Tag: Matt Bradley

Desert Downer: Cal suffers worst offensive showing of the season at Arizona, loses 71-50

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By Morris Phillips

Slow starts and frustrated opponents seeking redemption–those are your Golden Bears’ themes for the now completed, annual trip to the Arizona desert.

Warning: these themes aren’t filled with positivity.

Oakland native James Akinjo had 20 points, eight assists and no turnovers to lead Arizona to a wire-to-wire 71-50 win over Cal on Saturday. Once again, the Bears were lethargic offensively at the start, falling behind 10-2 and 19-7, then trailing by as many as 29 in the second half. The lack of execution was reflected in the numbers as Cal shot 38 percent from the floor with a paltry eight assists and 16 turnovers.

“I thought Arizona was the aggressor from the jump ball,” coach Mark Fox admitted. “I thought they dominated the paint. I felt like we were playing uphill all day, which we really were.”

Being the least-affected team by COVID protocols in the Pac-12 hasn’t benefitted Cal much. They’ve played a league-high 19 games with just one postponement in league play, but Saturday’s loss keeps the Bears in the conference basement at 2-10 and 7-12 overall.

Also, Cal’s 50 points against Arizona (13-4, 7-4) marked their lowest offensive output of the season.

The host Wildcats didn’t figure to be in a giving mood after losing on Thursday to Stanford, who was without three of their four best players. In that one, UA’s defense slumped, and they couldn’t get anything easy in the paint against the Cardinal’s size and double teams. Coach Sean Miller sensed something was amiss.

“We weren’t the together, hard-playing, unselfish group that this team has been throughout the year,” said Miller. “We let our guard down. Not sure how or why it happened but we were just not good in those areas.”

Those issues never surfaced against Cal.

Depending on your perspective, Arizona’s size harassed Cal into numerous bad shots, or their quickness kept Cal from dribble penetration while forcing numerous explosive turnovers. In either case, Cal couldn’t run their offense–a reoccurring theme–from botched inbounds plays to errant entry passes. The perimeter-leaning trio of Grant Anticevich, Ryan Betley and Makale Foreman suffered the most, combining to miss 14 of 18 shots from the floor.

Matt Bradley was back to being his hard-charging self, leading Cal with 21 points, including 5 of 6 from three. But Bradley wasn’t perfect: he had six turnovers, two of those in the first seven minutes, a period in which Cal scored just one basket and buried themselves from the start.

Meanwhile, Akinjo was the latest Pac-12 lead guard to give Cal the business in what Miller said was his best game yet in an Arizona uniform. A year ago, Akinjo was dismissed from the Georgetown team as coach Patrick Ewing issued a brief statement without elaborating. Big East journalists cited the smallish guard’s below average defense as a major reason the Hoyas struggled.

But this season, Akinjo’s been fantastic, while leading the Pac-12 in assists in conference play. He’s been the leader of an inexperienced team, he’s beefier from time spent in the weight room, and Miller–a point guard in his playing days–has coached Akinjo on all the finer points.

A talented playmaker from Oakland that went to high school in Richmond?

Cal could really use him.

The Bears host Stanford on Thursday at 6pm with the return engagement on Sunday at 7pm at Maples Pavilion, the second true home game for the nomadic Cardinal this season with the first on Tuesday against USC.

NOTES: The Bears had no steals or blocks in the first half on Saturday. Arizona shot 55 percent in the period and enjoyed an 18-4 advantage in points in the paint.

The Wildcats improved to 116-15 in the last 131 home games at the McKale Center, a mere 101 games above .500.

The Bears dropped Thursday’s contest to Arizona State, which snapped ASU’s six-game losing skid.

The Bears have lost eight straight to Arizona State, and nine consecutive to Arizona. The last Cal coach to beat either school? Cuonzo Martin in 2016. Mark Fox and his predecessor Wyking Jones are both 0-4 against the Arizona schools at Cal.

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Sloppy Sun Devils clean up in time to nip Cal, 72-68 in Tempe

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By Morris Phillips

Simply put, the Cal Bears don’t need to see Remy Martin ever again, and Arizona State anytime soon. Just the possibility of another meeting in March at the Pac-12 Tournament is frightening news.

