Oakland led the Cal Golden Bears for much of the game Friday night in the opener for the Maui Invitational, but couldn’t hold on, falling to 0-3 on the season after a 64-60 loss.
Travis Bader led the charge with 21 points for the Golden Grizzlies, shooting 8-for-19 from the field, going 5-for-11 from beyond the arc. Bader recorded six rebounds.
The star three-point shooter is now tied for 23rd all-time in the NCAA for three pointers at 371.
Tommie McCune followed Bader with 11 points of his own, shooting 5-for-8 with one 3-pointer. He had seven rebounds, three assists and two steals.
“I think he played well,” Kampe told WDFN after the game. “Tommie is making great strides for us. He made some tough shots.”
The Golden Grizzlies led the game for 38 minutes throughout the game, but foul trouble plagued the team in the end. Lloyd Neely fouled out during the game, while a handful of other players were in foul trouble all night.
“Well, we didn’t play in awe tonight,” Kampe said. “The first two, guys did and it’s understandable because of where we played. Tonight we came in with some motivation.”
Kampe credited the team for playing well, saying that in the closing minutes he had some young guys out on the floor who are unfamiliar with the atmosphere of a Cal game. The coach said those guys played well and made plays, but their inexperience was costly.
“It was a great learning experience,” he said.”
Cal improves their record to 3-0 with the win over Oakland. All-American Jabari Bird led the rally to lead the Golden Bears to victory with 24 points on the night. He shot 6-for-8 from 3-point range.
Oakland played surprisingly well following the day’s events that saw them lose two players to suspension, including starting guard Duke Mondy.
The Grizzlies will play Gonzaga Sunday in hopes of earning their first win of the season.
