Recap: Cal never trails in impressive upset win over No. 14 North Carolina
North Carolina did not make the trip to the Bay Area during the first season in a new-look ACC. The Tar Heels probably hope they got the same reprieve this year. Cal never trailed as Mark Madsen‘s team secured its second victory over a ranked opponent Saturday at Haas Pavilion.
The Bears leaned on 20 points from John Camden and key plays down the stretch from Justin Pippen to pull out the 84-78 win.
Saturday’s contest did not come without its nervous moments for fans at Haas Pavilion. The Bears, who never trailed in the win, did see a 20-point lead dwindle to just 4 with 3:21 to play following an 18-3 run for the Tar Heels.
UNC eventually pushed its run to 20-5 but not before Pippen hit a clutch jump shot with 2:52 to play that slowed the bleeding. Pippen went to the line to extend what had become a 3-point lead for the Bears, 81-78, with 10 seconds left to seal the victory after hitting both.
The Cal guard hit four free throws over the final minute to help the Bears earn their second win over a ranked opponent this season. Cal knocked off then-No. 18 UCLA at Chase Center on Nov. 25.
Big man Lee Dort, who finished with a game-high 12 rebounds, hit a late free throw to ice the game for Cal. Dort finished the game with seven points and two assists. He has now had five games with at least 10 rebounds.
Pippen’s day ended with 19 points to go with four rebounds and a game-high five assists.
Camden returns to form for Cal vs. UNC
Pippen’s contributions certainly helped seal the win, but Camden had his best performance of ACC play Saturday. The senior forward had four games with at least 20 points during nonconference games. He had yet to reach that number through the first five ACC games.
Saturday, he exploded and carried the Bears as they built a 20-point lead. He was efficient by making seven of his 14 shots from the field including four 3-pointers. He also was second behind Pippen with four assists on the day.
Cal had 20 assists on 29 made baskets in the win over the Tar Heels. Camden made his mark on the first half of the game as he helped the Bears transform a five-point lead to 19 with 14 seconds to play in the opening period.
He scored 16 points in the first half, including three 3-pointers, to help build the double-digit cushion. He scored 11 points during a 7-minute stretch in the first half as the Bears extended their lead.
Camden averaged just 6.8 points through the first five ACC games this season. He scored fewer than five points on three occasions in that span.
Shooting from deep helps make a difference
Cal’s offense has been built around its ability to hit 3-pointers. That has paid off in many games but has also been a hinderance when the shots aren’t falling. Saturday, the Bears were able to connect from deep at a 54% clip making a difference in the game.
Cal knocked down 14 3-pointers as a team in the win over the Tar Heels with many of those shots coming in key spots. The outside shooting was needed as the Bears worked at a disadvantage from the free-throw line throughout the day. UNC attempted 28 free throws in the game while the Bears shot only 16.
At one point, that disparity sat at 26-8 in favor of the Tar Heels.
Cal made up for its like of attempts from the line with its 3-point shot. In all, the Bears shot 50% from the floor with nearly half of its 29 field goals coming from beyond the arc.
Camden, Pippen and Dai Dai Ames, who finished with 19 points, all made at least three 3-pointers in the win. Cal had seven players contribute with a 3-pointer in the game against UNC. Even big men Milos Ilic and Mantas Kocanas connected from deep.
Saturday’s win helped Cal split its biggest home stand of the season facing ranked opponents Duke and UNC. The Tar Heels were swept on their trip to the Bay Area.
Cal will now play away from Haas Pavilion for the next two weeks with road games against Stanford, Miami and Georgia Tech coming up next.
