Tag: NCAA Basketball

Cal Bears podcast with Morris Phillips: Bears put on a show of resilience, but Gaels just too much on Saturday; Cal set for kickoff at Redbox Bowl

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calbears.com photo: Cal’s Andre Kelly (22) had a hot hand against St. Mary’s forward Malik Fitts (24)  Kelly scored a career-high 26 points on Saturday night at Haas Pavilion.

On the Cal Bears podcast with Morris:

#1 On Saturday night at Haas Pavilion, the Cal Bears put on a exhibition of resilience when they attempted to come back and rally on the visiting St. Mary’s Gaels.

#2 Like you said in your article, the Gaels brought aggressiveness, experience and nerve to the table in their 11-point win over Cal Saturday.

#3 It was the first loss at home for this season for Cal. They have won five of six games at home and are 6-5 and winning at home against a complete St. Marys team was going to be a task.

#4 The Gaels are in the top 25 in the nation at 10-2. Needless to say, Mark Fox–head coach of Cal–called St. Marys a very good offensive school.

#5 Next up for Cal? The Golden Bears will be at the Chase Center in San Francisco this Saturday, Dec. 21st when Cal tips off against Boston College for a 2:30 pm matchup.

#6 Football: Cal kicks off against the Illinois Illini Monday, Dec. 30th at Levi’s Stadium for the Red Box Bowl. Talk about Cal quarterback Chase Garbers throwing against that Illini defense.

Join Morris every Monday for the Cal Bears podcasts at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

What’s New? Gaels are good, Bears are work in progress in St. Mary’s 89-77 win

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By Morris Phillips

BERKELEY, Calif. — Aggressiveness, experience and nerve–the Saint Mary’s Gaels brought so much of those elements through the Caldecott Tunnel on Saturday night, they probably needed two team buses to transport it all.

The Cal Bears were left to experience all three, to their detriment in a 89-77 loss. In a December filled with hard lessons, the Bears fell to 6-5 with all five losses by double digits, this one the first of the five at Haas Pavilion.

St. Mary’s–on the cusp of the nation’s Top 25 with a 10-2 record, but coming off a loss to notable mid-major Dayton–shot 54 percent for the game and led by 19 at one point. The Gaels hurt the Bears from distance, hitting nine 3-pointers in the first half, and 10 of 15 for the game. Leaving shooters open has been an issue for the Bears in their streak of five losses in their previous six games, and that didn’t dissipate against the Gaels, who lead the nation in 3-point shooting percentage at better than 44 percent.

“I felt like we got off to a very good start and then we let some offensive struggles impact our defense in the last half of the first half against a very good offensive team and we obviously can’t do that,” coach Mark Fox said. “Saint Mary’s shot the ball extremely well as we knew they would and we didn’t do the job defensively to slow them down.”

The game featured a trio of outstanding, individual performances starting with St. Mary’s senior forward Malik Fitts, who scored 21 of his 28 points before halftime. With the Bears deploying Juhwan Harris-Dyson on Fitts in the second half, his scoring slowed, but Jordan Ford’s surged. The St. Mary’s guard scored 25 of his 32 points after halftime, including a three with 4:32 remaining that re-established the Gaels’ double-digit lead, 75-64.

“It’s kind of a pick-your-poison type of deal. One of us is probably going to have a good game, hopefully both of us,” Ford said of Fitts’ performance and his own.

Andre Kelly put up a career-high 26 points for Cal, 20 of those after halftime as the Bears found a way fight back offensively, if not defensively. Kelly had success against St. Mary’s bigger post players, Mathias Tass and Aaron Menzies, so much so that coach Randy Bennett elected to go with reserve Dan Fotu for a long stretch. But with the game in the latter stages, Kelly got the ball in the post and was tied up by Tass with the held ball situation giving the ball back to the Gaels. That prevented the Bears from reducing a 70-60 deficit with 6:01 remaining.

The series between the neighboring schools separated by 11 miles and the East Bay hills concluded for now after games in each of the last three seasons. St. Mary’s captured all three–by double digits–but Bennett concurred that the Bears were much improved over the last two seasons in his comments after the game.

