Tag: Kuany Kuany

Cal falls to Washington State 63-57 but remains optimistic in the season’s final days

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By Morris Phillips

BERKELEY, CA–A streak-ending win on Senior Night wasn’t achievable for the Cal Bears.

But that wasn’t the punchline to season-concluding joke. The 3-26 hosts competed hard until seven minutes remained before they ran out of gas in a 63-57 loss to Washington State.

“Obviously, we didn’t get the win, but we made a lot of strides, and going forward we’ve got two games next week,” senior Joel Brown said. “I think there’s a lot of energy and positivity that we can grab from this.”

Cal fell for the 13th consecutive time since January 6 and need a win in their final, three games to avoid setting a new, program-worst season record.

Two regular season games remain at Oregon and Oregon State and an opening round contest in the Pac-12 Tournament in Las Vegas. Optimism within the team remains with hopes they can win at least once more.

“For the whole team it’s a tough situation with the record, but I’ve learned a lot just looking myself in the mirror and just understanding, I’m playing basketball . . . this is what I love doing,” Brown said.

When asked if he had any discussions regarding his future with Cal, coach Mark Fox said he had not, while saying he and Athletic Director Jim Knowlton speak frequently, and Fox considers Knowlton to be an ally.

Fox fell to 38-84 in his four seasons in Berkeley, and it’s widely assumed he won’t be retained.

The Bears trailed 29-26 at halftime and were within 46-44 with 7:24 remaining when they could get no closer. A 7-0 run for the Cougars created separation and put the visitors in position for a fifth straight win.

Mohamed Gueye led WSU with 20 points and 10 rebounds, and TJ Bamba added 19. Brown led Cal with 13 points, nine rebounds, and Kuany Kuany added 11.

UCLA Overwhelms Cal 78-43: Bears’ losing skid hits 11

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By Morris Phillips

UCLA coach Mick Cronin made his point at halftime of the Bruins’ game versus Stanford on Thursday: respect the opponent and be ready from the opening tap.

It was a message Cronin didn’t have to repeat prior to or during the Bruins meeting with Cal on Saturday.

Instead, the hyper alert Bruins displayed their readiness by holding the visiting Bears to 15 points before halftime. That’s the fewest a Cronin-coached UCLA team has allowed in any half of a game.

Message delivered by the Bruins and received by the downtrodden visiting Bears.

“They’re great defensively,” coach Mark Fox admitted. “You have to give them credit.”

Cal trailed by 23 points at the break, and their 22 percent shooting for the game gave them no chance for a recovery. The Bears have dropped 11 consecutive games since beating Stanford on January 6.

Were there any surprises in Saturday’s matchup between the nation’s number two ranked defense and the painfully-slow, 296th ranked offense? Well, maybe how few minutes were afforded hyped-up UCLA walk-on Russell Stong, who didn’t make his entrance until fewer than two minutes remained.

UCLA (23-4, 14-2) led by Jamie Jaquez Jr. with 20 points and Amari Bailey with 16. The Bruins continued their cruise to their anticipated showdown with Arizona in two weeks by winning their 23 consecutive game at Pauley Pavilion.

The Bears, led by Kuany Kuany’s 14 points, did themselves no favors by starting the game with a 12-0 deficit after trailing 13-0 at USC on Thursday.

The Bears (3-24, 2-14) return to Berkeley next week for their final, two home games against Washington and Washington State.

Stuck In L.A. Traffic: Cal starts slow, runs out of gas in 97-60 loss to USC

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By Morris Phillips

The baskets at USC’s Galen Center aren’t usually this big or forgiving.

But the circumstances were aligned on Thursday night as the Trojans were desperate to boost their NCAA Tournament aspirations at the expense of frustrated Cal riding a nine-game losing streak. The hosts took full advantage by shooting 58 percent from the floor in a 97-60 rout of the defenseless Bears.

“We weren’t ready to play defensively,” coach Mark Fox said. “I was certainly disappointed in that.”

Cal fell behind 13-0, trailed 50-23 at the break, and were behind by as many as 40 in the second half. USC poured it on with four double-digit scorers led by Drew Peterson with 30 points.

The Bears might have made do with 60 points scored, which is robust for them, but not with 15 turnovers and allowing the opposition to hit 12 3-pointers. Combined with the painful, slow start, Fox was adamant that his team get the message in order to gain consistency and competitiveness in the long run.

