'Staying aggressive': Justin Pippen leads Cal past SMU with big second half

BERKELEY — It's not how you start — it’s how you finish.

Justin Pippen shot 3-for-12 from the field and 0-for-6 from 3-point range to begin Cal’s Wednesday night thriller against SMU at Haas Pavilion.

But when it was all said and done, as the Bears (20-8, 8-7 ACC) earned a massive 73-69 win over the Mustangs (19-9, 8-7 ACC), the son of the NBA Hall of Famer posted a career-high-tying 24 points — after making five of his last seven shots en route to 19 second-half points — with game-highs in assists (five) and steals (three) to go with four rebounds.

“My coaches believe in me. My teammates believe in me,” Pippen said postgame about finishing strong. “So, I would just say staying aggressive. I know I can play through turnovers. I know they all believe in me, and they all trust me.

“So (I was) staying aggressive and just trying to help my team win.”

Entering the crucial conference matchup, SMU’s Boopie Miller was the guard who was most expected to be the game’s premier floor general.

And Miller, averaging 18.7 points and 6.9 assists in 2025-26, played well, finishing with an efficient 15 points, six rebounds and four assists … and the game-sealing turnover with 44 seconds left in regulation.

But it was Pippen who showed up when the lights were brightest.

He commanded Cal through chaos on a night where his dynamic runningmate, Dai Dai Ames, shot an uncharacteristic 1-for-10 from the field, and scored 12 of the Bears’ final 19 points in a back-and-forth second half while setting his teammates up for success.

“We all know it's not going to be someone's night every night, Pippen said. “So we just trust the offense, trust the coaches, and I feel like when it's someone's night, we kind of figure it out, just keep them going.

“I'm just glad we won,” Pippen added. “We stayed together. We stayed the course. I'm just glad we came out with the win.”

The Bears, now enjoying their first 20-win season since 2016-17, wouldn’t be who they are without Pippen.

He can score. He can pass. He can defend. He can lead.

“Justin Pippen was special out there, and he made huge plays when it mattered,” Cal coach Mark Madsen said postgame.

With that said, it remains absurd that Pippen was a non-factor as a freshman at Michigan last season, playing a mere 6.7 minutes per game as an end-of-the-bench reserve under coach Dusty May.

But the Wolverines' loss is the Bears’ immense gain.

Pippen plays with a chip on his shoulder, eager to show those what he can do across all 94 feet, every night.

And he does it while fighting for California.

“It feels great. I feel like we got great team chemistry,” Pippen said of being a key player at Cal. “And, you know, I feel like I'm (with) a staff, and just with a group of guys, that all love each other. 

“It's just great.”

Neither Pippen’s collegiate career nor his outing against SMU started with a bang.

But as the Mustangs learned on Wednesday night, Pippen’s rough beginnings rarely tell the whole story — especially in Bear Territory.