SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO – The California men's basketball team will look to end Thanksgiving week on a high note when it clashes with San Diego State in the SoCal Showcase on Saturday afternoon. Tipoff from The Pavilion is slated for 4 p.m. PST on the Mountain West Network.
 
The neutral-site game is Cal's third in six days in San Juan Capistrano; the Golden Bears (2-4) dropped a pair of three-point contests to UTEP (75-72) and Tulane (84-81) on Monday and Wednesday, extending their losing streak to three games.
 
GAME INFORMATION

• Date & Time: Saturday, Nov. 25 | 4 p.m. PST
• Location: San Juan Capistrano, California | The Pavilion (JSerra Campus)
• Watch: Mountain West Network | Chris Sylvester (PxP) & Dave Miller (Analyst)
• Listen: 810 AM & The Varsity Network App | Lew Stowers (PxP)
• Live Stats: StatBroadcast

 
LAST TIME
Kevin Cross scored 27 points and Tulane edged Cal 84-81 to claim third place in the SoCal Challenge Surf Division on Wednesday night. Cal led by as many as 11 points after halftime, but the Green Wave rallied with a 55-point second half as the Bears turned the ball over 20 total times. Jaylon Tyson was 5 of 7 from distance – a career best – and finished with 24 points and nine rebounds to lead Cal. Fardaws Aimaq added his fourth double-double of the season with 23 points and 14 rebounds while Jalen Cone contributed 18 points.
 
INSIDE THE MATCHUP
Cal and San Diego State (4-1) will meet for the 14th time ever and first time since 2018 on Saturday. The Bears won the most recent two meetings in 2017 and 2018, though the Aztecs hold a narrow 7-6 all-time advantage in the series. San Diego State enters the contest with three consecutive wins, including a pair against Saint Mary's and Washington at the Continental Tires Main Event in Las Vegas last week. The Aztecs where the 2023 national runners-up, going 32-7 on the way to an NCAA title game berth.

NOTEWORTHY

• Aimaq was named to the SoCal Challenge Surf Division All-Tournament Team after averaging 20.5 points and 12.5 rebounds per game across two contests played. He leads the Pac-12 and is tied for second nationally with four double-doubles this season, and has 48 such performances in his career.
• Jaylon Tyson has scored 20 or more points in three of five games played and leads the Bears with 19.8 PPG. His 3.8 assists and 1.6 steals per game are also team-best averages, while he ranks second behind Aimaq with 8.8 RPG.
• Cal was without starting guard Devin Askew (foot) and key wing Jalen Celestine (foot) for the third consecutive game against UTEP, while graduate guard Keonte Kennedy (hand) remained inactive to start the season. Askew and Celestine averaged 20.7 combined points per game so far this season while Askew has added 5.7 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game in an average of 32.9 minutes played.
• The Bears have out-rebounded their opponent in all six games this season, owning a plus-50 advantage on the glass. Cal's plus-8.3 rebounding margin is sixth among Pac-12 teams and 54th nationally, while its 11.67 offensive rebounds per game are the fourth most in the conference.
• Gus Larson averaged 8.0 PPG and 2.0 RPG in key minutes off the bench the past two games in San Juan Capistrano.
• Cal's next three games will be played on consecutive Saturdays between Dec. 2-16; the Bears host Santa Clara (Dec. 2), play at Butler (Dec. 9) and meet Ole Miss in San Antonio for the Hall of Fame Series (Dec. 16).

 
UP NEXT
Cal returns to Berkeley to host Santa Clara on Saturday, Dec. 2. The contest will start at 4 p.m. PST on the Pac-12 Network.
 
STAY POSTED
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