Cal Defeats Stanford 72-66 in Season Sweep

In Berkeley, California, the University of California Golden Bears defeated their rival Stanford Cardinal 72-66 on Saturday afternoon at Haas Pavilion, completing a regular-season sweep for the first time since the 2009-10 season and bolstering their NCAA tournament prospects in front of 9,020 fans.

The victory improved Cal's record to 19-8 overall and 7-7 in the Atlantic Coast Conference, positioning the Bears one win away from their first 20-victory season since 2017. Stanford fell to 16-11 overall and 5-9 in conference play, marking their seventh loss in nine games and complicating their bid for one of the ACC's 15 tournament spots.

Chris Bell led Cal with 20 points on 5-of-11 shooting, going 7-for-7 at the free-throw line while adding seven rebounds and two steals. John Camden contributed 18 points and eight rebounds, and Dai Dai Ames added 17 points with seven rebounds. The Bears dominated the first half, building a 39-25 lead behind a 12-1 closing run that included five points from Bell. They maintained a double-digit advantage through the early second half, extending it to 68-54 with 3:08 remaining after a post move by Milos Ilic.

Stanford mounted a late rally, scoring the...