Cal women’s basketball just dropped a defensive hammer, holding a UC Santa Barbara team that rolled into the game hitting over half their three-pointers to an insane 2-for-21 from deep. That lockdown defense was the key to their dominant 79-47 road victory in Santa Barbara, pushing the Bears’ undefeated record to a sparkling 5-0.
Cal Men’s Wild Comeback Keeps Their Season Alive
Over on the men’s side, Cal decided to give their fans a heart attack before pulling off a clutch 79-73 rally against Utah Tech at Haas Pavilion. Trailing by nine at halftime and staring down an 11-point deficit with only nine minutes left on the clock, things looked bleak. But Nojus Indrusaitis hit a clutch three-pointer with 8:58 remaining to ignite a massive 23-6 run that flipped the script. Michael Cooper then nailed a three with just 1:14 left to take the lead for good, followed by a basket from Indrusaitis and three late free throws to seal the deal. Indrusaitis and Cooper each dropped 21 points. Coach Mark Madsen was blunt about the first half: “Utah Tech came out and punched us in the mouth in the first half, had us on our heels. They forced us into mistakes with pace of play, their physicality.” But he was “proud of our guys to respond in the second half and for finding a way to win against a very scrappy, good team.” The Bears, now 3-2 after back-to-back losses to No. 8 Houston and No. 21 USC, clearly needed that one.
USF Men Hit Rock Bottom With Horrible Shooting Night
Meanwhile, it was a rough night for the USF men, who got upended by Portland State 84-68. The Dons, now 3-1, shot a season-worst 30% and never really recovered from a 19-point halftime deficit. Portland State jumped all over them, taking a 16-2 lead in the first six minutes as USF missed seven of their first eight shots and coughed up four turnovers. Even though Gustav Knudsen had 25 points and Yoav Vitlem added 24 for the Dons, it just wasn’t enough. They trimmed the lead to nine in the first half, then again from 27 to nine with under three minutes to go in the second, but Portland State closed it out with a 9-2 run, led by Yaroslav Nikonov’s 27 points. Brutal.
The Cal women are on an absolute tear, showing they can lock it down defensively even against hot shooting teams. Their 5-0 start is no joke. For the Cal men, that comeback against Utah Tech was a massive confidence booster after facing some ranked opponents. They showed they can respond when punched in the mouth, which is huge for early season development. USF, though, has to regroup fast; shooting 30% isn’t going to cut it against anyone. They need to find their shot and quickly.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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