After a frustrating end of the season for Cal men’s basketball, including a first round ACC tournament loss, the Bears still had a chance at postseason glory in the first round of the National Invitational Tournament against the University of Illinois Chicago.
On a hot night in Haas Pavilion, an incredible shooting performance from senior forward Chris Bell kept Cal’s season alive with a close-fought 91-73 win over the Flames.
“I don’t think I necessarily thought (about it possibly being my last game). I think I just went out there just to have fun and try to win it,” Bell said. “I never think of anything as my last game. But, eventually, it will be. So obviously taking that sense of urgency and I think we did a good job of that.”
It was a hard fought contest in the first half, with neither side able to find a rhythm early. UIC jumped out to a 9-point lead just over five minutes into the half, but the Bears put out the fire and clawed the score back to even.
Cal took its first lead since scoring the first basket of the game with just under two minutes before halftime, with senior guard Chris Bell and sophomore guard DJ Campbell combining for an emphatic alley-oop dunk by Bell.
The Bears forced a turnover shortly after and immediately scored again, energizing the relatively small but energetic Haas Pavilion crowd. The foes traded buckets and went into halftime with the odds edged slightly in Cal’s favor, 39-35.
It remained a stalemate through the opening minutes of the first half with choppy, physical play defining the proceedings.
Cal finally got ahead of the Flames by blazing off an 18-5 run behind five straight combined 3-pointers from Bell, sophomore guard Justin Pippen and junior guard Dai Dai Ames.
The blue and gold lead ebbed and flowed as the clock dwindled, with stellar shooting from Bell helping to stomp out the Flames.
Cal kept its lead at double digits through three minutes left to play, doing enough defensively to stop UIC’s dynamic attack.
Bell ended the game with back-to-back made threes, finishing with a bonkers statline of 31 points on 10-for-12 from the field, and 7-for-8 from deep.
“Chris Bell is a special player, he’s a special person. His work ethic reminds me of the work ethic of an NBA player,” Cal head coach Mark Madsen said in the postgame press conference. “I can’t underestimate anything about (Bell), because (Bell) is just an outstanding player.”
Next, the Bears will host a battle against the Saint Joseph’s Hawks in the second round of the N.I.T. Cal will look to advance one step closer to its first N.I.T. championship since 1999.
Tip-off is set for Sunday, March 22 at 6 p.m.