By Morris Phillips
BERKELEY, CA–The Golden Bears weren’t just seeking a signature win over their most significant opponent. They were looking to write the resulting headlines as well. Breaking out a new star and setting a new shooting standard accomplished both.
Cal’s 92-70 win over Stanford featured DeJuan Clayton’s 26 points, and the team’s school record 16 made 3-pointers, but it marked the coming together of a team that got no positive reinforcement over the season’s first eight weeks as the losses and humiliation piled up.
But with wins in three of their last four outings–after 12 consecutive losses–the Bears are showing themselves to be engaged despite the rough start with Clayton as their focal point.
“We found a rhythm, and it’s amazing the difference DeJuan makes in our team,” coach Mark Fox said. “You’ve seen it the last couple of games. If we had him the first 13 games, who knows what we could have been. He was terrific in his ability to score the ball, but he also had six assists, no turnovers. He makes everyone better.”
Clayton was a perfect 4 for 4 from distance, leading Cal to a 45-37 lead at halftime. The Bears overcame a hot start from Stanford, which made its first six shots from the floor to lead 12-10. But the Bears kept coming with eight made threes and 64 percent shooting before the break.
“We’re not the 0-12 team you guys saw,” said Sam Alajiki. “We didn’t have DeJuan. We didn’t get to play together a lot. We are a completely different team now. Everyone can feel it.”
Alijiki contributed 19 points, Kuany Kuany added 18, and Joel Brown, one game removed from his career-best 21 points, piled up the assists with seven. With so many positive contributions, the Bears managed without injured Devin Askew, and with Lars Thiemann taking just three shots.
Stanford kept pace until the Bears seized control after the game was tied at 32. The Bears scored 13 of the final 18 points before the break and didn’t relent in the second half, leading by as many as 23 with 4:59 remaining.
Stanford received 14 points from Michael Jones, 13 from Spencer Jones, and 12 each from Maxime Raynaud and Isa Silva. The Cardinal have opened Pac-12 play with five losses, with this one easily the most lopsided.
“The 3-point shooting built confidence for the rest of their team,” said coach Jerod Haase, who has seen his team win just five times in 15 outings.
The Bears next travel to Washington to face the Cougars and Huskies with the trip to Pullman first on Wednesday.
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