California Golden Bears Defeat Boston College Eagles 82-71

BERKELEY, Calif. — The California Golden Bears ended a five-game losing streak with an 82-71 victory over the Boston College Eagles on Saturday night, March 1, 2025. Mady Sissoko led the Golden Bears with a career-high performance.

Game Recap

Boston College opened the second half with a 15-3 run, taking their first lead of the game at 46-45 with 14:31 remaining. The Eagles extended their lead to 54-53 with 10:39 left. However, California responded with an 11-0 run fueled by three-pointers from Andrej Stojakovic and Jeremiah Wilkinson, and five points from Sissoko, to establish a 72-60 lead with approximately four minutes remaining.

Boston College managed to narrow the gap to seven points twice in the final two minutes but could not overcome the Golden Bears’ momentum.

Key Performances

Mady Sissoko delivered a standout performance for California, achieving career highs with 21 points and 15 rebounds. Jovan Blacksher Jr. Contributed 18 points, while Andrej Stojakovic added 15 and Jeremiah Wilkinson scored 14.

For Boston College, Donald Hand Jr. Led the scoring with 19 points, shooting a perfect 10-for-10 from the free-throw line. Luka Toews added 14 points off the bench, and Dion Brown recorded 12 points and 10 rebounds.

First Half Summary

Cal built a 42-31 lead at halftime, aided by three 3-pointers and 12 points from Jovan Blacksher Jr. Luka Toews paced Boston College with 12 points in the first half.

Team Statistics

California shot 49% from the field (30-of-61) and 39% from three-point range (7-of-18). They were efficient at the free-throw line, making 71% of their attempts (15-of-21). Boston College shot 40% from the field (25-of-63) and 29% from beyond the arc (4-of-14), converting 81% of their free throws (17-of-21).

California committed 13 turnovers, while Boston College had 11. Cal secured 40 rebounds compared to Boston College’s 36.

Conference Standings

At the time of the game, California was in 15th place in the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) with a record of 13-16 overall and 6-12 in conference play. Boston College held the 16th position with a record of 12-17 overall and 4-14 in the ACC. The top 15 teams in the 18-team ACC qualify for the conference tournament.

Series History

Prior to this game, Boston College had won the only previous meeting between the two teams, 64-60, on December 21, 2019, at Chase Center in San Francisco. California’s record against Boston College now stands at 1-1.

Looking Ahead

Following this game, Boston College hosted No. 13 Clemson, and California played at No. 19 Louisville.