BERKELEY – Five Golden Bears scored in double figures as the California men's basketball team held off a late rally to post an 83-77 win over Sacramento State in the Cal Classic on Sunday afternoon at Haas Pavilion.
 
Andrej Stojakovic converted 11 of 15 from the free throw line and scored a team-high 20 points – his third straight 20-point effort – while freshman Jeremiah Wilkinson scored 16 off the bench in his second consecutive standout performance. Rytis Petraitis stuffed the box score with 13 points, five assists, three rebounds and three steals, while Joshua Ola-Joseph and Mady Sissoko scored 10 apiece.
 
The Bears (5-1) are off to their best start to a season since going 7-1 to open the 2016-17 campaign.
 
A three-point play by Julian Vaughns put the Hornets (1-4) in front 46-45 less than five minutes into the second half. The Bears responded with a 13-2 run, keyed by back-to-back 3-pointers from Petraitis and Wilkinson, and built a 15-point lead (73-58) with less than six minutes remaining. But Sacramento State clawed its way back into the contest, cutting Cal's lead to five with 28 seconds to go. Three combined free throws by Wilkinson and Ola-Joseph sealed the win in the final seconds.
 
The Bears entered the intermission up 40-33 despite leading by double digits, 36-24, with five minutes left in the first half.
 
Cal made just 26 of its 39 free-throw attempts and won the rebounding battle for the sixth time in as many games to start the year.
 
Spencer Mahoney, a redshirt freshman, proved to be a spark plug down the stretch with his first seven career points coming in the second half. He added five rebounds in 13 minutes off the bench.
 
Jacob Holt scored 25 points with eight rebounds to lead Sacramento State. Vaughns and EJ Neal had 18 and 16 points, respectively.
 
Cal was without Jovan Blacksher Jr., DJ Campbell and BJ Omot for a second straight game due to injuries.
 
UP NEXT
The Bears conclude the Cal Classic against Mercyhurst at 7 p.m. PT Wednesday in Berkeley.
 
SUPPORT THE BEARS
Tickets for the 2024-25 campaign can be purchased by visiting CalBears.com/Tickets, calling 800-GO-BEARS (462-3277) or emailing goldstandard@berkeley.edu. Fans can support the Golden Bears through the Cal Men's Basketball Excellence Initiative or the California Legends Collective.
 
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