Saint Mary's hot shooting proves too much for Cal
MORAGA, Calif. (AP) California made its first visit to Saint Mary's in three decades Saturday night, and the Gaels didn't exactly roll out the welcome mat.
Malik Fitts scored 19 points and Saint Mary's rolled to an 84-71 victory over the Bears.
The Gaels (4-4) emphatically halted their four-game losing streak, shooting 60 percent from the field and dominating their neighbors from the Pac-12.
It was the first time since 1988 that Cal made the 14-mile trip to Moraga. Considering how this one played out, the Bears (2-4) may want to wait a while before returning.
''You can get beat down by losing,'' Saint Mary's coach Randy Bennett said. ''We haven't had to deal with this for a while, but that's how it goes sometimes. I'm most pleased that our guys kept believing and kept playing.''
Jordan Ford had 16 points and seven assists for Saint Mary's, and Dan Fotu also scored 16. Justice Sueing led Cal with 16 points.
Saint Mary's took control in the first 20 minutes, nailing six 3-pointers and entering the break with a 45-30 lead.
Tanner Krebs, who scored in double figures just twice in St. Mary's first seven games, had 11 points in the first half, hitting 3 for 5 from beyond the arc.
Cal led 14-12 early, but Saint Mary's clamped down defensively and the Bears found it increasingly difficult to get quality shots.
But Cal's biggest issues came on the defensive end.
Ford, who entered as the West Coast Conference's scoring leader at 23.1 points per game, didn't need to carry the load offensively Saturday, as four Gaels finished in double figures and Saint Mary's went 13 for 25 from the 3-point line.
''We got ourselves in a hole early, and a team like Saint Mary's, it's hard to come back on, especially in their house,'' Sueing said. ''We weren't communicating enough on defense. That's something we have to work on the next couple of days.''
BIG PICTURE
Cal: The Bears gave up too many open looks beyond the arc early on, and they don't have the offensive firepower right now to overcome big first-half deficits.
Saint Mary's: The Gaels put it all together on both ends of the floor, dominating a Pac-12 opponent and avoiding their first five-game losing streak since 2002.
HIGHLIGHT REEL
Early in the second half, Saint Mary's Jordan Hunter blocked a shot on one end and raced down to complete an alley-oop dunk on the other end to send the home crowd into a frenzy.
TURNING POINT
A 10-0 Saint Mary's run midway through the first half included 3-pointers from Krebs and Fotu and put the Gaels in control.
HE SAID IT
Cal coach Wyking Jones: ''They came in with a game plan that they're gonna use their secondary scorers to beat us, and they did a very good job of that.''
STAT OF THE NIGHT
Cal totaled just six assists on the night, going a long way to explain what went wrong for the Bears. Saint Mary's had 19 assists on 30 field goals.
UP NEXT
Cal hosts San Francisco on Wednesday night, its third consecutive game against a neighboring Bay Area program.
Saint Mary's plays Tuesday night at home against Bethune-Cookman.
