don’t win games, seizing an opening and capturing the moment does, just like the Clemson Tigers did on Thursday night.

A 12-0 run that followed 15 lead changes broke open a close game in the fourth quarter and carried Clemson past the Cal Women 69-58 at Littlejohn Coliseum. The loss thwarted Cal’s attempt to achieve a program-first 14-1 start to a season.

“We’re slowly building this, and we’re trying to do it the right way, in a way that feels like we’re part of Clemson,” coach Shawn Poppie said of his initial win over a Top 25 opponent as Tigers head coach.

“I think they were just really aggressive, and you could tell they had a sense of urgency, and they really wanted to win this game. And, I didn’t think we matched their intensity level. It was a poor shooting night for us, for sure. But this is road basketball in the ACC, and we’ve got to be better,” coach Charmin Smith said.

Loyal McQueen led Clemson with 18 points, 14 of those before halftime, when she gave the hosts narrow leads to end the first quarter and again at the halftime break. Mia Moore, Tessa Johnson, and reserve Raven Thompson also scored in double figures for Clemson, who found success driving to the rim for scores or by getting to the free throw line.

Cal got 18 points, including three 3-pointers, from Ioanna Krimili. But her teammates were 1 of 13 from distance, which doused any opportunities for a fourth quarter comeback. The Bears four made threes, and 20 percent shooting from distance were well below the visitors’ season averages.


“I thought we fouled a lot it looks like. I don’t know the foul discrepancy was, but it was very significant. They got a lot of trips to the line in that quarter, and we
weren’t able to keep people in front of us. We let them get downhill, get to the rim. We know that we have to be better defensively, and our defense usually
sparks our offense. So if we’re not getting stops, we’re not scoring as many points either.”

Cal gets a chance to salvage their road swing at SMU on Sunday afternoon. The Mustangs won’t be an easier target after they pulled past Stanford 67-63 on Thursday.

Cal Coach Charmin Smith Wins Through Basketball, Activism and Representation

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By Morris Phillips

BERKELEY, CA–How many black women coaches do you know? How many black women coaches did you play for?

Surprisingly, black women coaches are asking themselves these questions.

Like 83 streaking meteors, black women basketball coaches at the Division I level travel a lonely path, seeking success at the highest levels of their profession while often having to forgo family, relationships and time to themselves. The payoffs for success are enormous, and the sacrifices are just as big.

And unfortunately, the second chances are few.

“A lot of Black coaches got opportunities during that time,” said Dawn Staley of a period around 2007 when Jolette Law was hired to coach Illinois. “And then probably three, four years later, 75% of them weren’t head coaches anymore, and they don’t get recycled like other coaches. So I think now Black coaches are more prepared because they have had to be prepared.”

After Staley’s South Carolina Gamecocks captured the 2017 National Championship, the coach who is the absolute vanguard for the sport and her people, sent pieces of the celebratory basketball net that was cut down after the final victory over Mississippi State to all 70 black women head coaches that were then in place at the Division I level. The gesture received a great deal of attention, as did Staley’s measured words in explaining her reasoning for distributing the net.

“I pick ALL of you to receive this piece of our 2017 National Championship net in the hope that making our goal tangible will inspire you, as it did me, to keep pushing forward and us all to keep supporting each other in our journeys,” Staley wrote to each of the recipients.

The gesture was actually started by Carolyn Peck, the first black women to win a national title in basketball at Purdue in 1999. She sent a piece of her net to Staley in 2015 with the stipulation that Staley continue the gesture when she won. 70 coaches received a piece of the net in 2017. Now seven years later, there are 83 black women’s coaches as their numbers continue to grow.

Staley’s story is best known, but 82 other stories deserve to be told. Would all that have been possible without the South Carolina’s coach special touch? Maybe not.

“She’s so great and gracious,” Syracuse coach Felecia Legette-Jack said. “You call her, and you think you’re the most special person in the world. She does it with everybody.”

California’s Charmin Smith had a story to tell, and she created a platform from which to tell it. The Raising the B.A.R. Invitational is an annual tournament that features four teams coached by black women, and was started by Smith. Basketball, Activism and Representation are the words of the tournament title’s acronym, and this time, in the fourth year of the tournament, a fund-raising component has been added with each participating team raising money for a local charity.

Smith’s mission is simple, but important: be heard, say what’s important, and create change.

