Cal Whips Mercyhurst, Enjoys Best Start Since 2016-17

The Bears, now 6-1, get another big lift from freshman Jeremiah Wilkinson, who scores 25 points

Freshman guard Jeremiah Wilkinson / Photo by CK Hicks, Cal Athletics

Sparked once more by freshman point guard Jeremiah Wilkinson, Cal raced to an expected 81-55 win over first-year Division I opponent Mercyhurst on Thanksgiving Eve for its best start to a season since 2016-17.

The Bears improved to 6-1 and stayed unbeaten in five home games. Cal didn't reach six victories last season until Jan. 10.

Wilkinson, getting more opportunity with three starters sidelined by injury the past three games, scored 12 of his season-high 25 points in the first half, when Cal overcame an early 6-2 deficit and forged a 41-23 halftime lead.

A 6-foot-1 left-hander from Powder Springs, GA, he had his third consecutive big scoring game, following 23 points against Air Force and 16 vs. Sacramento State. Wilkinson is averaging 21.3 points over the three-game span, hiking his season mark to 10.7 points.

Wilkinson's 64 points are the most in a three-game stretch by a Cal freshman since Charlie Moore scored 73 against UC Irvine (38 points), San Diego State (17 points) and Wyoming (18 points). No Cal freshman has scored 25 in a game since Justice Sueing in 2017.

NBA All-Star Jaylen Brown, in his lone season at Cal in 2015-16, also scored a three-game high of 64 points in games against Utah (27 points), Colorado (21 points) and Stanford (16 points).

Wilkinson entered the game having made just 4 of 13 from the 3-point arc, but he buried five of his first six attempts from deep. He finished 6 for 8 from 3-point range, 9 for 12 overall. He also dished a season-best four assists and had two steals in 30 minutes on the floor.

"When Jeremiah got here, we realized right away he is a phenomenal shooter," second-year coach Mark Madsen said. "Early on in the summer, he was passing up 3's. I said, `Jeremiah, if you pass up 3's, that's a reason not to play you us much because the team is so competitive.

"He has really embraced shooting the open 3, but he does so much more than that -- gets to the rim, makes his teammates better."

Andrej Stojakovic contributed 15 points and Joshua Ola-Joseph had 13 points and six rebounds. Cal’s tag-team post duo of Lee Dort (6 points, 8 rebounds) and Mady Sissoko (4 points, 9 rebounds) combined for 10 points and 17 rebounds.

Cal played its third consecutive game Jovan Blacksher Jr., DJ Campbell and BJ Omot. None of them are believed to have serious injuries.

Cal shot 10 for 19 from the 3-point line and Mercyhurst (4-4), which is located in Erie, PA, and will play in the Northeast Conference, 2 for 11 from deep.

The Bears play next Tuesday at Missouri as part of the SEC-ACC Challenge before opening Atlantic Coast Conference play on Saturday, Dec. 7 at home vs. Stanford.