“We have to own our mistakes,” Fox said. “We have to learn from it. We have to grow.”

Cal (3-23, 2-12) was led by Monte Bowser with 13 points. ND Okafor and Kuany Kuany each contributed 11 points. The Bears continue their swing through Los Angeles on Saturday night at UCLA.

Several Pac-12 teams have NCAA Tournament hopes and know that a loss to Cal would be incredibly damaging to their resumes. Cal will get similar treatment from Oregon in two weeks in Berkeley, which makes it more difficult for them to sneak up on a lackadaisical opponent. Beating UCLA, which is hopeful for a No. 1 seed in the West Region could be just as difficult.

How daunting are Cal’s circumstances this weekend? USC is riding a 13-game win streak at the Galen Center after winning Thursday, and UCLA has won all 13 of their games this season at Pauley Pavilion.

Woes Continue: Cal wears down in 59-46 loss to Colorado at Boulder

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By Morris Phillips

The lead up to Thursday’s game wasn’t positive: the Cal community lost heralded coach Lou Campanelli, the architect of their mid-80’s resurgence, who directed the Bears to their first NCAA Tournament appearance in 30 years.

Then, leading scorer Devin Askew, who ironically has yet to participate in a win at Cal, was declared out for the remainder of the season with a nagging, sports hernia injury.

On Thursday evening, the Colorado Buffaloes’ defense proved burdensome as well.

The Bears suffered three lengthy, second-half scoring droughts and bowed meekly to CU, 59-46. The loss was Cal’s sixth in a row following an encouraging, early January win over Stanford.

Colorado’s win is their sixth consecutive over Cal at the CU Events Center, and it interrupted a rough stretch for the hosts in which they dropped five of their previous six games.

The Bears reached halftime both leading (27-24) and struggling, as they went the final 2:38 before the break scoreless. That trend would continue as the Bears scored just 19 points the rest of the way.

“It’s a testament to their grit and their toughness and not letting that frustration on offense bleed over into defense,” Colorado coach Tad Boyle said. “I’ve gotten on our guys about that at times this year when that’s happened, and tonight, it didn’t happen.”

The Bears shot just 37 percent from the floor and compiled a telling, nine assists. Leading scorer Kuany Kuany tallied 10 points but missed eight of his 10 shot attempts.

“We have to play with a tougher mentality on the road,” coach Mark Fox said. “We played about 25 good minutes, and then they made a run, and we collapsed for five or six minutes.”

Tristan da Silva led the hosts with 20 points and KJ Simpson added 10. Colorado gained revenge for their 80-76 loss at Berkeley on New Year’s Eve.

Cal’s road swing continues Saturday in Salt Lake City, where they will face Utah on Saturday.

Stanford more than prepared for Cal in 75-46 win at Maples Pavilion

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By Morris Phillips

STANFORD, CA–The hot-shooting Bears that throttled Stanford on January 6 didn’t necessarily impress their coach, Mark Fox. That same group arrived at Stanford on Saturday night without the shooting acumen, and they didn’t impress Fox either.

“I thought our defensive frustrations carried over to the offensive end and give them credit,” Fox said. “They made a bunch of baskets, we couldn’t string together any stops, and you can’t win that way on the road.”

Host Stanford raced to an 11-point halftime lead and led by as many as 37 in an easy 75-46 win over visiting Cal. Offensively, the Bears miserly 30 percent shooting didn’t put them in position to compete.

The Cardinal dominated the glass with a 47-30 edge in rebounds and used their physicality to deny the Bears. The win was Stanford’s fourth straight in what otherwise has been a frustrating season for them.

Maxime Raynaud led the Cardinal with 15 points, and Harrison Ingram added 14. Four other Stanford players scored at least eight points in a balanced effort offensively.

The Bears fell into last place in the Pac-12 with the loss and have lost all five contests since beating Stanford at the beginning of this month.

Cal travels to Colorado on Thursday tomeet the Buffs in hopes of ending their most recent losing streak.

Bears Can’t Reach The Finish Line in aggravating 81-78 overtime loss to Washington

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By Morris Phillips

The Cal Bears led Washington the entire second half, only to lose in overtime 81-78.

How’s that? Missed free throws and a tepid finish.

Eighteen games into a trying season, the Bears have changed the discourse from losing to winning. But this one–with Cal in control for the majority of the afternoon–will sting.