When pressed, both coaches had interesting takes on what it would take to continue the series in the future.

“We would like to protect some of these Bay Area games, but I can’t protect them all,” Fox said, citing the Pac-12’s increasing league games from 18 to 20 starting next season, which takes two non-conference games away. “That’s mathematically going to be impossible if we still want to play other people and grow our program.”

“I think it’s a game that if they’re good and we’re good, it makes sense,” Bennett said. “If either one of us aren’t good, it probably doesn’t make sense.

The WCC agreed to reduce the number of their conference games from 18 to 16 for their 10 members, which in part is how Cal managed to see all three Bay Area members–USF, St. Mary’s and Santa Clara–in the previous, two weeks. Bennett, who has seen a soft strength of schedule prevent two of his previous teams from making NCAA tournament appearances, loves the new arrangement. In the first year of the increase in non-conference opportunities, the long time Gaels’ coach has scheduled Dayton, Utah State, Wisconsin and Arizona State, all opponents that will catch the eye of the tournament selection committee.

The Bears resume their schedule on Saturday at the Chase Center in San Francisco against ACC opponent Boston College. That game is part of a quadruple header that will feature Stanford and St. Mary’s as well.

Da Silva’s return from finals helps Cardinal rout SJSU 78-58

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photo from gostanford.com: Oscar da Silva’s 25 points lead Stanford over San Jose State.

By Daniel Dullum
Sports Radio Service
Saturday, December 14, 2019

After taking a two-week break from basketball to address final exams, Oscar da Silva was more than ready to return to the hardwood.

Da Silva racked up 25 points and eight rebounds while leading Stanford past San Jose State 78-58 in a non-conference contest at SJSU. Along with an 11 of 17 shooting night, da Silva scored the Cardinal’s first nine points of the second half.

The Cardinal (9-1) continued its hot start, their best since 2011. Stanford has held all 10 of its opponents to under 70 points this season, the first time the Cardinal has accomplished this feat since Dec. 28, 2010 to Jan. 29, 2011.

Nine of the Cardinal’s wins have been by double-digits; last season, Stanford had 10 double-digit wins overall.

Tyrell Tyler scored 11 points, to go with eight rebounds and five assists, and Isaac White added 12 points off the bench.

Stanford outscored the Spartans 52-12 in the paint. And, despite committing 19 turnovers, the Cardinal enjoyed a 21-14 edge in points off turnovers.

Coming up, the Cardinal hosts San Francisco on Tuesday at Maples Pavilion. Next Saturday, Stanford faces San Diego as part of the Al Attles Classic at Chase Center.

San Jose State loses to Stanford 78-58

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Photo credit: @SanJoseStateMBB

By Ana Kieu

SAN JOSE, Calif. — The San Jose State men’s basketball team looked to snap a five-game losing skid with a win over the Stanford Cardinal at the Provident Credit Union Event Center on Saturday evening.

For the Spartans, that was easier said than done as the Cardinal entered the non-conference contest with just one loss, a one-point loss to the #18 Butler Bulldogs 79-78 on November 26, 2019.

The Spartans’ starters were Brae Ivey, Omari Moore, Christian Anigwe, Seneca Knight and Sam Japhet-Mathias.

The Spartans’ Brew and Vine event was in full swing. Fans enjoyed beer and wine tastings. The Battle of the Bay tip-off was underway. Stanford won its first ever game against SJSU 78-73 on December 18, 2018.

Stanford scored the first six points, but SJSU scored the next four points early in the first half. Omari Moore knocked down the Spartans’ first bucket of the evening to cut their deficit to 6-2. The score was 6-4 Stanford at the first media timeout.

Ralph Agee made a big-time block and Seneca Knight moved to get past defenders to make his shots, but the Cardinal held a 10-7 advantage at 13:03. Stanford led 13-9 at the second media timeout. Then, Stanford extended its lead to 19-9 at the under-eight timeout.

