Berkeley, CA – 9,168 were in attendance for an afternoon showdown at Haas Pavilion between rivals Cal and Stanford. The game ended the way it started with a surge from the Bears as they escaped with a 52-50 upset win.
California leaped out the blocks early going on a 7-0 run lead on a quick three-pointer from Kareem South, and four points and a steal from senior guard Paris Austin. Both players finished the half with seven points with Austin’s acrobatic layup as the horn sounded helping Cal cut the deficit to 23-21. Oscar da Silva led Stanford at the break with nine points (4-5 FG, 1-2 3PT) as he displayed his shooting range, athleticism and touch in the paint with either hand.
Stanford led in many statistical categories including time in the lead, rebounds, game shooting percentage and points in the paint, however could not get the necessary stops to close out the game in the end. Cal was down by 11 points (39-28) with 12 minutes remaining after a three pointer from Stanford’s Isaac White. Cal then received help from its starting three guards. 6-4 sophomore guard Matt Bradley played his best ball scoring 12 of his 14 points in the second half, tying the game at 41 on a layup with 7:17 to play. The Bears never fell behind the rest of the game. A layup by Stanford’s 6-6 sophomore guard Bryce Wills tied the game 50-50 with 1:55 to play. Wills runs the floor well, played solid defense and contributed six points with his athletic finishes. To close out the game Austin was fouled on a drive to the basket with three seconds remaining. He made his free throws to give Cal the 52-50 victory. Stanford’s desperation layup, which would have sent the game into OT, was waved off by the officials.
Stanford: Forward Oscar da Silva, and 6-3 freshman guard Tyrell Terry did not play complete games. However they made enough contributions to keep their team in the game. Terry had five turnovers, some at crucial points, although he finished the game with 11 points (3-8 FG), four rebounds and only one assist. 6-5 junior guard Daejon Davis, a slashing, athletic combo guard finished plays through contact, runs the floor well, and facilitates. He scored 12 points (5-9 FG) with two rebounds and two assists.
Cal: 6-8 sophomore forward Andre Kelly produced some key minutes off the bench as his presence was felt with his physicality, size, and strength in the paint. He had six points (3-5 FG), two rebounds and three blocked shots.
Key Game Stats
Assists: Cal 9 – Stanford 5
Turnovers: Cal 9 – Stanford 15
Points from Turnovers: Cal 14 – Stanford 8
Cal (9-10, 3-3), hosts No.12 Oregon (17-4, 6-2) on January 30th while Stanford (15-4, 4-2) hosts Oregon State (12-8, 2-6) also on Thursday.
This article was written by Lorenzo Leaks, a correspondent and scout for NetScouts Basketball. You can follow us on Facebook, or on twitter.
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