SAN FRANCISCO -- The California men's basketball team stepped onto a big stage and scored a big win, beating No. 18 UCLA 80-72 at Chase Center in the finale of the Empire Classic. It's the Golden Bears' first win over a ranked opponent since 2020 and improves Cal to 6-1 overall while the Bruins go to 5-2.Â
The lead changed hands six times in the first half as the teams were largely in stride on the scoring front, with Cal shooting 41.9 percent overall to UCLA's 41.2 percent. Thanks to a 25-15 rebounding advantage, the Bruins had punched up nine second-chance points while also going 9-of-13 from the free-throw line to help lead things 41-36 at halftime.Â
UCLA took a six-point lead early in the second half before the Bears unleashed a 13-2 rally that took them into the lead to stay. The Bruins got within four in the final five minutes, only to see Cal's
Dai Dai Ames tally nine clutch points in that last stretch to help anchor the Bears' win. Cal finished out the game shooting 44.8 percent, thanks in part to a 6-of-11 effort from 3-point range in the second half. UCLA finished at 40.6 percent overall and was ahead on the boards 41-35, although Cal outrebounded the Bruins 20-16 in those final 20 minutes.
The Bears were led in scoring by
Chris Bell's 22 points on 5-of-7 shooting from beyond the arc. Ames added 14 points -- all in the second half -- while JUstin Pippen scored 13 and
Rytis Petraitis tallied 12 along with a team-high seven rebounds. UCLA received 19 points from Trent Perry and 17 from Eric Dailey Jr.
UCLA opened up an 8-0 lead until Cal found its scoring touch with back-to-back 3-pointers to get the Bears in the game. A three-point play converted by TT Carr just across the 15-minute mark snarled it up 12-12 and sparked a Bear rally.
Chris Bell knocked down two more 3-pointers, and
Rytis Petraitis joined the scoresheet to make it an 11-0 Cal surge to a 20-12 lead at 12:20. The Bruins battled back and edged ahead 23-22 at 8:35 before DeJuan Campbell served up a bucket to nudge the Bears back on top 24-23 at 8:10. The lead changed hands three more times in the next stretch, but UCLA worked out ahead thanks in part to a series of trips to the free-throw line. Cal answered a Bruin three-point play with a 3-pointer from
Justin Pippen to make it a 40-36 margin, with UCLA landing one final free throw to close the half as a 41-36 Bruin advantage.Â
UCLA built an eight-point lead early in the second before the Bears dug in and tore off on a 15-2 rally that featured 3-pointers from
Justin Pippen and Bell -- his 1,000th career point -- along with the 500th career rebound from Milos Iic. Free throws from Bell and Pippen crafted a 53-46 Bear lead at 13:40. The margin dwindled to five and 10:30, prompting Bell to step in once again. He followed two Petraitis free throws with a bucket and a three to cross the 20-point line, and Cal was gripping a 65-53 advantage with 9:30 on the clock. Ames took the reins later for Cal, landing a key 3-pointer and then following up a UCLA push with a slick jumper that had Cal up 71-61 with 4:45 to go. Again the Bruins chipped down the deficit, scoring six straight to make it 71-67 with 4:00 on the clock. It was a five-point game with 1:45 remaining, prompting Ames to call to action again. He'd land a 3-pointer and another big bucket for some powerful padding, leading it 80-70 in the final minute before UCLA scored one final basket to wrap things as an 80-72 Cal upset win.
NEXT:Â Cal plays out the rest of the calendar year on home turf, setting up camp at Haas Pavilion for eight straight home games. Next week, the Bears host Utah for a 7 p.m. game on Tuesday (Dec. 2) followed by a 2 p.m. test against Pacific next Saturday (Dec. 6).
NOTABLE:
- With a game-high 22 points,
Chris Bell scored in double digits for the sixth straight game and registered his third 20-point game as a Bear.
- Bell also crossed the 1,000-point margin in his collegiate career with his effort tonight, now with 1,007 career points.
- DeJuan Campbell returned from injury for his first appearance of the season and scored four points.
- With four rebounds tonight, Milos Ilic recorded his 500th career rebound.
- With 12 points,
Rytis Petraitis tallied his first double-digit game of the season.
- All nine Bears who played in tonight's game scored.
- This was Cal's first win over an AP ranked opponent since a 76-62 victory over No. 21 Colorado on Feb. 27, 2020 at Haas Pavilion.
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