“We had every opportunity to win the game in regulation and just didn’t finish the plays, didn’t make free throws,” coach Mark Fox said. “When you have those opportunities, you have to seize them.”

The Bears missed three free throws in the final minutes, which allowed the hosts to calmly, and almost too patiently, work themselves into a tie ballgame when Keion Brooks scored in the lane with 12 seconds remaining.

Prior to Brooks’ equalizer, Kuany Kuany missed the front end of a one-and-one, surprising given his 84 percent shooting from the foul stripe.

In overtime, the Huskies seized control, missing just one shot and leading the entire five minutes. Cal had an opportunity to tie the game at the buzzer, but Kuany’s 3-pointer was blocked.

Cal led by as many as 11 points–with 10 minutes remaining, a showing spearheaded by Grant Newell’s breakout with 21 points, ten rebounds. Lars Thiemann added 13, and Joel Brown had 12 points, five assists.

Brooks led UW with 26 points, and Noah Williams added 22. The hosts held advantages in shooting percentage and blocked shots (7) to secure what was a statistically-even ballgame.

Cal returns to Haas Pavilion to face Oregon on Wednesday at 7:00pm.

Bears Fall To 0-10: Eastern Washington nips Cal 50-48 with tie-breaking basket in the final minute

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By Morris Phillips

BERKELEY, CA–The three points the Cal Bears were lacking on Wednesday night undoubtedly were nearby in street clothes.

The Bears received bad news before Wednesday’s contest against Eastern Washington when they announced that leading scorer Devin Askew and freshman ND Okafor would be unavailable due to health and safety protocols. For a team desperate to end a 12-game losing streak dating back to March, the news was devastating.

Then the Bears coughed up 17 turnovers and never led in a 50-48 loss to the Eagles of the Big Sky Conference, a team they had beaten in all three, previous meetings.

The Bears trailed 45-36 with 5:22 remaining only to rally and tie the contest at 48 with 33 seconds left on Joel Brown’s made free throw. But Tyreese Davis’ layup on EWU’s next possession gave the visitors their winning margin.

Steele Venters, Eastern Washington’s leading scorer, was held to just four points before fouling out, one game after he scored a career-best 33 in a win over North Dakota State on Saturday. With Venters struggling, Davis led EWU with 14 points, and Angelo Allegri added 11.

With Askew unavailable, the Bears were left thin in the backcourt as Brown started as the only true guard with walk-on Wrenn Robinson in reserve. Brown logged 34 of a possible 40 minutes but committed three of the 11 turnovers attributed to Cal’s starters.

In the final seconds, Kuany Kuany missed a three-pointer that would have given the Bears a lead. Sam Alajiki fouled EWU’s Casey Jones, but Jones missed the front end of a one-and-one. Brown’s desperation 3-point attempt then fell short at the final buzzer.

“I’m really proud of this win,” EWU coach David Riley said. “Our guys were focused and closed (Cal) out. It’s something we worked on after the NDSU game in end-of-game situations. For our guys to get better at what we practice is really encouraging.”

Lars Thiemann led Cal with 16 points, and Kuany added 10. The Bears missed 13 of their 15 attempts from distance and shot 39 percent from the floor.

The Bears, Central Connecticut State, and Louisville are the only teams left on the 363-team Division I landscape without a win. Cal gets its next opportunity for a win on Saturday at home against Butler.

A Point A Minute Won’t Keep You In It: Plodding Bears lose in Florida to TCU, 59-48

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By Morris Phillips

If you’re 0-5, throw caution to the North Florida coast breeze and let it rip! What do you have to lose?

Well, if you’re the Cal Bears, it’s complicated.

Coach Mark Fox is without two experienced guards from a roster that lacks athleticism and quickness. Ballhandling and turnovers have been a major part of their winless start, as has defensive rebounding with smaller, quicker opponents extending possessions on the offensive glass.

Given all that, let it rip–given a Haas Pavilion type translation–really means dial it back. So take Fox at his word, when he says, “we created the style of game we wanted to create” after the Bears got up just 39 shot attempts and scored 48 points in a double-digit loss to TCU on Friday.

Know this: Fox has a real dilemma. His Bears are a work in progress, emphasis on “in progress” and the losses are mounting.

The quest for victory number one brought the Bears to Niceville, FL for Thanksgiving as part of the Emerald Coast Classic, a meeting of Power 5 teams looking to spread their wings. Being matched against the Horned Frogs, picked to finish fourth in the Big-12, undeniably the nation’s best conference this season, wasn’t ideal.

