BERKELEY -- The California men's basketball team collected its 10th win of the season and stayed perfect at Haas Pavilion with a 79-70 victory over visiting Northwestern State today. The lead changed hands 14 times in the game before Cal unfurled a 12-0 run to take control of things late in order to tack up the Golden Bears' seventh straight win and improve to 10-1 overall. The Demons are now 2-8 overall.

Both teams enjoyed six-points leads during the first half, and it took a buzzer-beating layup from Dai Dai Ames to snarl the game up for the fourth time at halftime, even at 37-37. Cal had shot 42.9 percent from the floor in those first 20 minutes, while Northwestern State was hitting at a 54.5 percent clip and was ahead on the boards 14-13 by the break. Cal stepped things up on both ends of the floor in the second half, holding the Demons to 37.9 percent from the floor in those 20 minutes while upping its offensive effort to 48.1 percent. That left Cal at 45.5 percent overall, aiding by a 12-of-26 effort from 3-point range. Northwestern State finished up at 45.1 percent overall, with 11-of-24 landed from beyond the arc. The Bears outrebounded the Demons 34-27 and dished out 17 assists with eight steals.
 

"I thought in the second half we came out with a tremendous sense of urgency, in terms of communication, in terms of being there to help teammates out," head coach Mark Madsen said. "We have to do that for 40 minutes. As we can improve and build into that, our defense will get even better."

For the third time this season, Cal had two 20-point scorers, led by John Camden's season-high 25 points and 20 from Dai Dai Ames. In his first career start, TT Carr set his new career high with 14 points and seven assists. Lee Dort also weighed in with a career-high, hauling in 13 rebounds for the Bears. Northwestern State was led in scoring by Izzy Miles' 22 points along with 13 from Micah Thomas. 

John Camden opened things up with a baseline 3-pointer for the Bears, and TT Carr -- in his first career start -- provided a couple key scores to help Cal to a six-point lead. The Demons pulled things even at 14-14 with 10:45 on the clock, and a little over a minute later they were on top for the first time, up 19-16. The deficit deepened to six points before Carr broke up over five minutes without a Cal field goal by nailing a 3-pointer that was soon followed by a putback from Milos Ilic to make it a one-point game at 26-25 with 4:20 left in the half. Down by four with under two minutes remaining, Nolan Dorsey landed a three and then forced a Demon turnover that would lead to a Camden 3-pointer, and Cal gripped a 34-32 lead entering the final minute. That advantage dispersed, and the Demons nailed their fifth 3-pointer to edge ahead 37-35 with six ticks to go. Out of the timeout, Cal struck back, with Ames getting into the lane and beating the buzzer to leave it even at 37-37 for halftime.

The lead shifted hands six times in the first four minutes of the second half as the game turned into a shootout. A 3-pointer from Ames pulled him into double digits for the 10th time this season and snarled the score up for the seventh time, even at 51-51 with 14:20 on the clock. At 9:30, John Camden drained his sixth 3-pointer to creep Cal to a 62-60 lead, although it would lock up again soon after. Northwestern State nailed its 10th three of the game to get ahead 65-62 with 7:25 to go, prompting the Bears to dig in. A Lee Dort dunk was the spark. Ames scored in the lane next, and Dort muscled the ball away from the Demons to put Cal back on the attack. He'd find Camden for another Cal dunk, and the Bears were up 68-65 with 4:30 remaining. The rally continued, with Cal rattling off 12 unanswered points to craft a 74-65 advantage entering the final two minutes of action. The Bears stayed in the driver's seat the rest of the way, with Ames landing a back-breaking 3-pointer and Dorsey topping things off from the free-throw line to wrap the game as a 79-70 Cal win.

NEXT: Cal is playing out the calendar year on home turf, looking to keep its undefeated run at Haas Pavilion intact. Next week, the Bears will host Morgan State at 7 p.m. on Friday (Dec. 19) before a Sunday (Dec. 21) meeting with Columbia at 2 p.m. to wrap nonconference play for Cal.

NOTABLE:
- TT Carr made his first career start today and set a new career high with 14 points -- his second straight double-digit outing.
- Carr also delivered a new career high in assists with seven.
- Dai Dai Ames (20 points) recorded his fifth 20-point game of the season scored in double digits for the 10th time this year.
- John Camden (season-high 25 points) scored in double figures for the ninth time this season.
- Camden hit a season-high six 3-pointers.
- With 13 rebounds and three blocks, Lee Dort set new career highs.
- Nolan Dorsey scored a season-high seven points
- Now with seven straight wins, Cal has its longest win streak since 2016 (also seven in a row)
- Cal's 10-1 overall record matches its best since 2014, when the Bears opened up 10-1.
- Cal is now 10-0 when holding teams to 72 or fewer points.

Season tickets for 2025-26 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.  

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"California Through and Through" is more than a slogan – it's a statement of identity, pride and our trajectory as Cal Men's Basketball. Just like our state, our program is engaging, diverse and inspiring. We have a rich history and legacy, and we have a bright future. Being California Through and Through means we celebrate our community and our place within it.