Short-Handed Cal Misfires in 76-65 Defeat at SMU

Without Andrej Stojakovic and Mady Sissoko, the Bears see their three-game win streak snapped
Rytis Petraitis
Rytis Petraitis / Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images

Playing without two starters, Cal went stone cold over the final 10 minutes of the first half and never fully recovered in a 76-65 loss at SMU on Wednesday.

With top scorer Andrej Stojakovic and center Mady Sissoko both out with injuries, the Bears (11-10, 4-6 ACC) saw their three-game win streak snapped by the Mustangs (16-5, 7-3), another first-year member of the conference.

The Bears were hoping to assemble their first four-game run in conference play since winning five in a row in the Pac-12 during the 2016-17 season, when their roster included Jaylen Brown, Tyrone Wallace and Ivan Rabb and their season ended in the NCAA tournament.

Stojakovic, who averages 18.9 points, sat out for the third straight game due to a hip injury. Sissoko, who had produced 11.5 points and 9.0 rebounds over the previous four games, was in concussion protocol.

Cal used an 11-2 run to forge a 21-17 lead after a jumper by Jovan Blacksher Jr., with 9:52 to play in the opening half.

The made just two of their remaining 17 shots in the period and SMU outscored them 22-8 the rest of the way for a 39-29 halftime advantage.

The Mustangs took charge with a 10-0 run that swelled to 16-3 on a 3-point basket by forward Matt Cross with 2:36 to play in the half.

The Bears crawled back within single digits a couple times in the second half but they never made it a one-possession game.

“Our guys battled. Give SMU credit — they held off our runs,” Cal coach Mark Madsen said. 

The Bears went nearly 6 minutes without scoring and had no answer for the Mustangs, who shot 48 percent in the half, including 6 for 12 on 3’s. Cal wound up at 33 percent over the opening 20 minutes and made just 2 of 12 from beyond the arc.

Cal finished the night shooting 34 percent from the field and made just 5 of 25 attempts from beyond the arc.  “We did not shoot it well and SMU contested a lot of those 3-point shots,” Madsen said.

The Bears’ starting backcourt of Jeremiah Wilkinson (16 points on 5 for 17), Blacksher (13 points on 5 for 15) and DJ Campbell (6 points on 3 for 11) combined to connect on just 13 of 43 shots.

Without Sissoko, the Bears were outrebounded 47-36. “They killed us on the glass,” Madsen said.

Rytis Petraitis was a bright spot for the Bears, contributing 18 points, 10 rebounds, two assists and two steals.

Chuck Harris scored 20 points for the Mustangs and Cross had 15 points and 14 rebounds.

SMU makes its living on offense, averaging 83 points per game but the Mustangs asserted themselves on the defensive end, collecting 10 steals and five blocked shots.

Cal twice got within six points in the second half, the last time at 61-55 after a pair of free throws by Petraitis with 5:17 to play. The Mustangs answered with a 6-0 burst to recreate a double-digit lead and kept control the rest of the way.

Cal is back home Saturday to face Syracuse. Tipoff is 7 p.m.


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Jeff Faraudo
JEFF FARAUDO

Jeff Faraudo was a sports writer for Bay Area daily newspapers since he was 17 years old, and was the Oakland Tribune's Cal beat writer for 24 years. He covered eight Final Fours, four NBA Finals and four Summer Olympics.