California 91, Alcorn State 57: Guard Tyrone Wallace got the Cuonzo Martin era off to a fast start with 22 points and 10 rebounds as the Golden Bears ran away from the visiting Braves in the season opener for both teams.
Six players, including all five starters, scored in double figures for California (1-0) led by guards Jordan Mathews (18 points) and Jabari Bird (12 points, nine assists). Joining the double-figure party that marked Martin’s Golden Bears debut were David Kravish (13), Dwight Tarwater (11) and Christian Behrens (10).
Marquis Vance had 17 points and nine rebounds for Alcorn State (0-1) of the Southwestern Athletic Conference. Leantwan Luckett scored 18 points and Tyrel Hunt added 10 for the Braves, who shot 31.6 percent from the field.
Cal started the second half on an 11-3 run to take a 61-35 lead with 16:18 remaining and the Bears’ lead never dropped below 20 points the rest of the way. A layup by Roger Moute a Bidias with 2:20 left gave Cal its biggest lead at 91-51.
The Bears ran to a 15-0 lead before Hunt’s layup put the Braves on the scoreboard with 15:35 remaining in the first half. Cal kept up the offensive pressure behind Wallace’s 17 points to lead 50-32 at halftime.
NOTEBOOK: Kravish continued to be a defensive force, opening the season with five blocks after having a school-record 73 last season. … Tarwater, a graduate student who transferred from Cornell, had a successful debut for Cal, making 3-of-6 3-point attempts off the bench. … Luckett, the SWAC Preseason Player of the Year, had a rough start, going 5-of-18 from the floor and 7-of-13 from the line.
Alcorn St. | California | |
Leantwan Luckett 18 | Scoring | Tyrone Wallace 22 |
Marquis Vance 2 | Assists | Jabari Bird 9 |
Marquis Vance 9 | Rebounds | Tyrone Wallace 10 |
Leantwan Luckett 7 | Free Throws Made | Tyrone Wallace 3 |
Leantwan Luckett 2 | Steals | Tyrone Wallace 2 |
Marquis Vance 2 | Blocks | David Kravish 5 |
Team | Points | FG% | 3PM-3PA | FTM-FTA | Assists | Rebounds | Blocks | Steals | Turnovers |
Alcorn St. | 57 | 31.6 | 3-15 | 18-28 | 4 | 27 | 3 | 3 | 10 |
California | 91 | 52.1 | 10-24 | 7-13 | 26 | 40 | 7 | 6 | 8 |