Martin covered for his inconsistent teammates in the game’s final 10 minutes, lifting the Sun Devils to a 72-68 win that ended their six-game losing streak. ASU’s senior point guard scored nine of his team-best 19 points after Cal held its final lead of the evening, 54-52 with 9:10 remaining.

Martin has been perfect against Cal, going 8-0 in his career dating back to his freshman year when he was a spunky reserve known more for his lengthy, wild hair and Filipino heritage than his considerable skills on the court.

On Thursday, Martin made the mundane plays like drawing fouls in the paint against Cal’s over-anxious defenders as well as the spectacular ones like his circus shot while falling on his back to put ASU up 60-56 with 7:02 left.

Meanwhile Cal missed makeable shots in falling behind 9-3 and then 15-5 only to rally and lead 30-29 at halftime. Eventually Cal’s 39 percent shooting–including 17 missed 3-point shots–and their 15 turnovers leading to 20 points for ASU was too much to overcome.

“We didn’t play stable enough throughout the game,” Cal coach Mark Fox said. “Good teams will make you pay.”

ASU wasn’t completely stabile either as they surged to sizeable leads in both halves only to allow Cal to recover. The Sun Devils’ questionable shot selection was the biggest culprit, something they fell prey to in the six-game slide that included back-to-back, narrow losses to Arizona and an overtime loss to USC.

Still ASU prevailed, shooting 57 percent in the second half to create some distance between themselves and Cal (7-11, 2-9).

Matt Bradley led Cal with 26 points–just off his career-high–but he needed 20 shots from the floor and 11 free throw attempts to get there. Clearly favoring his two injured ankles, the junior guard wasn’t at his explosive best, but he battled in the absence of any other scoring sources outside Andre Kelly (16 points, 13 rebounds).

“I thought he played super-hard,” Fox said of Bradley. “A lot of those things he’s always finished didn’t quite go in tonight. He’s a little bit out of rhythm and still got to get some conditioning back.”

Grant Anticevich and Makale Foreman each made just one basket finishing a combined 2 for 12 from the floor. With Cal trailing 72-66 with 18 seconds left Anticevich was stripped by Martin as ASU’s defensive quickness gave Cal fits throughout the game.

“We’ve been knocking on the door in several games over the last couple of weeks,” ASU coach Bobby Hurley said. “Glad we were able to break through.”

The Bears finish their trip in Tucson on Saturday where they will face Arizona, which lost to Stanford on Thursday.

Cal finds themselves looking up to visiting USC in 76-68 loss

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By Morris Phillips

BERKELEY, CA–USC’s length and persistence in the paint found its match in Cal’s grit and grind for stretches on Saturday at Haas Pavilion. In the end however the Trojans’ size never relented in their 76-68 win over the Bears.

Evan Mobley had 17 of his game-best 25 points in the second half allowing USC to seize control of a close ballgame in the final minutes as Cal couldn’t capitalize on leading scorer Matt Bradley’s return to action.

The 7’1″ Mobley, currently the third highest ranked NBA prospect in the 2021 draft, consistently challenged the Bears on the block resulting in dunks, offensive rebounds or fouls. Andre Kelly and D.J. Thorpe both fouled out inside five minutes remaining as the freshman knocked down 12 of 15 from the line along with five offensive boards and one don’t blink-fast putback dunk.

“I try to catch it mid-post, drive hard if the lane’s open. If not jab step, shot, create the help, kick out, just make plays for my teammates,” Mobley said in a brief description of his expansive game.

“I think you saw an improved Evan Mobley today than he was early in the week” USC coach Andy Enfield said. “He’s getting better and we demanded that of him this week and he responded in a huge way.”

Cal’s deliberate pace which made UCLA antzy and turnover-prone on Thursday played perfectly for the Trojans who wanted Mobley, his 6’10” brother Isaiah and three other regulars–all 6’8″ or taller–on the floor as much as possible. Evan Mobley seemingly never sat, playing 35 minutes and 19 of 20 after halftime.

