Tag: Devin Askew

Cal Caught in the K Zone: K-State, Keyontae knock the Bears for a loop in 63-54 loss

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BERKELEY, CA–Keyontae Johnson’s rebirth rolled through Haas Pavilion Friday afternoon, and it was nothing less than inspiring regardless of the architect’s humility.

“I just thank the team for having confidence in me to let me showcase what I’m capable of,” Johnson said after his double-double led Kansas State past Cal, 63-54. “Without them, those plays would have never happened.”

Johnson is the highly-regarded NBA prospect who saw his career at Florida end nearly two years ago when he collapsed during a game at Florida State. A medically-induced coma lasting three days spoke to the anxious moments Johnson and his family endured.

Johnson recovered, but his basketball career was put on hiatus until this week. Now at rebuilding Kansas State, Johnson is back on the court and the focal point of his new team. Nine of Johnson’s team-best 16 points came in the first half as the Wildcats gave Cal fits, while building a 36-21 lead at the break.

The Bears committed 15 turnovers, made just seven baskets on four assists in a nightmare-like, first 20 minutes. The hosts recovery was dramatic as they drew within 47-46 on Sam Alajiki’s lay-in with 5:37 remaining. But K-State’s Jay Nowell scored the next six points and the Wildcats survived to move to 2-0 on the season.

“We dug too big of a hole in the first half,” coach Mark Fox said. “We’re playing a lot of young guys and they made some errors – and they’re going to make some errors – but I was proud of how we competed. I’m disappointed that we didn’t find that competitive nature earlier.”

Squandering a 42-22 lead they held with 15:31 remaining caused the visitors some anxious moments. But the defensive effort they displayed in the first half returned down the stretch.

“We (tried) to get as many stops as possible within five minutes,” Nowell said of the final minutes. “We just came together and talked it out and figured out the way that we needed to do to win.”

The Bears fell to 0-2 with the loss and diversifying their offense likely will be their focus heading into Tuesday’s trip to UC San Diego for their meeting with the Tritons of the Big West Conference. Cal has averaged just 59 points in their first two contests.

The Bears are currently without the trio of Jalen Celestine, Jarred Hyder and DeJuan Clayton due to injuries and none appear ready to return as soon as next week.

“We found a little grit to us in the second half, and that’s important for us because until we get healthy we’re going to have to win some gritty games,” Fox said.

33-1: Cal’s first-ever loss to UC Davis, 75-65, comes in the season opener

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By Morris Phillips

BERKELEY, CA–When the moment of decision presented itself Monday night, the UC Davis Aggies seized it.

And with that the unprecedented happenings within the Cal basketball program multiplied.

Cal’s 75-65 loss to UC Davis in the season opener for both teams was their first in the 34-game series that dates back to 1917.

The Bears lost their season opener at home for the second, consecutive year on the heels of their 80-67 loss to UC San Diego last year.

And most significantly, the Bears, picked to finish 11th in the Pac-12 coach’s pre-season poll might not exceed expectations and suffer an unprecedented, sixth consecutive losing season, and their fourth under coach Mark Fox.

After trailing the Aggies for 26 minutes, including halftime, the Bears gained a 54-53 lead with 11:32 remaining with Devin Askew and center Lars Thiemann leading the way. Kuany Kuany’s 3-pointer and Grant Newell’s layin following a Thiemann offensive rebound gave Cal its biggest advantage at 60-54.

Then as quickly as Cal was engaged and whole, they splintered.

The Aggies put together a 17-1 run over the next seven minutes that muted the host’s crowd and decided the contest. Robbie Beasley Jr., Ty Johnson and leading, returning scorer Elijah Pepper combined for 15 of the 17 points, and UC Davis was in command leading 71-61 with 2:53 remaining.

“When we came back and took the lead, we just had a couple awful possessions that led to baskets for them, and we never recovered,” Fox said.

“We got sped up and didn’t take the right shots,” Thiemann said.

While playing at a quicker pace, and attacking the basket aggressively, the Aggies had success from the opening tip, building a 27-21 lead while shooting 68 percent from the field through the first 10 minutes. Cal steadied at that point as Thiemann and Askew kept them within reach, down 41-35 at the break.

Both of Cal’s leaders would go on to record career bests with Askew scoring 19, and Thiemann 17. The Cal center also contributed eight rebounds, two blocks and two steals.

Christian Anigwe, younger brother of record-breaking Kristine Anigwe from the Cal’s women’s program, led UC Davis with 21 points.

All of the Pac-12 teams hosted non-conference opponents on opening night, and only Cal and USC suffered losses. The Trojans fell 74-61 to Florida Gulf Coast. With the loss, Mark Fox has a 35-59 record at Cal in his three plus seasons at the helm.

The Bears host Kansas State on Friday at 4pm.

Exhibition Education: Cal a work in progress in 62-55 win over Chico State

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By Morris Phillips

BERKELEY, CA–Cal basketball is under way, and no one knows what to expect.

The process of discovery kicked off Wednesday night as Cal squeezed past Division II Chico State 62-55 in their exhibition opener with the Bears featuring more new players than old.

The newness was apparent in Cal’s disjointed effort. Missed free throws and 16 offensive rebounds kept Chico State attached, and they were within four points of the hosts, down 59-55 with less than a minute to play.

“I was disappointed in our defensive rebounding,” coach Mark Fox said. “We didn’t do a good job on the glass.”

The Bears didn’t shoot it well either, finishing with 38 percent proficiency from the field while misfiring on 16 of their 18 3-point attempts. Fox felt his club’s shot selection wasn’t prudent with numerous shots early in possessions, the product of an impatient team anxious to please in its opening game.

But the Bears did get it done defensively, holding Chico to 28 percent shooting for the game, while denying their intended plan of getting hot from distance. The Wildcats were stymied early as Cal limited them to one made three on 10 attempts before halftime.

Newcomers ND Okafor and Devin Askew led the Bears with 11 points, and returning center Lars Thiemann added 10. But there was struggle in their numbers as Askew, who played previously at Kentucky then Texas, missed 10 of his team-high 14 shots from the floor. Thiemann was 4 of 9 from the foul line, part of the Bears’ disappointing 18 of 31 effort from the stripe.

The efficiency of Cal’s offense is their biggest question mark in the absence of their three leading scorers from last season, Grant Anticevich, Jordan Shepherd and Andre Kelly, who transfered to UC Santa Barbara after four seasons in Berkeley.

The Pac-12 coaches picked Cal to finish 11th in the conference standings, leaving the Bears a daunting task as they look to avoid an unprecedented, sixth consecutive losing season.

The Bears official opener comes on Monday as the UC Davis Aggies visit Haas Pavilion.