California 86-73 Cal State Bakersfield (November 4, 2024) Game Recap

BERKELEY, Calif. — Andrej Stojakovic scored 16 points, Jovan Blacksher Jr. added 15 for California on Monday night and the new-look Golden Bears beat Cal State Bakersfield 86-73 in the season opener for both teams.

BJ Omot had 13 points, DJ Campbell 12 and Mady Sissoko 10 for Cal.

Jemel Jones led Cal State Bakersfield with 22 points, Corey Stephenson scored 17 and Marvin McGhee III 13. Shakir McGhee III grabbed 10 rebounds and nine points to go.

Jones made a jumper that capped a 9-3 spurt and cut CSUB's deficit to 78-71 with 59 seconds to play, but Stojakovic, a five-star recruit from Stanford and a 2023 McDonald's All-American, Blacksher, a graduate transfer from Grand Canyon, and Campbell made 2 of 2 from the free throw line from there to seal the game.

Minnesota transfer Joshua Ola-Joseph threw down a dunk that made it 9-8 with 14:22 left in the first half, and the Golden Bears led the rest of the way.

Fidelis Okereke threw down a dunk that cut Bakersfield's deficit to 32-26 with 3:38 left in the first half, but Blacksher responded with a three-pointer and a layup that gave Cal an 11-point lead a minute later. before he and Omot hit back-to-back three-pointers to end the first half and make it 46-28.

Cal welcomed ten new scholarship players through the transfer portal, including the entire starting five.

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