Cal survives the Tritons second-half comeback by winning 71-67 to conclude its non-conference play. The Bears, however, will step into Pac-12 play with a 4-7 record as they are tasked with their hardest opponent yet: No. 4 Arizona.
After suffering two more road losses, Cal returned to Haas Pavilion where it bounced back into the winning column against UC San Diego to end its non-conference play.
In a 71-67 victory over the Tritons, the Bears officially surpassed last season’s win total, sitting at a 4-7 record.
Cal had five players reach double digits, with Fardaws Aimaq leading the way with a team-high 19 points and 10 rebounds for his eighth double-double of the season. Aimaq has been one of the premier double-double threats in all of college basketball, and his impact play on both ends is the reason for that.
In addition to his double-double night, Aimaq played one of his best games as a Bear as he shot a season-high 75% from the field, tallying along a season-high three assists and three blocks.
Tagging alongside Aimaq was sharpshooter Jalen Cone. Cone’s 5-10 three-point shooting left the fifth-year transfer with 15 points. However, the nifty guard hasn’t reached the free-throw line for three straight games. With Cone not having opportunities at the charity stripe, Cal has not been able to utilize his 84.8% free-throw shooting to extend leads and cut deficits.
Additionally, Jaylon Tyson provided 13 points off the bench for Cal head coach Mark Madsen. With Tyson moving to the bench, Jalen Celestine was back in the starting lineup. In 23 minutes of game time, Celestine aided the Bears with 12 points and five rebounds on 3-4 shooting from three.
Devin Askew was also back in action for the first time in seven games. In those seven games, Cal went 1-6 and had yet to win a game away from Haas. Though Askew’s return didn’t have any major impact on Cal’s win, the senior guard provided poise and elite playmaking ability that had been lacking in his absence.
Some major statistical takeaways from Cal’s four-point victory over UC San Diego were the season-high 19 collective assists as well as its nine turnovers. Noteworthily, in games where Cal has 10 or more turnovers, it loses, while in games where it protects the ball and commits less than 10 turnovers, it wins.
“When you get stops, you get those rebounds, it allows you to push in transition. So when we’re playing in transition, we’re a really great team. So it all starts on the defensive end. When we get stops then we can run on the offensive end,” Cone said.
Defensively, the Bears have been much better since the emergence of Keonte Kennedy. In just four games with the Bears, Kennedy has had 51 points, 18 assists, 27 rebounds, seven steals, two blocks and only five turnovers. It is safe to say that Kennedy provides the intangibles of winning basketball and has stepped up to the task of defending the opponent’s best perimeter players.
Cal will open up Pac-12 conference play at home against No. 4 Arizona. The back-to-back Pac-12 champions currently sit at a 9-2 record and rank second in points per game at 92.5. Year in and year out, the Wildcats are top dogs in the NCAA — and this season is no different.
“We’re going to be prepped. We’re going to have a good week of practice, and going in with a lot of momentum to take down one of the best teams in the country,” Aimaq said.
The Wildcats head coach Tommy Lloyd has done an excellent job in just more than two seasons, winning NABC National Coach of the Year and Pac-12 Coach of the Year honors in his first year at Arizona. Additionally, Lloyd’s 61-11 record in his first two seasons is a NCAA record.
Coach Madsen and the Bears will face their toughest opponent by far in hopes of snapping a 13-game losing streak to the Wildcats on Friday night at Haas Pavilion.
Contact Eric Hayrapetian at Eric.hayrapetian@gmail.com
Комментарии