Cal Bears Beat Cal Poly, Win School-Record 27th Straight at Home

The Cal Bears held off an early onslaught from the Cal Poly Mustangs, coming back to win their 27th straight at home to set a school record.

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After a week off, the Cal Bears were back at Haas Pavilion, looking to set a school record. The Bears had won 26 consecutive games at home, matching the longest home-court winning streak in the program’s history. The Cal Poly Mustangs were in town, looking to avoid being the 27th victim.

Sophomore star Ivan Rabb opened the scoring for the Bears, laying one home after an offensive rebound for a 2-0 lead. What ensued was a sluggish start for both sides, particularly by the Mustangs. They didn’t crack the scoreboard until after five minutes had passed, and missed their first nine shots.

After that, Cal Poly got into a rhythm, and went on a big run. They turned a 10-3 deficit into a 19-13 lead, forcing Cal to take a timeout with about eight minutes left in the first half.

Out of the break, Cal went on a seven-point run, including a phenomenal hustle play by Stephen Domingo. The forward blocked a Mustang shot on the fast break, and got back to the offensive side to hit an open three-pointer.

The lead was traded a couple more times, but Cal jumped back in front with a short Rabb jumper, and Sam Singer added on with a three-pointer. That jumpstarted an 13-0 run, giving Cal a 34-22 edge for their biggest lead of the night to that point. Cal Poly ended the half with no points in the last three minutes and 53 seconds, and just three points in the last eight minutes and three seconds.

Cal Poly broke that scoreless drought on their first possession of the second half, but Cal answered with an 8-2 lead to increase their cushion. The Mustangs wouldn’t go away, scratching their way back within 13, but could get no closer. Cal kept the pressure up, both offensively and defensively, and cruised to an 81-55 victory to set the school record.

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Working his way back into game shape after a back injury, Jabari Bird put together a stellar performance. After scoring just five points on 1-6 shooting against UC-Davis, he set a new career-high with 25 points while hitting 10 of his 16 shot attempts. He also added a pair of thunderous dunks to go along with five rebounds.

Rabb scored 18 points, the first time in four outings he reached double-digits. He also added six rebounds, as well as three blocks. Kingsley Okoroh grabbed 11 rebounds, one shy of matching his career-high. For only the second time this season, Okoroh did not record a blocked shot.

Charlie Moore was the only other Bear to reach double-digit points with 10, but the rest of the scoring was well distributed. Singer and Roger Moute a Bidias both scored seven, while Grant Mullins chipped in five.

Cal entered the day shooting just 32.4 percent from beyond the arc, but put on a shooting clinic on Saturday night. They hit 10 of their 18 three-point attempts, including Bird’s 4-of-7. The defense continued to stymy opponents, holding the Mustangs to 32.3 percent shooting on the night. Overall on the season, Cal is holding their opponents to 36.4 percent shooting, the 14th-best mark in the nation.

The Bears have won 27 straight at home, dating back to their final home win against the Oregon State Beavers in 2014-2015. The only current Bears to play in that game were Singer and Bird. Cal went undefeated at Haas last season, and have opened this year with eight straight wins in the friendly confines. Extending this streak another day will be difficult.

Next: Cal Opens Pearl Harbor Invitational with Win

Cal has just one non-conference game left on their schedule. On Wednesday, they play the 13th-ranked Virginia Cavaliers at home. Those two teams met last season, with fifth-ranked Virginia just avoiding the upset with a 63-62 comeback win in overtime. After that, Cal starts Pac-12 play, hosting the 19th-ranked Arizona Wildcats on New Year’s Eve’s eve.