February 28, 2026; Berkeley, California, USA; Pittsburgh Panthers guard D’Amarco Minor (7) passes California Golden Bears center Milos Ilic (8) during the second half at Haas Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: D. Ross Cameron-Imagn Image Cameron Corhen and Nojus Indrusaitis each scored 16 points to lead Pittsburgh to a 72-56 comeback victory over Cal on Saturday in Berkeley.
Corhen had an efficient offensive performance for the visitors, shooting 7-of-10 from the field, while Indrusaitis made 6-of-11 attempts overall and 4-of-6 from 3-point range. Barry Dunning Jr. had 15 points on 6-of-15 shooting and a game-high 12 rebounds.
Pittsburgh (11-18) is 4-12 in ACC play, and its head-to-head advantage puts it ahead of No. 15 Notre Dame in the ACC. This is very important because only the top 15 players from the regular season qualify for the ACC Tournament.
This game was essentially a must-win for Cal’s at-large NCAA tournament hopes. That’s because the Golden Bears (20-9) now sit at 8-8 in ACC play after starting 12-1 in non-conference play. Saturday’s shortcoming would be Cal’s first Quad 3 loss of the season, but its timing would dash the program’s already fading hopes of ending a 10-year tournament drought.
Cal took a 34-26 lead at halftime and then looked to swing the momentum early in the second half. However, the Golden Bears were held scoreless for 4:53 near the midway point of the second half, allowing Pittsburgh to go on a 7-0 run that was too much for the hosts to overcome.
Dai Dai Ames led Cal with 11 points, shooting 5 of 12 from the field. Lee Dort had 10 points on a more efficient 4-of-5 shooting and John Camden added 9 points on 4-of-11 shooting overall (1-of-6 from 3-point range).
The loss snapped a three-game winning streak for the Golden Bears, who had been back in the bubble conversation in recent games. But Carl never led this case.
–Field level media
