STANFORD — California held Stanford without a field goal for the final 7:41 of the game to beat the Cardinal 78-66 Saturday night, breaking a five-game losing streak in the rivalry.
Cal’s Chris Bell broke a 60-60 tie on a 3-pointer with 6:24 remaining to start the game-ending 18-6 run. Offensive rebounds and putbacks by DeJuan Campbell extended the lead, and a follow slam by Bell put the finishing touches on a dominant close for the Bears (15-5, 3-4 Atlantic Coast Conference).
Stanford (14-6, 3-4) had swept all three games last season and had won six straight in the series at Maples Pavilion.
Cal graduate forward John Camden, a Delaware transfer, scored a game-high 25 points and added a game-high 10 rebounds in his first appearance in the rivalry. Justin Pippen added 18 points and six assists.
California Golden Bears’ John Camden (2), California Golden Bears’ TT Carr (3), and California Golden Bears’ Milos Ilic (8) celebrate winning against Stanford at Maples Pavilion in Stanford, Calif., on Saturday, Jan. 24, 2026. (Shae Hammond/Bay Area News Group)Stanford freshman Ebuka Okorie, the nation’s seventh-leading scorer at 22.1 points per game, was held to 1 of 16 shooting and finished with 14 points. Graduate guard Jeremy Dent-Smith picked up some of the slack with 20 points, 12 above his season average.
Both teams underwent ice-cold stretches in the first half. Cal went almost seven minutes without a field goal as Stanford was on a 16-2 run to go up 29-13. Dent-Smith went 3 of 5 from long range in the first half to lead the Cardinal offense.
But soon after the Stanford football team came onto the court with The Axe to celebrate its win in the 2025 Big Game, it was the Cardinal’s turn to go cold.
Stanford went almost five minutes without a field goal and Cal got hot by hitting five straight field goals, including consecutive 3s by Pippen.
A 3-point play by TT Carr put the Bears up with 1:01 left in the half at 35-34, and a 3 by Campbell made it 38-34 at the break as Cal ended the final six minutes on the 25-5 run.
The Bears stayed hot after halftime, hitting six of their first nine shots to go up by 13 at 56-43. But Stanford got more aggressive going to the basket, and made seven straight free throws as part of a 10-0 run that tied the game at 60-60 with seven minutes left.
Stanford was held to 27.3 percent shooting from the field and 19.4 percent from behind the arc.
Both team got plenty of action on the foul line as they combined to shoot 56 free throws. Cal made 20 of its 25 while the Cardinal hit 24 of its 31 attempts.
The teams came into Saturday with identical 14-5 records and have followed similar trajectories, exceeding preseason expectations to put themselves in contention to break long NCAA Tournament droughts.
Stanford’s Benny Gealer (5) passes the ball against the California Golden Bears during the first half at Maples Pavilion in Stanford, Calif., on Saturday, Jan. 24, 2026. (Shae Hammond/Bay Area News Group)Cal, ranked 16th in the ACC preseason poll, started 12-1 for the first time since 1959-60, including a win over No. 18 UCLA, its first victory over a ranked opponent since 2020. The Bears are coming off a win at home over No. 14 North Carolina, which served as its first win over a top-15 opponent since 2016.
Stanford, ranked 17th in the ACC preseason poll, also has two Top 20 wins — against North Carolina and No. 16 Louisville — and is the only team to beat current No. 24 Saint Louis.
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Maples was sold out for the second straight game, following Duke’s first-ever visit to Stanford last Saturday. It marked the first time the Cardinal had consecutive sellouts since hosting Washington and Washington State in 2008.
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