Cal Bears Remain Inconsistent, but Pick Up Win vs. Wyoming

Thanksgiving may have been Thursday, but the Cal Bears continued the feast on Friday by picking up a win against the Wyoming Cowboys, led by Charlie Moore.

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Coming off a very bad loss on Monday to the San Diego State Aztecs, the Cal Bears travelled from Sacramento back to Berkeley. The Wyoming Cowboys joined them at Haas Pavilion, also coming off their first loss of the season.

The Bears put another different starting five on the floor. Ivan Rabb was in the starting lineup for the first time this season, joining guard Charlie Moore and Grant Mullins, wingman Stephen Domingo, and center Kameron Rooks.

Both teams got off to a slow start, and the only points three minutes into the game were courtesy of a Rabb lay-in. Freshman sensation Moore followed with a mid-range jumper, forcing a Wyoming timeout very early in the game. The early-game run continued with Mullins’ sweet stroke sinking a three home.

Wyoming finally cracked the scoreboard with 14:09 to play in the first half on a free throw by Justin James. They wouldn’t make a field goal until seven minutes and 20 seconds into the game, as James completed a steal and lay-up. They were unsuccessful on nine straight shot attempts and had turned the ball over four times before that shot.

A sloppy start from Cal kept Wyoming somewhat close in the early going. They also turned the ball over four times in the first nine minutes, allowing Wyoming to stay within single digits.

After a timeout, the Bears went on an nine-point run and opened up the lead to as wide as 14 in the first half. But things soon reversed.

The Bears’ offense became somewhat stagnant, while Wyoming’s ball movement improved and allowed for much easier finishes. That 14-point lead was slashed down to six before the break. Cal couldn’t respond when Wyoming’s defense clamped down, settling for a lot of poor shots and contested drives.

Cal got their rhythm back, and Moore was a big beneficiary. The diminutive guard finished off a strong half by draining a long three just before the break. After 20 minutes, Cal took a 12-point lead into the locker room, led by Moore’s dozen points.

The Bears came out hot in the second half, opening on a 11-3 run to get the lead up to 20, their biggest of the night to that point. The hot start didn’t last and the Cowboys got right back into the game. After falling behind by as many as 22, Wyoming went on a 16-4 run to cut it back to 10.

The Cowboys continued to chip away and chip away a little more, and as the clock ticked under one minute, the Bears’ lead was a minuscule five points. Cal locked down on the defensive side, and two free throws each from Moore, Mullins, and Roger Moute a Bidias put the lead back into the double digits. At the end of 40 minutes, Cal escaped with a 71-61 victory.