But TCU was without Damion Baugh, suspended through the remainder of November due to his decision to sign with an agent after last season in thinking that he was in the mix for the 2022 NBA draft. Not only that, Mike Miles Jr., the Frogs’ other high-scoring guard missed the previous two games with ankle and knee issues, which coincided with TCU’s one-point loss to Northwestern State.

No Baugh, no Miles? Cal might have hope.

Not the case.

Miles returned on Friday, scoring 23 points to led TCU to a 59-48 win. More concerning than Miles, who needed 22 shots to reach his point total, was Cal’s 19 turnovers and 14 offensive rebounds allowed, which Fox pointed to as the biggest factor in the loss.

Those two areas created a huge deficit for the Bears in possessions and shots taken. It also allowed TCU to cruise despite a horrible shooting night (19 for 39 from two, 3 for 17 from three, and 12 of 23 from the foul stripe).

The Bears kept pace early, trailing 17-16 after Joel Brown’s layup. But over the final 8:16 of the first half, Cal scored just five more points, placing an uphill climb in their way.

The Bears got consecutive 3-pointers from Kuany Kuany and Grant Newell to slice TCU’s biggest lead to eight at 46-38. But after a TCU timeout, Miles scored consecutive baskets to extend the lead to 12, and the Frogs weren’t threatened after that.

Newell, Monty Bowser and ND Okafor–Cal’s top three reserves–found the TCU defense especially limiting, likely due in part to the trio’s inexperience. They combined to miss eight of 11 shots in 51 minutes of floor time.

With Miles coming off the bench, TCU’s reserves outscored Cal’s 35-11.

“We got to get some more guys that can finish plays,” Fox admitted.

The Bears now face Clemson under daunting circumstances. After finishing their game near midnight, they’ll be back on the floor with the Tigers at 4:00 pm EST.

“We’re not absorbing the preparation quite like we want to right now anyway, so maybe a quick turnaround won’t impact us as much as it would if we were playing a little smarter,” Fox said.

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.

Second Half Stampede: Colorado bests Cal, 70-62, ends Bears modest win streak

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By Morris Phillips

BERKELEY, CA–Five consecutive halves of competitive basketball from the Golden Bears delivered the expected: two wins and a loss.

The loss came Thursday night at Haas Pavilion, 70-62 to Colorado as the Buffs seized control of a close game with a 14-1 run to start the second half. Cal’s 25 percent shooting after the break put an end to what had been a promising start, and a continuation of the club’s strong play during their sweep of the Oregon schools.

“We were pleased with our play on both ends in the first half, and then really disappointed with how we started the second half,” coach Mark Fox said. “We didn’t play well enough in the second half and I thought Colorado took advantage of our defensive play.”

The Bears shot 15 of 29 in the first half and led by seven at the break. But an opportunity was missed in the final minutes when they missed four 3’s and failed to go to halftime with a double-digit lead. The second half started with a string of empty possessions contrasting the Buffs’ aggressiveness that saw them take the ball to the basket repeatedly with success.

“I’m really pleased with the toughness we showed,” Colorado coach Tad Boyle said. “Cal’s a physical team. We had to be tougher and stronger and we played that way.”

Cal’s close of the first half, and their drought to start the second saw them miss 22 of 25 shots. That took the home crowd out of the mix, and left the Bears in a tough spot, entirely of their making according to Fox.

“As soon as adversity hit, we didn’t respond the right way and I was certainly very disappointed in all of us tonight.”

What specifically changed? The Buffs defensive pressure. Cal enjoyed a string of open looks in the first half. That stopped after the break as Colorado gained intensity. And the Bears’ response wasn’t to match the visitors’ energy. That difference was reflected in a 43-28 edge in the rebounding for the visitors, and in Colorado’s 21 made free throws, a benefit of them taking the ball to the basket.

“We clawed our way back in by getting stops,” Boyle said. “We adjusted in the second half and turned it around.”

CU got 19 points each from Jabari Walker and freshman KJ Simpson. Evan Battey added 18.

Jalen Celestine and Grant Anticevich led Cal with just 11 points each, and Kuany Kuany added a season-best 10 in just 18 minutes off the bench.

The Bears continue their home stretch with a 3:00pm meeting with the Utah Utes on Saturday.