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Time | Team | Play | Score | |
---|---|---|---|---|
0.0 | Â | End of period | Â | |
18:34 | Â | Shooting foul on Darius McNeill | Â | |
17:29 | +2 | Malik Fitts made layup, assist by Jordan Hunter | 7-7 | |
16:52 | Â | Shooting foul on Tommy Kuhse | Â | |
15:59 | Â | Jordan Hunter missed jump shot, blocked by Matt Bradley | Â | |
15:57 | Â | Defensive rebound by Darius McNeill | Â | |
15:55 | Â | Darius McNeill missed jump shot | Â | |
15:55 | Â | Defensive rebound by Jordan Hunter | Â | |
15:55 | +3 | Jordan Ford made 3-pt. jump shot, assist by Tommy Kuhse | 10-10 | |
15:30 | Â | Paris Austin missed layup, blocked by Jordan Hunter | Â | |
15:28 | Â | Defensive rebound by Tommy Kuhse | Â | |
15:20 | Â | Elijah Thomas missed 3-pt. jump shot | Â | |
15:18 | Â | Offensive rebound by Malik Fitts | Â | |
15:12 | +2 | Malik Fitts made dunk | 10-12 | |
14:55 | Â | Matt Bradley missed jump shot | Â | |
14:53 | Â | Defensive rebound by Jordan Hunter | Â | |
14:47 | Â | Jordan Ford missed layup | Â | |
14:45 | Â | Offensive rebound by Elijah Thomas | Â | |
14:39 | Â | Jordan Ford missed 3-pt. jump shot | Â | |
14:37 | Â | Defensive rebound by Darius McNeill | Â | |
14:18 | Â | Personal foul on Elijah Thomas | Â | |
14:01 | Â | Jacobi Gordon missed 3-pt. jump shot | Â | |
13:59 | Â | Offensive rebound by Matt Bradley | Â | |
13:46 | +2 | Juhwan Harris-Dyson made layup | 12-12 | |
13:25 | Â | Malik Fitts missed jump shot | Â | |
13:23 | Â | Defensive rebound by Jacobi Gordon | Â | |
13:13 | +2 | Matt Bradley made jump shot | 14-12 | |
12:52 | +3 | Tanner Krebs made 3-pt. jump shot, assist by Tommy Kuhse | 14-15 | |
12:23 | Â | Paris Austin missed jump shot | Â | |
12:21 | Â | Defensive rebound by Jordan Hunter | Â | |
12:05 | Â | Malik Fitts missed 3-pt. jump shot | Â | |
12:03 | Â | Offensive rebound by Saint Mary's | Â | |
12:00 | +3 | Tanner Krebs made 3-pt. jump shot, assist by Tommy Kuhse | 14-18 | |
11:40 | +2 | Connor Vanover made jump shot, assist by Justice Sueing | 16-18 | |
11:30 | +3 | Tommy Kuhse made 3-pt. jump shot, assist by Jordan Ford | 16-21 | |
10:59 | Â | Connor Vanover missed 3-pt. jump shot | Â | |
10:57 | Â | Defensive rebound by Dan Fotu | Â | |
10:48 | Â | Jordan Ford missed layup | Â | |
10:46 | Â | Defensive rebound by Jacobi Gordon | Â | |
10:43 | +2 | Juhwan Harris-Dyson made layup, assist by Paris Austin | 18-21 | |
10:43 | Â | Personal foul on Juhwan Harris-Dyson | Â | |
10:08 | Â | Malik Fitts missed jump shot | Â | |
9:26 | Â | Shooting foul on Justice Sueing | Â | |
8:56 | +3 | Tanner Krebs made 3-pt. jump shot, assist by Jordan Ford | 18-28 | |
8:36 | Â | Bad pass turnover on Justice Sueing | Â | |
7:56 | Â | Personal foul on Dan Fotu | Â | |
7:56 | +1 | Andre Kelly made 1st of 2 free throws | 19-31 | |
7:11 | Â | Personal foul on Juhwan Harris-Dyson | Â | |
6:05 | Â | Offensive foul on Dan Fotu | Â | |
4:27 | Â | Shooting foul on Roman Davis | Â | |
3:06 | Â | Justice Sueing missed layup | Â | |
3:04 | Â | Offensive rebound by Andre Kelly | Â | |
2:49 | Â | Personal foul on Andre Kelly | Â | |
2:15 | Â | Lost ball turnover on Andre Kelly, stolen by Matthias Tass | Â | |
46.0 | +2 | Tommy Kuhse made layup | 28-43 | |