Meanwhile, Cal started slowly (trailed 15-4 after five minutes) then bought Bradley off the bench in his first action after missing five games with an ankle injury. His appearance acted as a stabilizer as he along with Grant Anticevich and Joel Brown started to find some gaps in USC’s defense. At the break–and after the horrific start–the Bears trailed just 35-34.

But one early, second half sequence typified Cal’s inability to sustain any momentum as they followed Jarred Hyder’s four-point play with an airball, then a shot clock violation on the next two possessions.

In the final minutes, Ryan Betley’s three brought Cal within 68-66 with 3:02 remaining. But the Bears would score just once more–Betley’s layup–with 28 seconds left.

Anticevich and Brown led Cal with 15 points each, and Bradley added 11, but showed his rust with 1 of 6 shooting from distance. Both teams were 24 of 58 from the floor (41 percent) with the deciding factors the free throw line and the glass where Cal was outscored 21-13 at the foul line and outrebounded 41-32.

The Bears resume their schedule Thursday in Tempe with the rematch against Arizona State.

No. 21 Oregon methodically (and patiently) dismantles Cal, 82-69

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By Morris Phillips

The Oregon Ducks don’t have a center or frontline size typical of Power 5 teams. They also don’t have a traditional point guard. And they came into Thursday’s contest with Cal lacking continuity as their previous game against UCLA was canceled due to COVID concerns.

What they do have is loads of talent directed by record-setting coach Dana Altman, which makes them a problem, an assessment with which the Bears would certainly agree.

The Ducks afforded Cal some open looks early which translated into one seven-point lead in the first half and a four-point lead early in the second half. But that was it, after Cal’s second lead the No. 21 Ducks responded in a big way while coasting to a 82-69 win.

“I thought the first half we played really confidently and we competed well throughout the night,” Bears coach Mark Fox said. ”In the second half, we just had a drought. We put so much pressure on our defense.”

Matt Bradley returned to the Cal lineup after missing two games and put up an efficient 21 points to pace his team. But as the game progressed Oregon’s defense did too, eventually shutting down Bradley and others while forcing a slew of turnovers, with nine of Cal’s 17 giveaways after halftime.

Eugene Omoruyi was the central figure in discombobulating Cal with five steals to go with a game-best 26 points. Despite being listed at 6’6″, Omoruyi was dominant inside, setting up shop near the baseline and attacking Cal at the basket relentlessly, so much so Cal’s 7-foot center Lars Thiemann fouled out in just 18 minutes of floor time.

“I thought Eugene did a lot of good things and the five steals – his activity there was really good,” said head coach Dana Altman. “He was really unstoppable inside.”

Without size or an offensive catalyst, the Ducks rely on their defense to create a bunch of good things. That took place Thursday, it just took basically a half to materialize which may have been due to the Ducks’ unusually long 11-day layoff.

Over the final 12:45, Oregon stretched their narrow lead to 13 while limiting Cal to 20 points.

The Ducks won for the 27th consecutive time at Matthew Knight Arena, and beat Cal for the eight consecutive time dating back to February 2016. Altman kept his name moving up the all-time wins list for coaches with his 676th in 31 plus seasons at the Division I level. Next up in 22nd place with 677 wins, Altman will equal former Cal coach Mike Montgomery.

The Bears (5-5, 0-3) next play at Oregon State on Saturday, a team they’ve already lost to this season in early December. The Bears have a ceiling to break through with conference losses to Arizona State, UCLA and Oregon along with the loss to OSU that doesn’t count in the Pac-12 standings.

Bears don’t enjoy the view–or focus on the hoop–in falling at Pepperdine, 74-62

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By Morris Phillips

Most Pac-12 coaches play it smart when it comes to Malibu. If they want to celebrate a Southland recruit’s commitment, maybe they’ll make a side trip to Duke’s on the PCH for a frivolous cocktail and a steak–if it’s mid-afternoon and their flight schedule out of LAX isn’t compromised.

Power 5 coaches could care less about sightseeing so that’s it. A trip to Pepperdine to face the Waves in the Firestone Fieldhouse is definitely a Pac-12 no no.

