Cal Basketball: Golden Bears Breeze to Victory in Exhibition Tour Opener in Belgium
Cal’s exhibition basketball tour of Europe finally got off the ground on Thursday as the Bears posted a decisive 92-62 victory over Spirou Basket at Charleroi, Belgium.
The Bears had their scheduled opener on the three-game tour canceled two days ago because of a leaky roof at the arena outside Paris, France.
"It's just really good to finally play; after the cancellation the other night everyone was frustrated, but it was great to finally play against somebody else," Cal coach Mark Fox told calbears.com, the school’s athletic website.
"I thought our defense was terrific to start the game. We had a lot of unselfish plays throughout the night, but we certainly made a lot of mistakes that we can learn from. It was a good first outing here in Europe and a good first step for our team."
Cal led 15-0 to open the game and took charge for good with a 25-8 third-quarter blitz that boosted the Bears to a 70-41 lead entering the final period.
Senior forward Kuany Kuany led four Cal players in double figures with 21 points. The Bears got a lift from three newcomers who combined to score 39 points: junior guard Devin Askew and freshman forward ND Okafor each had 15 points and Grant Newell scored nine.
Senior center Lars Thiemann contributed 11 points.
Center Lars Thiemann
Photo courtesy of Cal Athletics
Fox used a starting lineup that included Joel Brown, Kuany, Okafor, Newell and Askew.
Jalen Celestine, still recovering from offseason surgery, did not play. Three other players — guards DeJuan Clayton, Jarred Hyder, Marsalis Roberson — also were DNPs, although no reason was given.
Fox was pleased by how his team responded to a short-handed situation.
"We have a group that's very unselfish and they enjoy playing with one another,” he said. "We have a lot of interchangeable parts so there were a lot of disjointed lineups, but ultimately we'll get comfortable playing together. We're really excited about that potential with our team.”
The Bears will complete their tour Saturday against Bayer Giants Leverkusen in Leverkusen, Germany. The game will be something of a homecoming for Thiemann, a native of Germany who formerly played for Leverkusen prior to joining the Bears as a freshman for the 2019-20 season.
"I'm super excited for Lars to get close to home and I know he's excited for his teammates to be able to see where he's from and experience his culture along with meeting his family and friends," Fox said. "Our time in Germany will be something we all really enjoy.”
Photo courtesy of Cal Athletics
Cover photo of Cal freshman Grant Newell dunking courtesy of Cal Athletics
Follow Jeff Faraudo of Cal Sports Report on Twitter: @jefffaraudo
