DALLAS – Rytis Petraitis double-doubled with 18 points and 10 rebounds and two other Golden Bears finished with double-figure points but the California men's basketball team's three-game win streak was snapped with a 76-65 loss at SMU on Wednesday.
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The Bears (11-10, 4-6 ACC), who trailed by double digits for much of the second half, got within 61-55 near the five-minute mark before a three-point play by Chuck Harris helped SMU rebuild a 12-point lead at 67-55 with 3 1/2 minutes to go. A 3-pointer by Jeremiah Wilkinson, who scored 16, cut SMU's lead to 69-62 with 2:25 remaining then the Mustangs wrapped up the win with five made free throws in six attempts.
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Cal was without leading scorer Andrej Stojakovic (hip) for the third straight game and starting center Mady Sissoko (concussion protocol) for the first time this season; Sissoko had started all 20 games prior to Wednesday.
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Chuck Harris scored 20 points while Matt Cross had 15 points and 14 rebounds for SMU (16-5, 7-3), which won for the fifth time in six games. B.J. Edwards added 15 points, nine rebounds and five assists.
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Cal led 21-17 with 9:50 to go in the first half before the Mustangs ended the frame on a 22-8 run and took a 39-29 advantage into the intermission. The Bears held the high-scoring Mustangs (83.1 points per game) below their season scoring average but were out-rebounded 47-36.
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Jovan Blacksher Jr. scored 13 while Lee Dort, making his first career start in place of Sissoko, had seven points and seven boards.
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UP NEXT
Cal is back in the East Bay this weekend to host Syracuse at 7 p.m. PT Saturday. The contest will be nationally televised on ESPN2.
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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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