BERKELEY – California will make the short drive south for a Bay Area clash at Santa Clara on Sunday afternoon. Tipoff from the Leavey Center in Santa Clara is slated for 2 p.m. PST and the nonconference contest will be streamed on the WCC Network.
 
The Golden Bears (0-11) are back in competition after seven days off for final exams. They were most recently dealt an 82-58 loss by Butler at home on Dec. 10 and will look to notch their first win of the season Sunday against the Broncos (10-3), who have won six of their last seven including a pair already this week against Portland State on Tuesday and UC Irvine on Thursday.
 
GAME INFORMATION

• Date & Time: Sunday, December 18 | 2 p.m. PST
• Location: Santa Clara, California | Leavey Center
• Watch: WCC Network | Anthony Passarelli­ (PxP) & Henry Caruso (Analyst)
• Listen: 810 AM & The Varsity App | Rich Cellini (PxP)
• Live Stats: StatBroadcast

 
NOTEWORTHY

• Sunday's contest marks the fourth time in the past five seasons that Cal and Santa Clara have played one another. The Bears are 46-29 all-time against Santa Clara dating back to 1919 and most recently earned a 72-60 win over the Broncos at home last season.
• Cal is 9-5 when playing at Santa Clara, but suffered a 71-52 loss in the Leavey Center in its last visit on Dec. 7, 2019.
• Cal's early-season struggles have been amplified by numerous injuries, as seven of 13 scholarship players have missed 39 games combined. DeJuan Clayton (1,534 career points) and Jalen Celestine (7.5 PPG in 2021-22) have yet to play, spreading Cal's backcourt and offensive options thin.
• Devin Askew has been asked to do it all for Cal and has responded admirably, ranking second among Pac-12 Conference players in scoring (18.2 PPG) while chipping in 3.7 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game. He scored 17 vs. Butler on Dec. 10 after missing his first game of the season against Eastern Washington on Dec. 7 due to health and safety protocols.
• Lars Thiemann continues to be a reliable presence in the paint, averaging career highs in points (12.4) and rebounds (6.7) per game. Thiemann has averaged 9.7 PPG and 6.2 RPG in 22 consecutive starts since Feb. 1 of last season after posting just 3.5 PPG and 2.7 RPG in the first 71 games of his career.
• The best offensive performance of freshman forward Grant Newell's young career came against Butler on Dec. 10, as he scored 17 points on 7-of-13 shooting. Newell has been thrust into a prominent role for Cal and is playing 25.1 minutes per game while making nine starts.
• Cal has excelled at the free throw line, leading the Pac-12 and ranking 24th nationally in percentage (76.7%). Both Kuany Kuany (90%) and Devin Askew (85.1%) are first and fourth, respectively, among all individual conference players in free throw percentage.
• Sunday's game is just the third true road game of the season for Cal, which plays its next four at home through Jan. 6.

 
UP NEXT
The Bears conclude nonconference play by hosting UT Arlington on Wednesday, Dec. 21 at 4 p.m. PST. The game will be televised on the Pac-12 Network.
 
STAY POSTED
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