But Mark Fox and his Bears ventured into the tiny gym with the expansive view on Wednesday, becoming the first Pac-12 team to do so since 2012, only the sixth conference team to play there, and the first since current Waves assistant Ken Bone’s Washington State team lost to Pepperdine in overtime.

Current Cal assistant Marty Wilson coached the Waves for six seasons, and only Bone accepted his offer to play. Apparently coaches let their guard down when they know each other.

See where this is going?

The Waves buried 12 3-pointers and led wire-to-wire, beating California 74-62. Kessler Edwards led Pepperdine with 26 points, eight rebounds, and reserves Jan Zidek and Andre Ball both scored in double figures as well.

The Bears got 27 from Matt Bradley and 21 from Grant Anticevich, but missed too many shots and were too careless with the basketball to keep it close. The Bears missed 19 3-point attempts and committed 15 turnovers, extending negative trends that have run through all six of their games to date.

Coming in the Bears ranked 201st in Division I, shooting just 30 percent from distance. Then they missed 19 of 24 attempts against the Waves, falling further down the rankings while calling into question why they even try to further their Steph Curry aspirations.

Pepperdine built a 10-point lead in the first 12 minutes, and extended it to as many as 19 in the second half. Ten of their 12 made threes came before halftime, part of their 51 percent shooting for the game.

With the win, the Waves have their first win against Cal after three losses.

The Bears return home on Sunday to face USF at Haas Pavilion at 12 noon.

Arizona State holds off Cal, 70-62 in Pac-12 opener

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By Morris Phillips

BERKELEY, CA–Coach Mark Fox gave an honest opinion in handicapping his Bears’ assignment against high-scoring Arizona State saying, “we’re going to have to overachieve.”

Fox got his wish, with Cal playing above its current abilities and pushing the Sun Devils to the limit. But that effort wasn’t quite at the level needed to pull a significant, early season upset.

Senior Remy Martin led ASU with 22 points, five assists and the Bears went the final 2:11 scoreless, falling 70-62 at Haas Pavilion. The Pac-12 opener for both teams saw the Sun Devils maintain a slim lead throughout the game’s final 21 minutes after Cal led for the final time, 34-31 just before halftime.

Matt Bradley led Cal with 20 points, but missed 14 shot attempts as Cal’s offense never got dialed in despite a significant edge on the glass providing additional opportunities.

The Bears shot just 40 percent from the floor and committed 20 turnovers. That and a quiet night from the Cal bench (6 points) marked the line between Fox’s desired overachievement and something decidedly less.

The Golden Bears (2-2, 0-1) travel to UCLA on Sunday afternoon knowing their glaring needs of better ball movement and a consistent, secondary scorer are clearly discernable for their opponent. The Bruins exploited both issues in Cal’s worst offensive effort of last season, also at Pauley Pavilion.

While transfers Ryan Betley and Makale Foreman have been capable starters and shooters, returning Bears Joel Brown, Andre Kelly, Lars Thiemann and Grant Anticevich haven’t had representative games in any of the four contests to date. Anticevich is 3 of 16 from distance thus far with Fox saying shooting improvement from distance should come quickly for his senior forward and Bradley as well.

The Sun Devils got 14 points, three rebounds from their highest rated recruit in program history, Josh Christopher, the younger brother of former Cal star Patrick Christopher.

Bears’ late rally falls short in season-opening loss to Oregon State, 71-63

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By Morris Phillips

A sluggish start doomed the Cal Bears in their much-anticipated season opener against Oregon State.

After trailing by five at the half–and as many as 14 in the second half–the Bears’ late rally came up short in a 71-63 loss at Corvallis. Cal gets a quick turnaround with Northwest University up next at 3pm on Thursday also at Gill Coliseum.

The Bears and Beavers agreed to play each other in a rare non-conference matchup between Pac-12 foes just 48 hours earlier when Cal’s scheduled opponent, Colorado State was forced to withdraw from the multi-team event due to Coronavirus issues.

