After 2-0 Start, Cal Prepares for No. 10 Houston Without Mark Madsen

Cal pulls away late

Radford cut Cal’s lead to 52-51 with 12:37 remaining, but Jake Wilkins answered with an alley-oop dunk off a pass from Michael Cooper. Jordan Ross then completed a three-point play, and Indrusaitis hit from long range to put the Bears ahead 65-56.

Cooper’s three-pointer with 7:16 left extended the margin to 13. Cal had led 45-37 at halftime after making nine first-half threes, and the Bears finished with an 84-70 win.

Indrusaitis leads the Bears

Indrusaitis finished with 30 points and made six three-pointers. He had 12 points in the first half, while Wilkins added 11 before the break. Cal’s starting lineup was Jordan Ross, Nojus Indrusaitis, Jake Wilkins, Sammie Yeanay and Mantas Kocanas. Center Lee Dort, the only returning starter from last season’s team, missed his second straight game with a sprained ankle.

Madsen absent for family emergency

Head coach Mark Madsen did not attend Wednesday’s game because of a family emergency. Assistant coach Adam Mazarei took over the head coaching duties in his absence. Cal had been a 16.5-point favorite against Radford, according to FanDuel, but held only a one-point lead midway through the second half before pulling away.

Houston awaits in Lake Tahoe

Houston opened its season with a 94-55 win over La Salle. The Cougars went 30-7 last season and reached the NCAA tournament’s Sweet 16; they also played in the 2025 national championship game, losing 65-63 to Florida.