SJSU got the looks, but needed shots to fall. Richard Washington ended the Spartans’ scoring drought with a score. The Spartans trailed 32-19 at the halftime break.

SJSU had a lot of work to do in the second half.

Oscar da Silva added a lot of points from the get-go and the Cardinal defense played very well in the opening minutes. The Spartans had some shots like Seneca Knight’s fastbreak layup and two-handed jam as well as Brae Ivey’s fastbreak three-pointers, but they trailed 41-29 at the first media timeout.

Zach Chappell made a pair of fastbreak free throws to cut the deficit to 46-33. The Spartans trailed 46-33 at the second media timeout.

Seneca Knight knocked down a jumper with 9:50 left, but the Spartans trailed 53-35 at the third media timeout. The Spartans’ shooting slowed down in the closing minutes, but Caleb Simmons and Craig LeCesne made their respective layups. LeCesne added a fastbreak free throw. After that, Simmons hit a three, which going the crowd going, but it was too little, too late.

SJSU took their final timeout. The clock winded down and Trey Smith had the last score, a jumper, with three seconds left to play, but the Cardinal won 78-58.

With the win, Stanford improved to 9-1, 0-0 Pac-12. With the loss, SJSU fell to 3-8, 0-2 Mountain West.

The Spartans take on the Santa Clara Broncos at the Leavey Center on Wednesday, December 18 at 7 pm PST.

San Jose State hosts Stanford on Saturday for Brew and Vine

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Photo credit: sjsuspartans.com

By Ana Kieu

SAN JOSE, Calif. — The San Jose State men’s basketball team will play host to a South Bay standoff against Stanford at 4 PM on Saturday. The game will be broadcasted on the CBS Sports Network.

Here’s what you need to know about Saturday’s game.

BREW AND VINE
The Spartans will have a Brew and Vine beer and wine tasting event on Saturday as part of the Stanford game. Admission is $30 and includes a ticket to both games of the men’s and women’s doubleheader on Saturday, access to the baseline Hardwood Lounge, a custom SJSU tasting glass, pours from a wide selection of breweries and vineyards plus food and snacks.

At the door, tickets to Brew and Vine must be purchased in addition to a game ticket. Save time and money and buy online.

Photo credit: sjsuspartans.com

SAN JOSE STATE SPARTANS (3-7, 0-2 MW)
PPG: 64.7 | FG%: 39.7 | 3FG%: 27.4 | FT%: 65.1

NOTES: The Spartans went 0-2 to open MW play last week, but the record doesn’t tell the story. SJSU battled the top two teams in the league, with Utah State pulling away late and San Deigo State needing a buzzer-beater three to down the Spartans. Seneca Knight is averaging a team-high 12.6 ppg while shooting 44.6% from the floor. Omari Moore has started three of the last four games and has emerged as SJSU’s top defensive guard.

STANFORD CARDINAL (8-1, 0-0 Pac-12)
PPG: 75.6 | FG%: 50.4 | 3FG%: 41.2 | FT%: 71.4

SERIES: SJSU trails, 13-39 (Tied, 9-9, in San Jose)

LAST: SJSU lost last year, 78-73, at Stanford

NOTES: Stanford opened the season with seven straight wins before falling, 68-67, to Butler at a Thanksgiving week tournament in Kansas City. The Cardinal are outscoring opponents by 17.9 points per game this year. Oscar da Silva is averaging a team-high 16.6 points per game, followed by Tyrell Terry’s 15.7 points per game.

BROADCAST INFORMATION
TV: CBS Sports Network with Ed Cohen and Pete Gillen

STREAM: www.cbssports.com/cbs-sports-network

RADIO: Justin Allegri on the call through TuneIn.com and the TuneIn app. Search for “San Jose St. Basketball”.

HEARTBREAK AT SAN DIEGO STATE
SJSU suffered a heartbreaking loss at SDSU on Dec. 8. Up by a point with five seconds remaining, the Spartans saw the Aztecs’ Malachi Flynn hit a deep three-pointer at the buzzer for the win … Ralph Agee posted his first double-double for the Spartans with 12 points and 10 rebounds off the bench … SJSU held SDSU to just 31.7% shooting … SJSU matched a season-low with 11 turnovers.