The Bears may have had a couple of more returning players than did OSU, but the Beavers had the more impactful newcomers as they controlled the glass and displayed better shot selection in a game the home team led throughout. Senior guard Ethan Thompson led OSU with 15 points, seven rebounds and six assists and Nicholls transfer Warith Alatishe contributed 16 points to help Oregon State hold off Cal, who climbed within 67-62 with a 1:30 remaining but could get no closer.

The Bears got 21 points from Matt Bradley, who led Cal despite missing 11 of his 16 shot attempts from the floor. Transfer guard Makale Foreman was the only other Bear in double digits with 10.

Cal ran into trouble early, falling behind 10-4 on their way to missing 18 of their 30 field goal attempts before halftime. The Bears ran into more problems in the second half by shooting threes in an attempt to get back in the game, but missed 11 of 14.

The Beavers controlled the glass 43-32 to make up for their subpar 44 percent shooting. Reserve Rodrique Andela grabbed 11 rebounds in just 23 minutes off the bench. Jarod Lucas was OSU’s other bench contributor with 11 points in 24 minutes.

Freshman Monty Bowser and graduate transfer Ryan Betley made their Cal debuts with Betley starting and scoring nine points.

The two schools hadn’t met as non-conference opponents since the 1987 NIT. Prior to that they met in a regular season contest at the Far West Classic in Portland in 1984.

The Bears and Beavers will meet again on January 2 and February 25 in Berkeley. They split last season with each team winning at home.

What Happened in Vegas Has Cal Staying in Vegas: Bears shock Stanford, 63-51 in Pac-12 tournament opener

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By Morris Phillips

The Cal Bears didn’t pick the best occasion to draw attention to themselves, but they drew notice nonetheless by surprising Stanford in their Pac-12 Tournament opener.

Against the backdrop of the Coronavirus, and the news of events being cancelled worldwide because of the pandemic, the tenth-seeded Bears put forth their most focused effort of the season by beating Stanford, 63-51 and doing so from beginning to end at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

“I saw a team all week that was preparing to play, and I thought we were excited to come play, and then I watched the broadcast and everyone was picking against us, I wasn’t sure if we were still in the league! But I knew our kids were ready to play,” coach Mark Fox kidded in an interview with the Pac-12 Network following the game.

The Bears took an early lead only to see the Cardinal tie the score, 17-17 with 5:29 remaining before halftime. But Paris Austin and Kareem South followed with consecutive jumpers keying a 7-0 Cal run, and the Bears maintained the lead over the game’s final 24 minutes.

The Bears advance to a quarterfinal matchup with second-seeded UCLA on Thursday while Stanford suffered a bad loss in a game they badly needed for inclusion in the NCAA Tournament.

Stanford seemed bothered by the physicality of the game, shooting just 32 percent from the floor in dropping their third, straight game. The Cardinal finish the regular season 20-12 with favorable, peripheral numbers preferred by the NCAA selection committee, but the loss leaves them squarely on the bubble. The Cardinal received an unlikely endorsement from Fox after the game.

“This league deserves to have seven teams in the NCAA Tournament. Stanford had some great wins,” Fox said.

The Bears were led by Matt Bradley and Austin with 18 points, six rebounds each. South added 15 as the Bears shot 48 percent from the floor.  Cal has won four of seven after losing seven of nine, and advanced in the conference tournament for the first time since 2017.

The Bears are expected to play the remainder of the tournament without fans attending their games as the conference announced before the Cal-Stanford game commenced that attendance to the remaining games would be severely restricted.

“We love to play in front of fans, but right now safety is the most important thing,” Austin said.

 

NCAA Ready: Oregon displays postseason form in 90-56 rout of Cal

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By Morris Phillips

Well, the Oregon Ducks and Cal Bears aren’t on the same trajectory.

While the Bears exercised their ability to stay connected to a superior opponent (without success), the Ducks’ dress rehearsal for a lengthy NCAA Tournament run looked like the real thing in Oregon’s 90-56 thrashing of Cal.

The Ducks opened with five, consecutive made shots, then went on a 21-0 run to put the game out of reach before halftime. Payton Pritchard, UO’s leader and long distance marksman led the effort with 20 points, nine assists. The Ducks regained a share of first place in the Pac-12 with the win, and they clinch a least a tie for the title in the regular season finale against Stanford on Saturday.

