Cal MBB Insta-Recap: Bears. Bulldogs. Battle in Haas Pavilion

First Half

After dropping two games on the road, the California Golden Bears are back in Haas Pavilion tonight to take on the Fresno State Bulldogs. Both teams began with a slow start, but the Bears did pull off a 7-0 scoring run to boast a small, early lead over the Bulldogs (despite a handful of deep air balls). The Bulldogs were able to get back in the game with some efficient drives of their own, but the Bears answered by ending their own scoring drought thanks to some nice work under the basket by Andre Kelly and a breakaway layup from Joel Brown. The Bears seemed like they weren’t really connecting in the paint, with missed/dropped passes and blown opportunities abounding. Cal ends the half up 32-29 after taking back the lead, Kareem South leading with 9 points.

Second Half

The battle continued for the Bears in the second half; Paris Austin and Kelly helped keep it close as the Bulldogs continued to push ahead. Matt Bradley picked up some slack as the half ticked on with two good three-point plays in a row, and South answered with a pair of threes of his own. When Cal finally looked like they were playing with temp, they went on a 7 in 8 run to extend a nice lead midway through the half. As time continued to wind down, the Bears’ accuracy and concentration waned and the offense ground to a halt, going 4 minutes without a field goal. Cal finished strong, taking down the Bulldogs 69-63.