SAN JOSE STATE STYMIES GRAMBLING STATE
Grambling State entered the game on Nov. 20 with the nation’s No. 1 scoring offense, averaging 114 points over its first three games … The Spartans held the Tigers 38 points under their average in an 83-76 win at the Provident Credit Union Event Center … Grambling State was 1-of-10 shooting on threes.

BALANCED EFFORT IN WIN OVER SIMPSON
The Spartans had 13 different players score in an 85-60 win over Simpson on Nov. 17 … Zach Chappell came off the bench to score a season-high 14 points, including a pair of threes … Seneca Knight was 6-of-8 shooting for 15 points … Craig LeCesne added 13 points in 19 minutes … Ralph Agee posted 10 points on 4-of-6 shooting … Harminder Dhaliwal made his collegiate debut and had two points and two rebounds in six minutes.

SAN JOSE STATE STUNS HOFSTRA IN SEASON OPENER
SJSU opened the 2019-20 season with a bang, defeating Hofstra on the road, 79-71, on Nov. 6 … Hofstra won 27 games last year, SJSU lost 27 games … In his Spartan debut, JC transfer and former Wake Forest guard, Richard Washington, posted a team-high 23 points off the bench on 8-of-13 shooting. He scored 12 of his 23 points in the final four minutes, including a stretch of three straight threes to put the game away … Craig LeCesne had his first career double-double with a career-high 19 points plus 11 rebounds … It was the Spartans’ first win in a road opener since 2010-11 when SJSU topped Eastern Washington, 67-60 … SJSU snapped a 21-game road losing streak dating back to 2017-18 … The Spartans won on the East Coast for the first time since 2001-02, when SJSU defeated Fairleigh Dickinson at the BCA Tournament hosted by NC State in Raleigh, N.C.

Cal Bears basketball podcast with Michael Duca: Too much USF and Santa Clara; Bears glad to get back home against Fresno State

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Photo credit: @CalMBBall

On the Cal Bears podcast with Michael:

The Cal Bears are unbeaten at home and are winless away from home. The Bears visited a couple of highly rated Jesuited institutions at USF and Santa Clara, but the Bears are back in the friendly confines of their home court at Haas Pavilion on Wednesday night.

They really played an entertaining game against the Fresno State Bulldogs and neither team held a seven or eight point lead at anytime in that game. It was back and forth for the whole evening and although the Bears wound up with a six-point win that was in doubt until the final minute.

Michael Duca does the Cal Bears basketball podcasts each Thursday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Headline Sports podcast with Barbara Mason: Titans simply wore out Carr Sunday in Raider loss; Tough act to follow as 49ers get by Saints in the last minute; plus more

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Photo credit: mercurynews.com

On Headline Sports podcast with Barbara:

#1 The Oakland Raiders quarterback Derek Carr must be seeing double after running all day and avoiding getting sacked by the Tennessee Titans pass rush.

#2 The Raiders just couldn’t get anything going, and as a result, suffered their third straight loss 42-21.

#3 The San Francisco 49ers added more to their exciting season with a last minute drive that got them good field position for a Robbie Gould field goal for the 48-46 win.

#4 How important is it for Cal to stay in the Bay Area for their next game the RedBox Bowl at Levi’s Stadium against the Illinois Illini on Monday, Dec. 30th?

#5 The St. Mary’s Gales had an eight-game winning streak going into Sunday’s game, but it was too much. #19 Dayton sunk the Gales chances with a ten-point win 78-68.

Join Barbara for Headline Sports podcasts each Tuesday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

SJSU Sports Hall of Fame Basketball Player George Clark Dies at 89

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Photo credit: sjsuspartans.com

By Ana Kieu

George Clark, the first San Jose State men’s basketball player to finish a three-year career averaging in double-figure scoring and double-figure rebounding, passed away peacefully on December 4, 2019, at age 89 in Lincoln, California.

