Stojakovic scores 16 to help Cal beat Cal State Bakersfield 86-73

BERKELEY, Calif. (AP) Andrej Stojakovic scored 16 points, Jovan Blacksher Jr. added 15 for California on Monday night and the new-look Golden Bears beat Cal State Bakersfield 86-73 in the season opener for both teams.

BJ Omot had 13 points, DJ Campbell scored 12 and Mady Sissoko 10 for Cal.

Jemel Jones led Cal State Bakersfield with 22 points, Corey Stephenson scored 17 and Marvin McGhee III 13. Shakir McGhee III grabbed 10 rebounds to go with nine points.

Jones made a jumper that capped a 9-3 spurt and trimmed CSUB's deficit to 78-71 with 59 seconds to play but Stojakovic, a Stanford transfer five-star recruit and McDonald’s all-American in 2023, Blacksher, a graduate transfer from Grand Canyon, and Campbell each made 2 of 2 from the free-throw line from there to seal it.

Minnesota transfer Joshua Ola-Joseph threw down a dunk that made it 9-8 with 14:22 left in the first half and the Golden Bears led the rest of the way.

Fidelis Okereke threw down a dunk that trimmed Bakersfield’s deficit to 32-26 with 3:38 left in the first half but Blacksher answered with a 3-pointer and then a layup to give Cal an 11-point lead a minute later. before he and Omot hit back-to-back 3s to close the first half and make it 46-28.

Cal welcomed 10 new scholarship players via the transfer portal, including its entire starting five.

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