“In my career there have been times where I felt like they don’t want me to speak my mind,” Smith said. “They don’t want to hear what I say. But I am not one of those black women, I guess. I can’t be silent on the issues that affect me and affect my student athletes.”

Smith didn’t know if she wanted to coach. At a standstill following her WNBA career, her college coach, the legendary Tara VanDerveer suggested she try it. Smith resisted but accepted a job interview with the Boston College women’s basketball program that led to her first coaching job.

Xavier coach Billi Chambers wasn’t a transcendent player at Hofstra, but she knew she could be special as a coach. Following her college career, she jumped into the coaching profession immediately, and then into her first head coaching job at Iona, one that lasted 10 years. She wasn’t looking for a new challenge or wanting to uproot her family from Long Island New York, but she knew she wanted one when Xavier came calling after their program fell to 7-23 in the 2022-23 season.

“During the interview, I told myself, I can sell this place,” she said after walking into the Cintas Center, the Xavier on-campus arena.

Chambers decided to forgo 10 years of success for a bigger school, a bigger conference, and a bunch of uncertainty regarding a program that had fallen on rough times. Coaching against Geno Auriemma and UConn didn’t deter her either.

“Who doesn’t want to compete against the best?” she thought.

Diane Richardson knew that coaching and the coaches that mentored her changed her life from humble beginnings in Washington D.C. to a wildly successful career in the financial services field. But at the peak of her success, the coaching bug hit, and she assumed a head coaching job of an AAU program in Maryland. That led to Richardson leaving the financial field, coaching full-time, and eventually accepting an opportunity to be the head coach at Towson University.

Like Chambers, Richardson jumped when a bigger opportunity came from Temple University in Philadelphia, where their proud program had fallen on rough times, ironically after Dawn Staley departed to coach South Carolina. Having to hit the floor initially with seven players new to the Temple program, and little to hang their collective hats on other than gritty defense, didn’t slow Richardson. She simply accepted the challenge, and subsequently hit the recruiting trail to increase the talent level of her team.

Now in year two, Richardson is starting to see results. Her Owls have won 5 of their last 8, and should be a factor in the American Athletic Conference title chase.

“We are leading with our defense,” Richardson declared.

13-1: Cal Women Close Non-Conference Play With 89-63 Win Over Temple

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By Morris Phillips

BERKELEY, CA–Ioanna Krimili and Lulu Twidale combined for 12 made 3-pointers, and Cal blew past Temple 89-63 in the championship game of the Raising The B.A.R. Invitational on Sunday night.

The Bears finished non-conference play 13-1, their best showing since 2017, ahead of their first ever ACC road trip that starts at Clemson on January 2.

“I thought this Temple team was really good and shot the ball well in the first half,” coach Charmin Smith said. “We just had to keep pushing and pushing, and we were finally able to bust through. This is a good game for us being a little shorthanded and having people step up to do a really good job to get a great win.”

The Bears play without starter 6’3″ Marta Suarez for a second, consecutive game, but there was little slippage offensively or defensively, as Cal broke open a close game with a hot-shooting third quarter that ended with Cal up 69-48.

The Bears combined 16 made threes with a 50-25 advantage in rebounds that created a blowout from what was a close game at halftime. Temple of the American Athletic Conference was picked to finish eighth in the 13-team league’s preseason poll. The Owls fell to 6-5 with the loss after they beat Xavier 66-51 in Saturday’s opening round.

“Towards the second half, we just weren’t crashing the boards enough. They definitely outrebounded us. It was a big margin,” Owls coach Diane Richardson said.

Tristen Taylor led Temple with 17 points on 7 of 10 from the floor. Three other players, Jaleesa Molina, Tiarra East and Anissa Rivera, contributed eight points each.

Cal got 20 each from Krimili and Twidale. Kayla Williams added 17. The Bears also beat Fordham 69-53 on Saturday in the tournament’s opening round.

Cal’s Chilly Evening In The South Bay: Bears’ Offense Disappears in 71-50 Loss To No. 23 SDSU

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By Morris Phillips

SAN JOSE, CA–Fifteen ACC basketball teams hit the hardwood on Saturday, and one–Cal–had a particularly difficult time gaining a feel for holiday hoops.

The Bears made 14 baskets in 40 minutes of play and were drubbed by No. 23 San Diego State, 71-50 at the San Jose Tip-Off in the SAP Center.

