BERKELEY, Calif. – In a game that saw five Golden Bears in double-figures, the California men’s basketball team utilized a balanced attack in a commanding 94-50 exhibition victory over Cal State East Bay on Halloween night at Haas Pavilion.
Sophomore Jordan Mathews and junior Tyrone Wallace set the pace for the Bears with 21 points apiece, senior David Kravish and sophomore Jabari Bird poured in 11 points each, while sophomore Sam Singer logged 10 of his own. Second-year Roger Moute a Bidias chipped in seven points for Cal, and redshirt junior Christian Behrens, freshman Kingsley Okoroh and graduate student Dwight Tarwater logged 15 points, collectively.
Mathews made his presence known early in the contest and registered the first three points of the game with a layup and a solo shot from the charity stripe. Cal maintained a small lead over the next four minutes of action before a Kravish jumper triggered a 19-point surge for the Bears, holding the Pioneers scoreless for nearly 10 minutes.
CSUEB mustered up a 6-2 run to come within 17, but Cal never let up, leading by as much 23 points in the first frame. The Bears closed out the first half with a 45-23 advantage capped with a 3-pointer from Singer at the buzzer.
Mathews and Wallace tipped off the second stanza with a strong attack, tallying nine of Cal’s first 10 points, collectively, to go ahead 54-23. The Bears once again held the Pioneers without a successful shot and extended their lead, 67-23. The Blue and Gold pushed its lead to as much as 47 on two occasions in the last 10 minutes of the contest.
Ryan Okwudibonye led the Pioneers with 12 points and eight rebounds on the night.
For the game, Cal connected on 58 percent (34-59) of its shots, 39 percent (7-18) from beyond the arc, and 66 percent (19-29) from the free throw line. Cal State East Bay shot 23 percent (16-70) from the floor, 22 percent (6-27) from 3-point range and 71 percent (12-17) from the line. The Bears outrebounded the Pioneers 51-38 and enjoyed a 12-10 advantage in second-chance points.
Cal returns to the floor when it hosts Cal State San Marcos on Thursday, Nov. 6, for its final exhibition contest. The regular season tips off Friday, Nov. 14, against Alcorn State at 7 p.m. PT as part of the 2K Classic at Haas Pavilion.
