After consecutive defeats halted all momentum from a strong start, Cal will attempt to get back on track when it plays host to Cornell on Tuesday in Berkeley, Calif.The Golden Bears (6-3) returned to power-conference competition last week but fell 98-93 at Missouri last Tuesday in the SEC/ACC Challenge, then dropped an 89-91 decision at home to rival Stanford on Saturday in their ACC debut.The visit from the Big Red (6-3) is the first of three more nonconference games before a return to ACC action on Jan. 1 at Pitt.Andrej Stojakovic scored 25 points and Jovan Blacksher Jr. added 14 for Cal against Stanford. The Golden Bears trailed by 20 points with 5:37 remaining and did not record an assist in the first half, finishing the game with five.”Our players played very hard. The effort, the energy never wavered,” Cal head coach Mark Madsen said. “(But) we have to play better. We have to make the extra pass and we have to stay disciplined on defense.”Cal saw Stanford shoot 52.6 percent from the floor and 47.8 percent from 3-point range.While Cornell does not have the same size as Stanford had against Cal, it is coming off 22 victories and an NIT berth a season ago.After the Big Red fell to another ACC opponent, 82-72 at Syracuse on Nov. 27, they earned road victories over Colgate and Army, with the latter coming in a 103-point effort on Sunday.
Cal aims to ‘make the extra pass’ vs. Cornell
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