The Sacramento State men’s basketball team fell victim to a second straight ugly loss on the road, losing by a final score of 91-67 to the California Golden Bears on Friday, Nov. 21.
The Hornets began the game out on the front foot, leading by a score of 12-8 after a three-pointer from senior forward Shaqir O’Neal four minutes and 15 seconds into the contest. Immediately after, however, O’Neal was issued a technical foul for taunting.
Cal senior forward Chris Bell subsequently knocked down both technical free throws, which were followed quickly by a three-point shot from senior forward John Camden. This gave the Bears the lead in just 17 seconds of gametime after O’Neal’s jumper – a lead they didn’t relinquish for the rest of the match.
“We started out the game good, but ever since Shaqir got that tech, it kind of went downhill,” head coach Mike Bibby said. “We got to keep focused.”
Cal went on a 17-0 scoring run in the four minutes and 30 seconds after the O’Neal tech, making it a 25-12 game in favor of the Bears. For the rest of the game, the Hornets failed to bring the score within 10 points.
For the Hornets, it was clear that they were missing their star big man, senior forward Jeremiah Cherry. Cherry exited the court during the team’s previous game against UCLA with a knee injury and was replaced in Friday’s starting lineup by freshman forward Mark Lavrenov.
RELATED: Sac State left barely breathing after brutal Bruin blowout
Lavrenov stepped in for his first collegiate start and posted 14 points and 8 rebounds, playing the entirety of the game.
“He plays tough, he plays strong and he rebounds the ball,” Bibby said. “He played all 40 minutes, and he played good.”
The Hornets were led in scoring by sophomore forward Brandon Gardner. Gardner scored a collegiate career-high 19 points, including an impressive 4-5 from the 3-point line, good for 80%.
Senior guard Prophet Johnson also had another double-double, his second consecutive and fifth on the season. He finished the game with 12 points and 11 rebounds.
Only one player 6’3 and below has finished a season with a:
DREB%: 24+
AST%: 24+
STL%: 3+Devin Carter.
There’s one player on pace to join that club this year, and he also plays in Sacramento.
Prophet Johnson. pic.twitter.com/XfaJl8VE2l
— Jack Dann (@JackBDann) November 22, 2025
As a team, the Hornets had another tough night shooting the basketball. In an all-around inefficient night, they scored just 67 points on 67 total field goal attempts.
On the side of the Bears, it appeared that they could do almost no wrong. They shot over 50% from the field and almost 40% from three, although they did shoot an uninspiring 52.6% from the free throw line.
Bell led Cal in scoring with 21 points, which also superseded all players from both teams. He was followed closely behind on his team by sophomore guard Justin Pippen, son of six-time NBA champion Scottie Pippen, and junior guard Dai Dai Ames, who both left the floor with 16.
Sac State returns to their home floor, Hornet Pavilion, on Tuesday, Nov. 25 to take on the Division II San Francisco State Gators. Sac State should expect to come out of that one victorious, as the Gators have started off their season 0-2, including a 30-point loss to Dominican University whom the Hornets beat 103-79 in their season opener.
“It’ll be good to get back home,” Bibby said. “We got a lot of stuff to go over on Sunday at practice.”
