Cal Bears forward Lee Dort (34) dribble drives against the Columbia Lions at Haas Pavilion in Berkeley on Sun Dec 21, 2025 (Cal Bears X photo)
Sunday, Dec. 21, 2025
Haas Pavilion, Berkeley, California
Columbia Lions (9-3)
California Golden Bears 74 (12-1)
By Stephen Ruderman
BERKELEY–Dai Dai Ames and John Camden dominated each half respectively, and the Bears crushed the Columbia Lions 74-56 to close non-conference play.
The Bears carried their 11-1 start into today’s game against Columbia Lions of the Ivy League. The Lions haven’t been shabby either, as they came in with a record of 9-2.
The opening minutes of this one were relatively quiet. John Camden hit a three with less than a minute in to open the scoring, but the game was tied 4-4 five minutes in.
Dai Dai Ames came through with a dunk and a jumper to give the Bears an 8-4 lead. When the halfway point of the first half approached, that’s when the Bears’ offense finally came to life.
In just under a minute and a half, Nolan Dorsey hit a three; Ames made a layup; and Chris Bell hit a layup and jumper in the paint. Suddenly, the Bears had opened up a 17-4 lead.
The remainder of the first half was mainly uneventful, though Mark Madsen stayed fired up the entire time nevertheless. The Bears went into halftime with a 28-16 lead. Ames dominated the first half with 12 points, and Bell was not too far behind with eight.
The Lions showed up with a little more fire in the opening minutes of the second half. The Bears’ lead remained between nine and 12 points until Camden hit a jumper with 13:15 remaining.
The Bears truly opened it up near the halfway mark of the second half. Dorsey made a layup, and Justin Pippen and Camden both hit threes to put the Bears lead at 56-35.
The Lions never gave up. They went on a 9-2 run to cut the Bears lead to 65-52 with 2:52 left. The Lions also played aggressive defense in the latter part of the second half.
However, the Bears still won easily by a final of 74-56.
The man who really came alive in the second half was John Camden. His three to open the scoring in the first minute of the game was his only scoring in the first half. Camden scored 14 points in the second, and 17 overall.
Camden’s 17 points were second to Dai Dai Ames, who scored 19. Ames scored seven points in the second half.
Now, the Bears will face a real test, as ACC play will get underway next week. The Bears dominated non-conference play, which featured many matchups against lesser-known schools.
The Bears’ first match in ACC play will be against the 11th-ranked Louisville Cardinals next Tuesday at Haas Pavilion. The Bears beat 18th-ranked UCLA in November, so they are certainly capable of going up against the elite teams. We will see next Tuesday.
Tipoff will be at 6 p.m.
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