In a thrilling matchup on Tuesday night, the California Golden Bears came from behind to secure a 91-73 win over the Cal Poly Mustangs in Berkeley, California. Jovan Blacksher Jr. was instrumental in this victory, scoring 18 points, while teammate Andrej Stojakovic contributed 15 points of his own. With this win, California improved to a 2-0 start for the first time since the 2019-20 season, when they began their campaign with four wins.
Blacksher demonstrated his shooting prowess by sinking four shots from beyond the arc, and the team overall shot 42.3% from three-point range, hitting 11 of 26 attempts. Rytis Petraitis made a notable impact off the bench with 13 points, and BJ Omot added a solid 10 points. Meanwhile, Lee Dort made his presence felt on the boards with 11 rebounds, along with his eight points.
On the other side, Cal Poly’s Issac Jessup was the leading scorer for his team, finishing the night with 20 points after hitting five of nine three-point attempts before eventually fouling out. Owen Koonce contributed with 11 points, and although the Mustangs managed to hit 10 of their 26 three-point attempts, they struggled significantly with turnovers, giving away the ball 18 times and allowing California to capitalize with 29 points off these mistakes.
California entered the second half with a four-point lead and quickly extended their advantage by hitting three consecutive three-pointers, two of which were made by Omot, thereby establishing a double-digit lead. The Golden Bears held a 14-point advantage at one stage, and their bench’s contribution was significant as they went on an 11-0 run midway through the second half. While Cal Poly managed to cut the deficit to 12 with four minutes remaining, they could not narrow the gap further.
In the first half, the Mustangs took an early lead, hitting five three-pointers, with Jessup and Jarred Hyder each making two in the opening minutes, allowing them to surge to a 12-point advantage. California quickly countered with three-pointers from Blacksher and Christian Tucker, eventually overcoming a 12-point deficit with a 13-2 run that featured three consecutive three-point baskets. At halftime, the Bears led 39-35.
Cal Poly, now 0-2, faced a challenging season coming off a streak of 20 consecutive losses last season. With a new coaching staff led by Mike McGeorge, who previously coached at Division II Colorado Mesa, the team has undergone some changes. McGeorge brought four players to Cal Poly, including Jessup, all of whom started in the game, along with Hyder, who spent three seasons at California from 2020 to 2023.