During a lengthy run by the Aztecs late in the first half, and immediately after another missed shot by Cal, coach Mark Madsen lost it for nearly 45 seconds, yelling at the officials, drawing a technical, and needing three, different staff members to provide physical restraint.

“Mad Dog at Midnight* (in the East)” probably drew big numbers for ESPN. But this game in a quiet, cavernous Shark Tank did not.

“San Diego State took us completely out of our offense,” Madsen said. “Our defense in the first half was OK. Our defense in the second half was poor.”

Only one made 3-pointer highlighted the first half, and when the Aztecs’ Nick Boyd hit two threes in the first minute of the second half, the game was essentially over with Cal trailing 31-16. The Bears slumped even further, trailing by as many as 27 before falling by 19.

“We stuck in the game with our defense,” SDSU coach Brian Dutcher said. “We started making some threes, and that opened up the game for us.”

“We couldn’t find a rhythm,” Madsen said. “They played with so much physicality, got us off our spots.”

Boyd led SDSU with 17 points, Miles Byrd and BJ Davis each scored 12.

Cal shot 25 percent for the game, and leading scorer Andrej Stojakovic missed his first nine shots from the floor, and was limited to 10 points. Jeremiah Wilkinson led Cal with 13 points.

The SAP Center provided Cal the floor earlier in the day, but that session was canceled when the rims appeared six inches too low, and the 3-point line was set at an improper distance.

The Aztecs couldn’t get to San Jose after a couple of canceled flights on Friday, and they ended up driving to Ontario to fly from there. That change completely severed the traveling party, all of whom outside the players and coaches ended up on busses that arrived less than an hour before game time.

All the upheaval was brushed off by both coaches, but Cal’s play obviously suffered. Dutcher, who has more than two decades coaching at San Diego State alone, was more effusive about what his Aztecs have accomplished despite challenging logistics.

“We had as good a non-conference we could have with the schedule we played. A loss to Gonzaga and a loss to Oregon is nothing to hang your head over. Wins obviously over Creighton, Houston and Cal, UC San Diego was 9-2. We put together a good non-conference resume,” Dutcher said.

Cal’s 50 points on Saturday were easily the fewest scored by a team on the ACC scoreboard. Stanford, with 61 points, and Georgia Tech with 65 were also challenged to score, and both lost as well. The Bears resume ACC play in Pittsburgh on New Years Day.

Oh, not to muddle Cal’s holiday cheer, but the Pitt Panthers scored 110 points on Saturday in dusting Sam Houston State to improve to 10-2.

Merry Christmas.

Cal Offense Falls Silent In 24-13 LA Bowl Loss to UNLV

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By Morris Phillips

The Art of Sport was overtaken by the Prevalence of Uncertainty at SoFi Stadium, and that was just another layer of bad news for the disheveled Cal Bears on Wednesday night.

The 24-13 loss to UNLV was empty of intrigue after the first quarter, which saw the Bears lead 3-0 and 10-7. The game fell out of reach at that point as Cal kicked just one field goal over the final three quarters while Coach Justin Wilcox was forced to devote all his energy to determining  who he had left to compete.

“There were a lot of guys playing who will be working to earn a spot going into spring,” Wilcox said. “Some of these guys really helped themselves. We have a lot of great evaluation. We wish we would have won the game.”

CJ Harris, Cal’s starter at quarterback, completed 13 of 20 passes but departed in the third quarter when he suffered arm and hand injuries. True freshman EJ Caminong stepped in, but with no playing experience at the collegiate level, he suffered, completing just 6 of 19 passing attempts along with a critical fumble on a botched lateral play.

Fernando Mendoza announced his intention to leave the program 10 days ago, entering the transfer portal and leaving Cal with precioulittle experience at the quarterback position.

The Rebels won their first bowl game since beating Arkansas after the 2000 season. They did so without coach Barry Odom, who accepted the Purdue coaching job in the last week. Hajj-Malik Williams threw two touchdown passes as UNLV started slowly but played steadily throughout with one score in each of the four quarters.

“I’ve done this so many times that it is a big deal for the players to experience,” interim coach Del Alexander said. “For them to feel it and get the reward and establish the legacy, it’s important for them.”

Cal finishes the season at 6-7, failing to post a winning season for the first time since 2019. The Bears won 3 of 4 and beat Stanford to gain bowl eligibility but lost their final two games.