California Rallies to Defeat Presbyterian 67-57 Behind Camden’s 20 Points

In a competitive matchup on November 14, 2023, the California Golden Bears secured a 67-57 victory over the Presbyterian Blue Hose. John Camden was a standout performer, scoring 20 points and contributing significantly to California’s comeback in the second half.

Game Highlights and Performances

Playing at home in Berkeley, California, the Golden Bears took control of the game with about 12 minutes remaining in the second half. This win improved California’s record to 4-1, providing a much-needed boost after their narrow loss to Kansas State just days earlier.

California demonstrated strong shooting, connecting on 51% of their shots against Presbyterian, who fell to 3-4 with this defeat. Camden’s performance included hitting 6 of 12 shots from the field and an impressive 6 of 7 from the free-throw line. His contributions were complemented by Lee Dort, who added 15 points on 7-of-9 shooting, and Chris Bell, who chipped in 14 points.

Game Flow and Key Moments

The game was tightly contested, with the Blue Hose trailing by only two points at halftime, 31-29. Presbyterian opened the second half with a basket to tie the game, followed by a Carl Parrish three-pointer that gave them a brief lead at 34-33. Parrish hit another three later, allowing Presbyterian to lead 44-43 with 12:17 left on the clock.

In response, California went on a critical 10-2 run, sparked by consecutive three-pointers from Dai Dai Ames and Camden, pushing their lead to 53-46. Presbyterian fought back, narrowing the deficit to 53-51 with just over six minutes remaining but could not regain the lead.

Parrish finished as the leading scorer for Presbyterian, contributing 16 points with five three-pointers. Teammates Triston Wilson and Jonah Pierce each added 13 points to the effort. Notably, this was the first meeting between the two teams.

Looking ahead, Presbyterian will face No. 19 UCLA on November 17, while California will play against Sacramento State on the same day and later face UCLA at the Chase Center in San Francisco on November 25.