Cal Tops Wright State 77-67 in Sloppy Game

Dai Dai Ames leads the Bears with 23 points

The Wright State Raiders played 40 minutes of aggressive defense and kept Cal out of sorts all evening. On the plus side for the Raiders, it made the game ugly on both ends. Cal could never find any offensive or defensive rhythm. On the negative side, the Raiders committed 25 fouls, and Cal converted on 26-of-31 free throws.

Photo Credit: Rob Hwang

The Raiders rushed out to an early 7-3 lead as Cal started off the game shooting only 1-of-5. Cal responded over the next 5 minutes with a 13-3 run to take a 16-10 lead midway through the quarter. Wright State stuck around, playing feisty defense and not letting Cal get into any offensive rhythm. the Raiders tied it up at 20-20 at the 6:36 mark. Cal maintained a small lead through the rest of the half, and carried a 34-28 lead into halftime.

The Bears’ 3-point shooting woes carried over from Monday night, as Cal connected on only 1-of-10 in the first half. From inside the arc, Cal was only 9-of-21 in the first 20 minutes. Dai Dai Ames scored 9 points and John Camden added 7 on 4-of-8 shooting combined. Wright State got into foul trouble early, as the Bears were shooting free throws for the last 8 minutes of the half(going 13-of-16) to account for the lead.

Cal pushed the lead to 12 a few minutes into the second half and maintained a low double-digit lead for the next stretch. Cal’s largest lead was 16, 60-44 at the 8-minute mark. Wright State turned up the defensive intensity by extending their defense to full court and setting up traps at the midcourt line. Lead guard Justin Pippen was tentative on multiple occasions, and Cal turned the ball over 3 times over the next few minutes as Wright State clawed back. The Raiders got as close as 4 points, down 65-69 with 2:44 left. That was the closest they would get.

Dai Dai Ames hit a clutch 3-point shot, and Cal made 5-of-6 free throws down the street to close out the 77-67 win.

As the game got close in the last 5 minutes, Coach Madsen focused on take care of the ball and attacking Wright State’s extended 1-3-1 defense; “Ball control, and don’t be passive. Against any zone defense, you drive the zone and something good is going to happen.”

Cal shot 23-of-55 for the game, but only 5-of-21 from 3-point range. Dai Dai Ames’ 23 points came on an efficient 8-of-13 shooting, including 3-of-5 from outside. He continues to display exceptional ball handling skills and can get to the rim, pull up from midrange, or hit the outside shot.

Cal’s starting lineup was the same at Monday; guards Justin Pippen and Dai Dai Ames, forwards John Camden and Chris Bell, and center Lee Dort. Down the stretch, the closing lineup included G/F Nolan Dorsey in for Chris Bell alongside the rest of the starters. Dorsey played exceptional full-court defense on Wright State PG Michael Cooper and was key in slowing the Raiders down after their hot streak to make the game close.

Cal returns to Haas Pavilion next Monday to take on CSU Fullerton at 7 p.m. PT.