“The first half I really thought we really flew around and made a lot of defensive plays. And our ball movement was good and we obviously shot well at three, which gives you a big boost offensively,” coach Dana Altman said of his Ducks.

Only one word could describe Oregon’s offensive output: torrid. The Ducks shot 60 percent from the field, 70 percent from three (12 of 17), and converted 80 percent of their free throws.  The Ducks shared the ball with five players in double figures, and 18 assists on 31 made baskets.

Coach Mark Fox had hopes his team could summon its best effort after consecutive home wins, but the Bears didn’t come close.

“I was disappointed in our approach to the game, but I want to give Oregon credit. They played very well,” Fox said. “The only thing I was surprised by was our very poor start to the game.”

The 34-point margin of victory was the largest ever for Oregon in a victory over Cal. The Bears hadn’t given up at least 90 points in over a year dating back to a lopsided loss to UCLA. The Bears shot a chilly 36 percent from the floor for the game, and 33 percent in the first half, after which they trailed 46-20.

Matt Bradley led the Bears (13-17, 7-10) with 15 points, Grant Anticevich added 10.

The Bears conclude the regular season on Saturday in Corvallis against Oregon State.

Boot the Utes: Balanced Bears outlast Utah, 86-79 in overtime

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By Morris Phillips

BERKELEY, CA–Fewer mistakes, staunch defense, more and varied contributors, the Cal Bears are starting to play better basketball.

Could they be ready to take the show on the road?

By outlasting Utah 86-79 in overtime on Saturday, the Cal Bears assured they won’t finish in the conference’s basement for the third, consecutive year. So with two regular season games and the conference tournament remaining, could the Bears..

Knock off No. 14 Oregon on Thursday, and put the Ducks conference title aspirations on hold? The Bears hadn’t won on the road, or beaten a ranked opponent. Now that they’ve done both (won at WSU, beat No. 21 Colorado) could they double down and accomplish both feats in the same game?

Sweep the Oregon schools and finish .500 in conference play? Talk about the ultimate, confidence builder, that would send the Bears into the conference tournament with a four-game win streak and momentum.

Maybe, maybe not, but by consistently elevating their play, Coach Mark Fox’s Bears have changed the discourse surrounding the program.

“I got sick of everybody telling us how bad we were going to be because I just didn’t think we would be,” Fox said. “I wasn’t going to accept that and I wasn’t going to let our team accept that. We’re not anywhere near where we want to be but the perception and the feelings about our team and this program are drastically different than what I heard all this summer.”

In beating Utah, the Bears (13-16, 7-9) had to climb off the mat twice, the second time when the Utes wiped out a six-point deficit in the game’s final minute to force overtime.

The Bears regrouped, scoring nine of the first 12 points of overtime to take control. Matt Bradley contributed six of those, the last of his team-leading 21-point performance. The Bears sealed it by making nine of their ten free throw opportunities in the extra session.

Bradley’s often excelled without help this season, but on the occasion of Senior Day at Haas Pavilion, the Cal star performed as a piece of a quartet.

Grant Anticevich had a big second half, finishing with 17 points, eight rebounds. Senior Paris Austin, who was honored before the game along with Jacob Orender, David Serge and Kareem South, contributed 15 points, four assists. And Andre Kelly had 15 points, nine rebounds and a career-best five blocks in 31 minutes off the bench.

Bradley and Kelly led the Bears to a 19-14 start to the game only to see Utah finish the half on a 14-5 run to take a lead at the break. Alfonso Plummer had nine of his 23 points for the Utes before halftime.

The Bears scored the first seven points of the second half to regain the lead. Austin’s layup put Cal up 31-28 with 18:23 remaining.

Timmy Allen led Utah with 26 points. Guard Both Gach appeared to create a three-point opportunity in the final seconds that could have given Utah the lead, but the referee waved off Gach’s bucket, ruling Austin’s foul came before the shot. With two seconds remaining, Gach made both free throws to force overtime.

With the loss, Utah (15-14, 6-11) finished 0-9 in conference road games. The Utes conclude their schedule against Colorado on Saturday at home.