SMU withstands Cal's comeback attempt

Feb 26, 2025; Berkeley, California, USA; SMU Mustangs guard B.J. Edwards (0) looks for a pass against California Golden Bears guard Jeremiah Wilkinson (0) in the first half at Haas Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: Eakin Howard-Imagn ImagesChuck Harris led the way with 21 points, B.J. Edwards' steal and dunk capped a key late defensive sequence and SMU came on strong late to pull out an 81-77 victory over California on Wednesday in Berkeley, Calif. Edwards finished with 18 points, four rebounds, a game-high five assists and three steals for the Mustangs (21-7, 12-5 Atlantic Coast Conference). SMU led by as many as 17 points but found itself in a 66-all tie after Cal star Andrej Stojakovic dropped in a pair of free throws with 5:33 to go. But the Golden Bears (12-16, 5-12) then saw the visitors score nine consecutive points to go up 75-66. Samet Yigitoglu had the first five points in the run, including a dunk off a lob from Harris to beat a Cal press. Edwards soon swiped a Rytis Petraitis pass and took it the distance for a dunk of his own, after which Harris dropped in a layup to complete the surge. Seeking to snap a four-game losing streak, Cal got within 76-72 with 43 seconds remaining, but the Mustangs put the game away at the foul line, with Kario Oquendo and Matt Cross dropping in two apiece and Edwards hitting one. Cross made his foul shots with 3.9 seconds remaining, turning a two-point lead into the final margin. He finished with 10 points. Harris hit nine of his 12 shots en route to his game-high point total. He went 3-for-5 on 3-point tries, helping the Mustangs outscore the hosts 24-15 from beyond the arc. Yigitoglu logged 11 points and seven rebounds. Oquendo was the game's co-leading rebounder with eight to go with 10 points for SMU, which had lost two of its previous three games after winning five in a row. Jeremiah Wilkinson had a team-high 20 points and Mady Sissoko scored 16 to go with eight rebounds for Cal, which was outshot 55.6 percent to 39.1 percent from the field. Petraitis added 12 points and DJ Campbell a team-high three assists and four steals for the Golden Bears. Stojakovic was held to nine points on 1-for-9 shooting. --Field Level Media

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