The Sports Xchange
Nov 29, 2017
California guard Darius McNeill scored 19 of his game-high 22 points in the first half, propelling the Golden Bears to an 83-63 victory over Cal State Northridge on Tuesday night at Berkeley, Calif.
McNeil made 8 of 11 field-goal attempts and 6 of 7 from 3-point range in leading the Golden Bears (3-4) to 51.7 percent shooting from the floor and 42.9 percent from beyond the arc.
Don Coleman had 15 points and Marcus Lee added 14 points and seven rebounds for California, which was coming off three consecutive losses at the Maui Invitational, including 96-72 to Division II Chaminade in the seventh-place game.
California tied a school record Tuesday with 11 blocked shots, including six by center Kingsley Okoroh. Lee had four blocks.
CSUN (1-5) was led by Terrell Gomez's 20 points and five assists. Tavrion Dawson added 17 points and six rebounds.
McNeil's scoring in the first half enabled Cal to take a 48-30 halftime lead. He made a couple of jumpers, including a 3-point shot, in a 13-0 run that put the Golden Bears ahead 28-11 with 11:04 left in the half.
After California took its biggest lead at 67-39 with 12:19 left in regulation, Northridge scored 12 consecutive points behind seven by Gomez to cut the deficit to 69-54 with 7:02 left in regulation.
Lee, a transfer from Kentucky, scored in transition on consecutive possessions to increase the Golden Bears' lead to 73-54 with 5:45 left.
Cal plays host to Saint Mary's on Saturday, while Cal State Northridge travels to oppose Montana on Sunday.