Cal Returns Favor Against Stanford

After a two-game road stint on the East Coast that resulted in Stanford going 1-1, the Cardinal returned home to the Bay Area to take on rival Cal in Berkeley. This game meant a lot for both teams, as it could restore a glimmer of hope for Stanford's tournament chances, or propel Cal's odds even further.

A win for Stanford would have meant more than just in the tournament. A win over a rival, along keeping their 16-year streak of not getting swept by Cal alive and well, plus a road win over a bubble team would be huge for the Cardinal.

Luckily for the Bears, they were the one that came away happy on Saturday, returning the favor of sweeping their rivals after Stanford took both regular season games (and an ACC tourney win) against Cal a year ago.

Cal dominated early in this one, leading 5-0 before pulling away to 14-7. The quick start put them in the driver’s seat early in the contest. While Stanford showcased effort, Cal’s outside game was working too well. Simply put, Cal was making shots, while Stanford was missing them.

Chris Bell hit a three with 31 seconds left in the half put the Bears up 14, with the score at 39-25. No response from the Cardinal led to a halftime that had the fans in gold jumping out of their seats.

It was clear that Stanford’s offense wasn’t working, and their identity of scoring tough layups around the rim didn’t seem to work the same as it had in numerous other games. For that reason, the offense became too one dimensional and wandered too far away from the basket, which had to change in the second half.

Ebuka Okorie began the second half strong for the Cardinal, banging a three, but John Camden matched it on the other end. That was the story of the early second half. Stanford hoisted up 19 threes, hitting six of them. The offensive meltdown in the first half ended up turning into a shootout, though, Stanford still couldn't score inside.

With around eight minutes left, things started to change. AJ Rohosy and Aidan Cammann started to dominate the paint, and Cammann ended up scoring 13 of his team-high 19 in the second half. Stanford was able to trim the deficit to as little as six, but unfortunately, Cal just kept answering back.

Down by 12 with just a minute to go, the Cardinal were able to bring it within five—but it just wasn’t enough. Cal had picked up a big rivalry win and broke the 16-year streak with a 72-66 win.

It was another big performance from Cammann, whose team-high 19 also matched his own career-high. He continued his incredible play from the last few weeks and continues to take steps forward in his development. Okorie had 17, making up for the poor performance he had in the first meeting between the programs, when Cal held him to 14, with 12 of those coming at the line.

Bell and Camden did the majority of the scoring for the Bears, putting up 20 and 18 respectively. They combined for six threes as well, which became the turning point of the game. Dai Dai Ames’s 17 points were crucial for Cal as well.

Stanford now hosts their final two home games of the year on Wednesday and Saturday against Pitt and SMU, hoping to end their two game skid. Cal will play the same two teams but in reverse order.