Golden Bears' Grit Falls Short in Overtime Against Cardinal at T-Mobile Arena
The California Golden Bears faced off against the Stanford Cardinal in a hard-fought contest that extended into overtime. The Golden Bears, despite a valiant effort, fell short with a final score of 76-87. The game was part of the Pac-12 First Round and took place at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
The California Golden Bears started strong, leading the first half with an impressive 45 points to Stanford's 34. However, momentum shifted as the Cardinal clawed back in the second half, adding 35 points to their tally against the Golden Bears' 24. This comeback forced an overtime where Stanford outscored California by a significant margin of 18 to 7.
California's performance was marked by their three-point shooting accuracy which stood at an impressive 40 percent compared to Stanford's mere 21 percent from beyond the arc. Despite this sharpshooting display, it wasn't enough to secure victory for the Golden Bears who made only 28 field goals out of their total attempts resulting in a field goal percentage of just under half at approximately 39 percent.
On defense, both teams were aggressive but it was Stanford who came out on top with six blocks and ten steals contributing significantly to their win. In contrast, California managed one block and six steals throughout the game duration which spanned over three hours and forty-five minutes.
The rebounding battle also favored Stanford as they dominated with a total of fifty-three rebounds; twenty-nine defensive and seventeen offensive compared to California's thirty-nine rebounds; twenty-seven defensive and nine offensive. Moreover, personal fouls were more frequent for California totaling twenty-four while Stanford committed sixteen.
In terms of ball distribution and team play, California excelled with twenty-one assists leading to an assist-turnover ratio higher than that of their opponents – approximately rounding up to about one point six-two for California versus one point four-four for Stanford.
Despite these efforts from California players including fast break points tallying ten and eighteen points off turnovers – more than what was managed by Stanford – it wasn't sufficient against Cardinal’s robust offense that scored forty-two points in paint alone.
As fans look forward toward future games hoping for better outcomes for their team; they can tune into upcoming broadcasts featuring The Golden Bears as they continue their season journey aiming high after this intense encounter on court.