Cal coach Mark Madsen is hoping for a fast start when the Bears face Sacramento State on Friday in Berkeley, Calif.
Madsen would like to avoid a replay of the team’s last game, when Cal (4-1) struggled in the first half before going on to beat visiting Presbyterian 67-57 on Tuesday.
Delaware transfer John Camden led the Bears by scoring 18 of his team-high 20 points in the second half.
“I thought honestly I was pretty soft in the first half,” Camden said. “I think as a team we were pretty soft. So just made that mental adjustment at halftime. I just decided to be more in attack mode in the second half.”
Cal has won all three of its previous meetings against Sacramento State (3-3), which is looking to bounce back following a 79-48 road loss to UCLA on Tuesday.
The Hornets trailed 42-17 at the half before showing improvement after intermission. Sacramento State was only outscored 37-31 in the second half.
“I like how the guys came back, how they kept fighting and didn’t give up in the second half,” Hornets coach Mike Bibby said. “(The first half) just didn’t turn out the way we wanted.”
Bibby is monitoring the status of senior forward Jeremiah Cherry, who ranks second on the team in points (15.5) and rebounds (8.2). Cherry suffered a leg injury in the first half of Tuesday’s game and did not return.
Hornets guard Prophet Johnson recorded his fourth double-double of the season with 13 points and 10 rebounds against UCLA, while guard Jahni Summers added a season-high 11 points. Johnson paces the team in scoring (15.8) and rebounding (9.8).
Sacramento State and Cal have a common opponent in Presbyterian, whom the Hornets beat 64-62 on Nov. 16.
Cal had a slightly easier time with the Blue Hose on Tuesday, but only after taking control in the game’s final minutes. The Bears led just 31-29 at halftime.
“What I’m proud of is that our guys really came out and responded to a challenge in the second half,” Madsen said. “So in terms of their response to a challenge, I would rate it very high. In terms of our start to the game, not good enough, just not good enough.”
Dai Dai Ames leads Cal at 19.4 points per game and Camden adds 15 ppg.