1.0 | Â | Shooting foul on Matt Bradley | Â |
Time | Team | Play | Score | |
---|---|---|---|---|
17:56 | Â | Shooting foul on Andre Kelly | Â | |
16:26 | Â | Personal foul on Malik Fitts | Â | |
16:25 | Â | Personal foul on Malik Fitts | Â | |
16:11 | Â | Personal foul on Justice Sueing | Â | |
15:38 | Â | Shooting foul on Matt Bradley | Â | |
15:38 | +1 | Jordan Hunter made free throw | 32-57 | |
14:51 | Â | Personal foul on Jordan Hunter | Â | |
14:39 | Â | Shooting foul on Tanner Krebs | Â | |
13:13 | Â | Personal foul on Tanner Krebs | Â | |
12:32 | Â | Personal foul on Andre Kelly | Â | |
11:38 | Â | Lost ball turnover on Jacobi Gordon, stolen by Jordan Hunter | Â | |
11:32 | Â | Shooting foul on Jordan Hunter | Â | |
11:32 | +1 | Justice Sueing made 1st of 2 free throws | 44-66 | |
10:27 | Â | Offensive foul on Malik Fitts | Â | |
9:54 | Â | Personal foul on Juhwan Harris-Dyson | Â | |
9:40 | Â | Offensive foul on Dan Fotu | Â | |
8:13 | Â | Personal foul on Grant Anticevich | Â | |
7:04 | Â | Shooting foul on Darius McNeill | Â | |
7:04 | +1 | Matthias Tass made 1st of 2 free throws | 52-74 | |
6:14 | Â | Offensive foul on Matthias Tass | Â | |
3:49 | Â | Shooting foul on Malik Fitts | Â | |
3:49 | +1 | Matt Bradley made 1st of 2 free throws | 59-80 | |
3:15 | Â | Turnover on Dan Fotu | Â | |
3:15 | Â | Darius McNeill missed 3-pt. jump shot | Â | |
3:15 | Â | Offensive rebound by Andre Kelly | Â | |
3:15 | +2 | Andre Kelly made layup | 62-80 | |
3:15 | Â | Shooting foul on Matthias Tass | Â | |
3:15 | +1 | Andre Kelly made free throw | 63-80 | |
2:55 | Â | Offensive foul on Alex Mudronja | Â | |
2:55 | Â | Turnover on Alex Mudronja | Â |
Min. Per Game | ||
Pts. Per Game | ||
Ast. Per Game | ||
Reb. Per Game | ||
Field Goal % | ||
Three Point % | ||
Free Throw % |
 | Turnover on Alex Mudronja | 2:55 |
 | Offensive foul on Alex Mudronja | 2:55 |
+ 1 | Andre Kelly made free throw | 3:15 |
 | Shooting foul on Matthias Tass | 3:15 |
+ 2 | Andre Kelly made layup | 3:15 |
 | Offensive rebound by Andre Kelly | 3:15 |
 | Darius McNeill missed 3-pt. jump shot | 3:15 |
 | Turnover on Dan Fotu | 3:15 |
+ 1 | Matt Bradley made 1st of 2 free throws | 3:49 |
 | Shooting foul on Malik Fitts | 3:49 |
 | Offensive foul on Matthias Tass | 6:14 |
Team Stats | ||
---|---|---|
Points | 0 | 0 |
Field Goals | 0-0 (0.0%) | 0-0 (0.0%) |
3-Pointers | 0-0 (0.0%) | 0-0 (0.0%) |
Free Throws | 0-0 (0.0%) | 0-0 (0.0%) |
Total Rebounds | 0 | 0 |
Offensive | 0 | 0 |
Defensive | 0 | 0 |
Team | 0 | 0 |
Assists | 0 | 0 |
Steals | 0 | 0 |
Blocks | 0 | 0 |
Turnovers | 0 | 0 |
Fouls | 0 | 0 |
Technicals | 0 | 0 |
|
Team Stats | |||
---|---|---|---|
California 2-4 | 68.4 PPG | 31.6 RPG | 10.9 APG |
Saint Mary's 4-4 | 72.4 PPG | 37.2 RPG | 10.0 APG |
Starters | PTS | REB | AST | FG | 3PT | FT | PF | STL | BLK | TO | OREB | DREB |
Starters | PTS | REB | AST | FG | 3PT | FT | PF | STL | BLK | TO | OREB | DREB |
Bench | PTS | REB | AST | FG | 3PT | FT | PF | STL | BLK | TO | OREB | DREB |
Starters | PTS | REB | AST | FG | 3PT | FT | PF | STL | BLK | TO | OREB | DREB |
Starters | PTS | REB | AST | FG | 3PT | FT | PF | STL | BLK | TO | OREB | DREB |
Bench | PTS | REB | AST | FG | 3PT | FT | PF | STL | BLK | TO | OREB | DREB |