Jeremiah Wilkinson has another career game as Cal tops Mercyhurst

Freshman Jeremiah Wilkinson scored a career-high 25 points off the bench to propel California past visiting Mercyhurst 81-55 at the Cal Classic on Wednesday in Berkeley, Calif.Wilkinson went 9-of-1

Jeremiah Wilkinson has another career game as Cal tops Mercyhurst

Freshman Jeremiah Wilkinson scored a career-high 25 points off the bench to propel California past visiting Mercyhurst 81-55 at the Cal Classic on Wednesday in Berkeley, Calif.

Wilkinson went 9-of-12 from the floor and made 6 of 8 3-pointers to surpass his previous career-best 23-point effort in a 78-69 win over Air Force on Thursday.

He set his career high Wednesday on his final basket, a triple that stretched the Golden Bears’ lead to 70-40 with 7:55 remaining.

Andrej Stojakovic added 15 points and Joshua Ola-Joseph had 13 points and six rebounds for Cal (6-1), which has won four in a row.

The Golden Bears won all three of its games of the Cal Classic despite playing without injured starters Jovan Blacksher Jr., DJ Campbell and BJ Omot.

Bernie Blunt III scored 11 points and Aidan Reichert netted 10 to lead the Lakers (4-4), who lost two in a row for the first time this season.

Cal trailed 6-2 four minutes into the game before rattling off eight straight points to take the lead for good. Stojakovic and Wilkinson each scored four points during the run.

Shemar Rathan-Mayes’ layup brought Mercyhurst within 21-16, but Spencer Mahoney drilled two 3-pointers during a surge that stretched the Golden Bears’ lead to 31-18. Stojakovic and Wilkinson later made consecutive triples to cap an eight-point spurt that made it 39-21 with 1:45 left in the half.

Cal led 41-23 at the break after hitting six 3-pointers while holding the Lakers to 0-for-7 shooting beyond the arc.

The Golden Bears took their first 20-point lead on Ola-Joseph’s layup to start the second half. Mercyhurst got within 14 before Cal sealed the win, getting a triple from Stojakovic and two more treys from Wilkinson for a 58-35 cushion with 12:31 left.

The lead hit 30 points after Wilkinson punctuated a 10-0 run with his sixth and final 3-pointer at the 7:55 mark.

Sophomore forward Devin Curtis sent the Golden Bears’ bench into a frenzy when he drilled his first career 3-pointer as he was fouled. Curtis hit the ensuing free throw to balloon the lead to 81-48 with 2:50 remaining.

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