Bears Battle but Fall Short Under the Bright Lights at Haas
The stars were out in Berkeley on Wednesday night - and not just in the stands. With a packed house of 11,201 fans at Haas Pavilion, including the likes of Stephen Curry, Ken Jeong, Carlos Boozer, and Scottie Pippen, the atmosphere was electric.
Even new Cal football head coach Tosh Lupoi made an appearance. But when the final buzzer sounded, it was a different kind of star who stole the show - Duke’s freshman phenom, Cameron Boozer.
Projected as a top-five pick in the 2026 NBA Draft, Boozer started the night quietly, tallying just four points and two turnovers in the first half. But the second half?
That was a different story. Boozer came alive, finishing with 21 points and 13 rebounds - four of them on the offensive glass - as he helped Duke pull away in a game that Cal had within reach for much of the night.
Cal Comes Out Swinging, But Can't Land the Knockout
To their credit, the Bears didn’t back down from the challenge. For stretches, they matched Duke’s intensity with hustle and grit, especially in the early goings of both halves. Midway through the first half, Cal held a 30-24 lead thanks to sharp ball movement out of double teams and a defense that had Duke looking uncomfortable.
But then the momentum shifted - fast.
A mix of turnovers and missed opportunities opened the door, and Duke didn’t hesitate to walk through it. The Blue Devils closed the first half on a 13-0 run, eight of those points coming from sophomore guard Isaiah Evans, who caught fire at just the right moment. What had been a six-point Cal lead quickly flipped into a seven-point deficit.
The Bears punched back early in the second half, trimming the lead to three with just over 10 minutes to play. But that would be the last time things felt within reach. Duke responded with a 21-5 run that blew the game wide open, and Boozer was right in the middle of it - scoring 11 of those points and showing exactly why NBA scouts are keeping a close eye on him.
Offensive Struggles and Foul Trouble Prove Costly
Cal’s stars never quite found their rhythm. Junior guard Dai Dai Ames, who entered the game averaging nearly 18 points per outing, was held to just eight on 3-for-11 shooting.
Foul trouble didn’t help his cause, and it disrupted the Bears’ backcourt flow. Senior forward Chris Bell got off to a hot start, scoring the team’s first five points, but was held scoreless the rest of the way.
That left a lot of the heavy lifting to senior big man Lee Dort - and he delivered. Dort was the most consistent presence for Cal, finishing with 14 points on 5-of-8 shooting and grabbing nine rebounds.
He took advantage of Duke’s aggressive pick-and-roll defense, slipping to the rim for clean looks and giving the Bears some much-needed interior scoring. He even shook off a missed dunk in the first half to stay locked in and keep battling.
Numbers That Tell the Story
The Bears came out with defensive intensity, forcing five turnovers in the first seven minutes. But after that, the pressure tapered off - they forced only five more the rest of the way. That drop-off proved costly against a team as deep and talented as Duke.
Rebounding was another sore spot. Cal was outmuscled on the glass 44-30, continuing a troubling trend - it’s the fourth time in their last five conference games they’ve lost the rebounding battle. Combine that with 22 personal fouls, including Ames’ early foul trouble and graduate forward John Camden fouling out, and it’s clear the Bears were fighting an uphill battle on multiple fronts.
What’s Next
There’s no time to dwell on this one. Cal is back at it Saturday afternoon with another big-name opponent coming to town - No.
14 North Carolina. The Tar Heels are fresh off a surprising 95-90 loss to Stanford and will be hungry to bounce back, led by star freshman forward Caleb Wilson.
For Cal, it’s a chance to snap a three-game losing streak and get back in the win column. But they’ll need more consistent scoring from their top guys, better control of the glass, and a full 40 minutes of locked-in defense to pull it off.
Tip-off is set for 1 p.m. at Haas Pavilion. And if Wednesday night was any indication, the building will be rocking once again.