California ran into a sharp-shooting Oregon State team on the road Friday night, and the Beavers never really let go. In exhibition play in Corvallis, Cal dropped an 89-76 decision as Oregon State kept answering every push with another wave of efficient offense.
Sammie Yeanay was the bright spot for the Golden Bears, stacking up 24 points and 10 rebounds for a double-double. But the home team’s balance told the bigger story. Oregon State put 10 players in the scoring column and kept the pressure on from deep, finishing with 13 made 3-pointers.
The Beavers came out hot and carried a 46-36 lead into halftime after shooting 51.5 percent from the field and 50 percent from beyond the arc in the opening 20 minutes. Cal had some early scoring help of its own, with Nojus Indrusaitis and Yeanay each putting up 12 points before the break, but the Bears were behind on the glass 24-14 and shooting 40 percent overall at that point.
Oregon State didn’t cool off after the intermission. The Beavers finished the night at 52.4 percent shooting, while Cal closed at 35.3 percent from the floor. OSU built its cushion as large as 21 points in the second half before the Bears trimmed it back some.
Indrusaitis finished with 17 points for Cal, and Jordan Ross added 11. For the Beavers, Daniel Freitag scored 17, Chris Johnson had 14, Jemai Lake finished with 12 and Josiah Lake II chipped in 10.
Cal now turns to its official season opener, returning to Haas Pavilion to host Adams State at 5 p.m. on Nov. 2 in Berkeley.
In Other News...
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Cals upset bid had the kind of early shape that can keep a stadium buzzing well into the break, with Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele back under center after his concussion and the Bears carrying a 20-17 lead into halftime. For a while, it looked like Cal might have enough offense to make SMU earn everything, even against a team that had been rolling with Kevin Jennings and Kendrick Raphael leading the way.
The second half flipped the entire script, and quickly. Cals offense stalled to start the final 30 minutes, the Mustangs kept piling on, and the final score settled at 59-20 in a game that now raises a familiar question for Bears fans: which version of this team is the real one, the first-half group that can trade blows or the one that faded badly once SMU started taking control? [Read more 🡒]
Cal Fans Got An Encouraging Sign And A Worrying One
Sammie Yeanay gave Cal a clear reason for optimism in an exhibition loss to Oregon State, finishing with 24 points and 10 rebounds in an 89-76 defeat. For a Bear team trying to sort itself out before the games count, that kind of production from Yeanay was the most encouraging individual sign of the night, especially with the regular season set to open at home against Adams State on November 2.
The rest of the performance, though, offered a sharper reminder of how much work Cal still has ahead. Oregon State spread the scoring around with seven players reaching at least eight points, while the Bears struggled to keep pace and never really found enough consistent answers to make the game feel close for long. [Read more 🡒]
Cals Fast Start Made This Collapse Even Harder To Watch
Cals first half had just enough creativity and edge to make the night feel manageable, with the offense finding ways to stay on schedule and carry a halftime lead into the break. But the combination of penalties and a defense that could not hold up after intermission turned the game into a grind, and by the time the final stretch arrived, the score had long since tilted away from the Bears in a 59-20 loss.
One particularly uncomfortable layer for Cal was the sight of Kendrick Raphael, the former Bears running back, thriving on the other sideline as SMUs most impactful player. Injuries also continued to press the Bears into awkward personnel decisions, leaving defenders in unfamiliar spots and making the second-half slide even harder to contain, which only deepened the sense that a promising start had unraveled far too quickly. [Read more 🡒]