Born July 2, 1930, in Gibbons, Nebraska, the Clark family of seven migrated west to Oregon before settling in California during the Great Depression. A basketball, football and baseball letter-winner and one-time student body president at San Jose (Calif.) High School, George Clark originally enrolled at the University of Southern California, but transferred to San Jose State College where he flourished as the Spartans’ 6’6″ center.

In his three varsity seasons playing for coach Walt McPherson, San Jose State had a winning record each season, was nationally-ranked by the Associated Press for the last three weeks of the 1949-50 season, and appeared in a NCAA Tournament for the first time when the 1951 team lost to #11 Brigham Young University, 68-61, in a first-round (Sweet 16) game in Kansas City, Missouri.

A STAR & RECORD-SETTER
Mr. Clark was a second-team All-California Collegiate Athletic Association award winner as a sophomore on the 1950 team that posted a record of 21-7, San Jose State’s third consecutive 20-win season; was named to an All-Independent team for his play in 1951; and was co-captain of the 1952 squad that finished with a 15-10 win-loss record.

“George did not like to lose. He had a fire in him. That’s why he was a good rebounder,” said Dean Giles, his teammate on the 1950 and 1951 San Jose State teams.

“He understood the game pretty well and he anticipated well. And, he was a good passing center. Offensively, we used to run ‘rubs.’ We ran everything off of a high post. It was ‘Kentucky-style’ basketball. George was an integral part of our offense.”

“He understood how to block out and retrieve the ball. He caused most centers a lot of trouble. He was a dominant center in our conference. I can’t think of a better one. George did a good job rebounding. Otherwise, we wouldn’t have gotten as far we did.”

During his San Jose State career, Mr. Clark averaged 10.0 points a game in scoring and 11.4 rebounds a game in the 75 games he played. He and Coby Dietrick, who played for the 1969 through 1971 Spartans and then 13 seasons in the ABA and NBA, are the only Spartans to have double-figure career averages in points and rebounds.

“His trademark was the hook shot. There weren’t many who could shoot that shot. He could ‘hook’ it from the foul line in. He was a good teammate. I always enjoyed playing with George,” Giles said.

Mr. Clark remains the San Jose State record holder single-season record holder for most rebounds in a season (376 in 1952), rebound average in a season (16.4 per game in 1952), and rebound average in a career (11.4 per game). He set a single-game school record of 27 rebounds in a 51-49 win over the University of Oregon on January 3, 1952, which was broken five seasons later.

Clark’s college teammates included former San Jose State career scoring leader and Portland Trail Blazers’ general manager Stu Inman (1926-2007), six-time San Francisco 49ers’ All-Pro end Billy Wilson (1927-2009), former University of Portland men’s basketball coach Jack Avina (1929-2018), and former Harlem Globetrotter Bobby Crowe. Mr. Clark played in New York’s Madison Square Garden, the Cow Palace in San Francisco, and the Kansas City Municipal Auditorium as a Spartan.

“George had a leadership style about him. He was like a coach on the floor. He was a very competitive guy,” said San Jose State basketball alum and former Santa Clara University men’s basketball coach Carroll Williams, a teammate of Mr. Clark’s on the local Green Frog Market AAU (Amateur Athletic Union) team back in the 1950’s. “He was a really good college player.

“We ran a lot of ‘Guard Around’ and ‘Forward Around.’ (In) ‘Guard Around,’ the forward would hit the post and back screen for the guard. Then, George would make the pass or take a hook (shot). In ‘Forward Around,’ the guard would hit the post and screen down for the forward to come around,” added Williams, who was a student teacher at San Jose High when Mr. Clark also served as the school’s boys’ basketball coach.

TEACHERS & BROADWAY MUSICALS
Mr. Clark graduated from San Jose State in 1953 as a physical education major. He would later earn a master’s degree in general administration from his alma mater in 1966.

Professionally, Mr. Clark was a high school teacher and administrator in Santa Clara, Monterey, Kings and Santa Cruz counties in Northern and Central California for 37 years. As a school administrator, he was invited to Brazil, Peru, Mexico, and Columbia to share his experiences in the field of secondary education.

