Golden Bears Roar Back to End Streak with 84-66 Victory Over Northwestern State

BERKELEY - The California Golden Bears broke their 3-game losing streak Saturday with an 84-66 over the Northwestern State Demons.

The Bears got a stellar game in the win from soph wing Andrej Stojakovic‍, who had a career-high 31 points with 4 assists, 3 blocks and just 1 turnover in the win, hitting 10-of-14 from the field and 4-of-6 from 3. Frosh point guard Jeremiah Wilkinson‍ also continued his strong run of play with 18 points on 7-for-11 shooting from the floor along with solid defense.

The Bears (7- 4) struggled early on to find a steady rhythm as Northwestern State challenged them with their fast-paced style of play. Cal found themselves trailing in the opening 15 minutes as their defense couldn't quite get their footing against the Demons’ quick and athletic offense. However, the Bears turned on the jets and ended the half with a slim 36-33 lead, led by Stojakovic. The sophomore wing scored 13 of his career-high 31 points in the first half.

Despite their early struggles, the Bears made some huge adjustments and changes during the half and came out swinging, opening the second half with an 11- 4 run where Cal extended their 3-point halftime advantage to a double-digit lead within the first few minutes of the half. Cal’s defense locked in and changed up their gameplay, helping them force multiple turnovers and ensured that the Demons were unable to find much offensive rhythm in the second half with Northwestern State being limited to just 38% shooting. 

Frosh point guard Jeremiah Wilkinson further proved himself as a two- way- player and threat with his block and his buzzer-beater three-point play at the midway mark of the second half, growing the Bears’ lead to 63-49, essentially putting the game out of reach for the out of town Demons.

Cal’s turnaround can be greatly attributed to their step up on rebounding since their recent games as they won the battle of the boards, 38-28, including 11 offensive rebounds that opened opportunities for second-chance points.  Additionally, the Bears were able to take advantage of Northwestern State’s plethora (16) of fouls which gave Cal multiple opportunities at the free throw line to extend their lead further. 

In the postgame press conference, Stojakovic noted that while they are happy about winning, this still isn't the outcome that the Bears were hoping for. He followed up a question about Cal’s defense and how they are still focused on the philosophy that, “Great Defense makes easy offense.” Head coach Mark Madsen added that the Bears need to improve their communication on defense and that they will continue to work on improving as there were many turnovers, rebounds, etc, and that the Bears did not play to the caliber expected and hoped for.

With 55% possession control throughout the game and major improvements to their defense, Cal was able to wear down and outlast Northwestern State and secure the much-needed win.

The Golden Bears will shift their focus to their next game against #23 San Diego State University at the San Jose Tip-Off next Saturday at 7:30 pm.