Oregon Climbs Out of 18-Point Hole, Downs Cal

Oregon Men’s Basketball vs. Cal

Jermaine Couisnard scored 18 points to help Oregon come back from an 18-point, first-half deficit and beat California 80-73 on Saturday night in Eugene, Ore.

Jadrian Tracey added 14 points and Jackson Shelstad scored 10 of his 12 points in the second half for Oregon (13-3, 5-0 Pac-12), which improved to 5-0 in conference play for the first time since the 2016-17 season, when the Ducks eventually went to the Final Four.

Cal (6-11, 2-4) got 20 points from Jaylon Tyson, who entered Saturday as the Pac-12’s leading scorer.

The Golden Bears saw their lead balloon to 41-23 in the first half after shooting 63.2 percent from the floor as a team through the game’s first 13 minutes. Of its first 19 shots, Cal made 12, including four 3-pointers, and led 32-19 at the 7:31 mark.

Oregon struggled to hit open shots until the final few minutes of the first half. A highlight for the Ducks was the return of center N’Faly Dante from a knee injury.

Dante was named to the Pac-12 preseason all-conference first team and was playing in just his second game of the season on Saturday.

Dante checked in at the 14:36 mark of the first half and dunked 30 seconds later, tying the game at 12. But Cal got hot, playing at a quick pace while creating offense early in the shot clock.

Back-to-back close-range shots from Fardaws Aimaq gave the Golden Bears their 41-23 lead with 3:59 to play in the first. Aimaq had 14 of his 18 points before intermission.

The Ducks fought back loudly, cutting the lead to four, 43-39, with a 16-2 run to end the first half. Couisnard hit three 3-pointers over the final 2:57 of the frame.

The second half was tight, with Oregon going ahead 54-51 on Kario Oquendo‘s 3 at the 11:34 mark. Thirty-eight seconds later, Oquendo threw down a one-handed dunk over Aimaq, bringing the home crowd to its feet.

The slam turned out to be a pivotal play, as the Ducks would go up by as many as nine and hold off the Golden Bears, who made it a two-point game down the stretch and had chances to draw even but never could.

Keeshawn Barthelemy‘s floater with 1:06 to play gave the Ducks a 78-69 lead, effectively ending Cal’s chance of putting together a comeback.

  1. College Sports News

    WCC to Add Grand Canyon and Seattle in 2025

    WCC adding Seattle U and Grand Canyon University

    WCC adding Seattle U and Grand Canyon University

    Seattle and Grand Canyon will be leaving the Western Athletic Conference and moving to the West Coast Conference starting July 2025.

    The nine current members of the conference are private universities with a religious affiliation. Seattle is a Jesuit institution, while Grand Canyon, situated in Phoenix, is a Christian college.

    Grand Canyon’s basketball achievements were a significant factor in attracting WCC commissioner Stu Jackson. The team has participated in the last two NCAA Tournaments and three of the previous four under the leadership of coach Bryce Drew.

    As the 12th-seeded Antelopes defeated fifth-seeded Saint Mary’s before losing to Alabama in the tournament this season.

    Saint Mary’s is currently a member of the West Coast Conference.

    The WCC, while also integrating Oregon State and Washington State this autumn (excluding football), will expand from 11 to 13 members by the 2025-26 season.

    The future beyond 2026 looks uncertain, with Oregon State and Washington State appearing unlikely to continue with the WCC.

    The former Pac-12 schools are under a two-year contract, expiring on June 30, 2026. Sources from CBS Sports suggest that the odds of the two Pacific Northwest institutions staying are slim, with a move to the Mountain West or a new conference formation being more probable.

    Following the departures of Sam Houston and New Mexico State last year, Seattle and Grand Canyon’s exit from the WAC will reduce the conference’s membership to just eight by July 2025.

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  2. College Sports News

    Ex-Cal State Fullerton G Max Jones Commits to Kansas State

    Kansas State adds athletic wing in left-handed shooter Max Jones

    Kansas State adds athletic wing in left-handed shooter Max Jones

    Former guard of Cal State Fullerton Max Jones has made a decision to join Kansas State for his upcoming collegiate season, according to reports.

    Notable alternatives that Jones purportedly pondered were New Mexico, Texas A&M, Mississippi State, Florida Atlantic, and Loyola Chicago.

    During the previous season with the Titans, Jones maintained an average of 15.3 points and 3.0 rebounds across 24 games, in which he started 21. He secured the second-highest scoring position within the team, alongside being the second in 3-pointers with 42 baskets and 41 steals.

    In the season prior, Jones held an average of 12.5 points and 4.0 rebounds in 32 games, amassing 34 three-pointers and 30 steals.

    Before making his way to Cal State Fullerton post the 2021-22 season, Jones spent two years at Division II Tampa, where he managed to achieve an average of 21.9 points across 21 games during his sophomore year with the Spartans.

    In the recent offseason, Kansas State acquired Dug McDaniel, a former player from Michigan recognized as one of the premier point guards available in this year’s transfer portal.

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  3. College Sports News

    Stanford Names Basketball Court in Honor of Tara VanDerveer

    View From The Top with Tara VanDerveer, Former Coach of Stanford Women’s Basketball

    View From The Top with Tara VanDerveer, Former Coach of Stanford Women’s Basketball

    Tara VanDerveer’s legacy at Stanford will now be visibly acknowledged, with the school revealing on Thursday that the basketball arena’s floor will bear the name of the esteemed Hall of Fame coach.

    At the age of 70, VanDerveer stepped down following her 38th season at the helm of the Cardinal.

    She steered Stanford to 14 Final Fours and secured three national championships (1990, 1992, 2021). VanDerveer embarked on her coaching journey at Idaho (1978-80) and later coached at Ohio State (1980-85).

    In January, she surpassed Mike Krzyzewski to clinch the title of the most successful college basketball coach in history, across both men’s and women’s teams. VanDerveer concluded with a remarkable 1,216-271 record, boasting a 1,064-220 tally with the Cardinal.

    Alongside the unveiling of the Tara VanDerveer Court at Maples Pavilion this November, Stanford also established an endowed position in women’s basketball for an assistant coach in VanDerveer’s honor.

    VanDerveer said in a statement, “This endowment will go a long way to strengthening the future of Stanford women’s basketball. I have many wonderful memories of leading the women’s basketball program at Maples Pavilion.”

    “It’s an honor, and a little surreal, to know that my name will be linked to both in these ways, and I look forward to celebrating with all our fans this fall.”

    Last month, Stanford appointed Kate Paye, one of VanDerveer’s longtime assistant coaches who played for the Cardinal from 1991-95 and began coaching under VanDerveer in 2007, as the new head coach.

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