(AP Photo/Ben Margot)
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After suffering two big losses last week, the Golden Bears came home needing to get back into the win column quickly. It was supposed to be 'easier said than done' as they faced the returning Atlantic-Sun Conference champions, Jacksonville, at Haas Pavilion Tuesday night.
Well, it didn't turn out that way. The Golden Bears jumped out to a quick 10-5 lead after five-minutes of play and extended it from there--finishing up the first half leading 36-19 with back-up players on the floor.
It didn't get any closer. Cal came out in the second half, and had no trouble running up the score on the Dolphins in a rout 79-47.
It was Cal's defense that made the difference in the first half, holding the Dolphins from Jacksonville to 8-29 (27.6%) shooting from the field. Along with preventing easy shots, the Golden Bears added two blocks and four steals that frustrated the mid-major players into taking ill-advised jumpers.
While the Dolphins were having trouble making their shots, the Golden Bears were finding more success in the first half, shooting 48% from the field on 12-25 shooting. They were also getting to the free throw line in bunches as they got to the charity stripe 15 times and made 11 in stark contrast to Jacksonville's 0-2 during the same period.
Cal's starters came back on the floor to start the second half, but it wasn't long before the game was out of control. Just five-minutes into the second half, the Golden Bears were dominating the Dolphins 50-24 and with 11:39 remaining they were up by 30 points 61-31.
Patrick Christopher, who stated on Monday that he was working on contributing in different areas when his shot wasn't working, did exactly that to start the final half. Cal went on a 6-0 run with four points coming off of two steals by the senior swingman. Later in the half, he hit three straight three-point field goals and finished the night with a season-high 23 points on 9-14 shooting from the field, 4-6 from the three, 1-2 from the charity stripe, four rebounds, two assists, and four steals on the night.
Jerome Randle (10 points) and Omondi Amoke (15 points) also scored in double-digits, with Amoke also leading all Cal players with eight rebounds coming off the bench. Jorge Gutierrez, who started in place of the injured Theo Robertson, played 17-minutes, led all Bears in assists with four, had two rebounds, and six points.
Cal held Jacksonville to 28.3% shooting for the game on 17-60 shooting on the night. Only one player scored in double-digits for the Dolphins, Lehmon Colbert (10 points, 6 rebounds, and 2 assists), but they were able to outrebound Cal 38-36 on the evening.
Cal announced a 'No Ticket Fees Weekend' starting Friday the 27th. For more information, click here.
Next Up:
Princeton Tigers at California Golden Bears
DATE: Sunday, Nov. 29, 2009
TIME: 2:00 PM PST
LOCATION: Haas Pavilion, Berkeley, CA.
TV: CSN California
Radio: KFRC (1550 AM)
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