Men’s basketball comeback falls short against Cal

With 5:08 left on the clock, it was déjà vu for the Cardinal. Stanford men’s basketball (16-11, 5-9 ACC) had crawled its way back from a double-digit deficit to pull within six points, sitting in the exact same position as it had in last month’s first contest against Cal (19-8, 7-7 ACC). 

One possession later, Cal forward Chris Bell hit a pump fake and drained a three, squashing any Cardinal hopes of a late surge and sealing the Golden Bears’ first season sweep over Stanford in 16 years with the 72-66 win Saturday evening.

Unlike the initial matchup earlier this season between the historic crosstown rivals, the Cardinal were not able to regain their footing after tip-off on Saturday, trailing for a majority of the game while the Golden Bears extended their lead to as much as 14 points. The beginning of the game featured consecutive scrappy possessions, a flurry of loose balls and end-to-end transitions. 

The Cardinal committed nine turnovers in the first half and shot 33% but stayed just in reach throughout the game, thanks to an offensive spark led by redshirt sophomore Aidan Cammann. With a team-high 19 points, the Massachusetts native put up a resilient fight, tasked all game long with guarding fellow Brewster Academy alum and Cal standout forward John Camden. Cammann tallied a steal and assist apiece and drew 10 fouls, feeding off of freshman guard Ebuka Okorie, who was double-teamed for most of the game. 

After a season-ending injury to senior forward Chisom Okpara in January, head coach Kyle Smith needed a new impact player to man the paint.  

“We were looking for someone to step in and it’s been Aiden [Cammann],” said Smith, who also praised Cammann for being a “big team guy.”

Cammann also earned respect from his opponents. Cal head coach Mark Madsen ’00 dubbed him a “foundational piece for Stanford.” 

Coming off a 26-point game against Wake Forest, Okorie put up 17 points, three assists, drew five fouls and posted a season-high 13 rebounds. As a freshman shattering Stanford records and capturing the attention of national media, Okorie drew praise from head coach Kyle Smith, who applauded his ability to adjust. 

“He’s got a growth mindset… his individual play from this game versus the first time against Cal, I think he played a lot better,” Smith said. “[He’s] one of the best players I’ve coached already.”  

Regarding Okorie, Madsen said, “Different [Cal] players had a different chance to guard him… everyone knows what a great player he is, and it’s a compliment to him that so much of our prep was centered around him. He is not only a great scoring threat but he makes everyone around him so much better.” 

Madsen, a key contributor to Stanford’s historic 1998 Final Four team, was complimentary of the effort put up by the entire Stanford team.

[Stanford is] a very good basketball team,” Madsen said. “They made a late run, kept our guys on our heels… Benny Gealer was hitting threes. Okorie getting to the rim. Cammann was just attacking us.” 

But after leading Cal to a season sweep over his alma mater, Madsen surely felt what his standout performers echoed after the game. Camden also called it “a big accomplishment” for Cal. 

After starting conference play 3-2, with marquee wins against top-ranked No. 16 Louisville and No. 14 North Carolina, the Cardinal have dropped seven of their last nine ACC matchups to end their NCAA tournament hopes. This rivalry game concludes their three-game road series, and they will return to Maples Pavilion this Wednesday to face Pitt with a 5 p.m. tip-off time.

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