Cal snapped a three-game skid Saturday when the Golden Bears nabbed their second win against a ranked team when they defeated No. 15 North Carolina, 84-78, at Haas Pavilion in Berkeley.
The Golden Bears were led by senior forward John Camden with 20 points. Dai Dai Ames and Justin Pippen, son of Basketball Hall of Famer Scottie Pippen, each scored 17 in the game. Lee Dort had seven points and 12 rebounds.
Cal head coach Mark Madsen was grateful for the loud, raucous environment during their home game at Hass Pavilion.
‘Just really want to thank the Cal coommunity, the students, the alums … the donors and supporters. It was basically a packed house. We’re trying to build something special here at Cal and it takes everybody and I can’t say enough about the environment,’ Madsen told reporters after the game.
Madsen added: ‘Can’t give enough credit to North Carolina. Late in the game they had us on our heels. They did a great job of trying to make us uncomfortable. Credit them and credit some guys of ours that stepped up and made plays late with no timeouts.’
Tar Heels freshman Caleb Wilson had a team-high 17 points for North Carolina. Henri Veesaar and Derek Dixon each had 14. Veesaar grabbed 10 rebounds for UNC.
‘I think there was a sense of urgency that wasn’t there in the first 20, 25 minutes,’ UNC coach Hubert Davis told reporters after the game. ‘There were still mistakes that were made on both ends of the floor but it was done with an urgency, with an effort that allowed us to get back in the game.’
Cal shot 50% from the field and even better from 3-point territory, shooting 54% from deep.
‘It was great to see,’ Madsen said. ‘Everybody knows we put pressure on the rim with attacking the rim with different actions that we have. It was nice to see a few shots drop too, tonight, early, because we can also shoot it, we can do both.’
North Carolina shot 46% from the field and 33% from 3. Additionally, the Tar Heels missed 11 free throws, going 61% (17-of-28).
Despite dominating the paint 32-18, the Tar Heels never led.
Cal advances its record to 14-5 (2-4 in the ACC standings), while North Carolina, 14-4, now has a 2-3 mark in the ACC.
The Tar Heels’ next game is against Notre Dame on Jan. 21 on ESPN2. The Golden Bears visit the Stanford Cardinal at Maples Pavilion on Jan. 24 on the ACC Network.