A fan of Broadway musicals, Mr. Clark remained connected to San Jose State long after his playing career. He founded the Santa Cruz chapter of the San Jose State University Alumni Association in 1985 and was the association’s president from 1995 through 1997. Enshrined in the San Jose State Sports Hall of Fame, Mr. Clark was a long-time member of the Order of Sparta, a former athletes association that recommended Spartan greats for induction, and the Spartan Foundation, the fund-raising volunteers for San Jose State University Athletics.

“San Jose State lost a dear, cherished and loyal alum recently in George Clark. It was easy to recognize him as a former Spartan basketball player, because George took over the room, and he was one of the best to play here,” said San Jose State University director of athletics Marie Tuite.

“George meant so much more to San Jose State and to Spartan Athletics than just his playing contributions. He was active in alumni social activities, attended as many athletics events as possible, and always had a kind word, found the silver lining, and maintained a jovial, genuine and positive outlook on life.

“We join many others expressing condolences to Bonnie, his wife, and their children. George loved his Spartans and he left a lasting impression on many of us. He will be dearly missed by many.”

Mr. Clark is survived by his wife of 65 years, Bonnie (Dohemann) Clark; daughters Kristen Clark Cozad, Terry Clark Gilmete and her husband Silvestre, and Remy Clark Nutter and her husband Patrick; brother-in-law and wife, Gordon and Sharon Dohemann; five grandchildren; two great grandsons, and many nieces and nephews.

A celebration of life for Mr. Clark will be scheduled in the future. In lieu of flowers, the family recommends donations to the San Jose State University Spartan Athletics Fund or the William Jessup University men’s basketball program.

Mr. Clark will be remembered and honored at San Jose State’s next home men’s basketball game, against Stanford University on Saturday, December 14 at 4:00 p.m.

Cal Bears podcast with Morris Phillips: Great things come in Red Boxes, Cal to meet Illinois Dec. 30th

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photo illustration from: Levi’s Stadium.

On the Cal Bears podcast with Morris:

#1 The Illinois Illini (6-6) have lost two straight games and face the Cal Bears (7-5), who have won two straight games at Levi’s Stadium, on Monday, Dec. 30th for the RedBox Bowl.

#2 The Bears won their last game to the UCLA Bruins 28-18. Cal quarterback Chase Garbers 17-29 for 230 yards, one touchdown, and one interception with Cal coming away with a road victory coming into the RedBox Bowl. That’s a positive carryover.

#3 Cal basketball: The loss to the Santa Clara Broncos last Saturday 71-52 saw Cal struggling to shutdown the Broncos offense.

#4 The Bears’ top scorers were Matt Bradley (14 pts), Kareem South (9), and Grant Antecevich (9), while the Bears lost by 19 the top scorers tried to help Cal catch up.

#5 The Bears men’s host Fresno State and face the Bulldogs (2-6), a game that the Bears have a chance to win.

Join Morris each Monday for the Cal Bears football and basketball podcasts at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

NCAAF podcast with Michelle Richardson: Sooners defeat Bears in OT; Appalachian State gets win over Louisiana Lafayette; plus more

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photo from usatoday.com: Oklahoma Sooner quarterback Jalen Hurts threw a touchdown for the overtime win over the Baylor Bears on Saturday afternoon.

On NCAAF podcast with Michelle:

#1 The Oklahoma Sooners (12-1) beat the Baylor Bears (11-2) by a touchdown 30-23 in overtime. The Sooners quarterback Jalen Hurts threw 17-24 for 287 yards, one touchdown and one interceptions.

#2 Appalachian State University (12-1) defeated Louisiana Lafayette (10-3) 45-38, Appalachian State quarterback Zac Thomas threw for 9-17 for 149 yards and two touchdowns.

#3 Ohio State (9-0) basketball: The Buckeyes defeated Penn State (7-2) 106-74. The Nittany Lions Kaleb Wesson led all scorers with 28 points.

Michelle’s Final Thoughts

Michelle does the NCAA podcast each week at http://www.sportsradioservice.com