Louisville 90, Cal 70: A Fight That Came Late and a Lesson That Came Clear

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BERKELEY, Calif. — Louisville weathered a second-half push and controlled the glass from start to finish, handing Cal a 90–70 loss Tuesday night at Haas Pavilion after jumping out to a 10–0 lead and never fully relinquishing control.

Photo courtesy Morgan Garcia

Cal briefly brought the building to life midway through the second half, trimming the deficit to 11 behind a TT Carr layup, Chris Bell free throws and a Bell 3-pointer. But Louisville answered immediately, reasserting its physical edge and closing the night with a late Ryan Conwell three that stretched the margin to 26 with 1:09 remaining.

“We cut the lead to 11 in the second half,” Cal head coach Mark Madsen said. “Our next step against a top-10, top-15 team is cutting that lead to 11 and then cutting it to six. And the lead went the other way tonight.”

Cal’s final points reflected the fight that never fully disappeared: a Justin Pippen three with 59 seconds left, followed by a Noah Dorsey triple in the closing seconds to set the final score.

Early hole shapes the night

The opening minutes dictated the tone. Louisville made its first five shots and raced to a 10–0 lead, forcing Madsen to burn an early timeout as Cal struggled to settle in.

“We were doing a poor job communicating,” Madsen said. “Louisville was doing an excellent job executing on both sides of the ball.”

This early gap set the pace of the game as Louisville dictated tempo and pressured the perimeter, leaning into their strengths — threes, rim finishes and second chances. The Cardinals finished 14-of-37 from beyond the arc (37.8%) and shot 46.4% overall. Cal shot 33.9% from the field and 34.6% from three.

“At the beginning of the game, we just kind of got punched in the mouth,” Bell said. “It kind of happened at Kansas State, too, when we got down early and had to claw ourselves back in.”

Against an aggressive Louisville team, that margin proved costly.

Physicality and pressure

Madsen said Louisville’s shot profile was no surprise.

“That’s the profile and the makeup of their team,” he said. “They signed a lot of excellent three-point shooters.”

Louisville head coach Pat Kelsey echoed that approach, calling Cal’s guards “dynamic and quick and fast” and saying keeping them out of the paint was “a huge emphasis” in the game plan.

The Cardinals’ physicality showed most clearly on the glass. Louisville outrebounded Cal 49–32, including a 14–8 edge on the offensive boards.

“Losing the battle on the glass tonight was disappointing,” Madsen said. “We have the physicality to do it. We just didn’t come up with the basketballs.”

Cal took care of the ball, committing just eight turnovers and forcing 10 as they frequently visited the free-throw line, attempting 27 foul shots to Louisville’s 14. But the Cardinals’ extra possessions and three-point volume outweighed that advantage.

“They’re a super aggressive team,” Bell said. “They top lock, they’re physical. We could have been better being physical and getting to our spots.”

Turning point

Cal’s best stretch came midway through the second half. Carr’s finish, Bell’s free throws and a Bell three cut the deficit to 11 and energized the crowd, briefly shifting momentum.

But the window closed quickly. Louisville answered with timely baskets, controlled rebounds in traffic and prevented Cal from stacking stops. Conwell’s late three capped a decisive response.

“Our guys never stop fighting,” Madsen said. “We can correct a lot of things.”

By the numbers

Bell led Cal with 20 points on 5-of-11 shooting, going 7-of-8 from the line. Pippen added 17 points and five assists, while Lee Dort recorded a double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds. DJ Ames chipped in 11 points and four assists.

Louisville’s scoring was balanced. Conwell finished with 26 points, including six 3-pointers. Adrien Wooley scored 21 on 9-of-14 shooting, and Sananda Fru added 13 points and 14 rebounds.

Cal shot 77.8% from the free-throw line, while Louisville finished at 85.7%.

Looking ahead

Despite the loss, Cal emphasized resilience and accountability.

“We show some heart,” Dort said. “We keep playing hard and we keep fighting.”

Madsen was clear about the next step.

“We have to figure out how to have a better start,” he said. “We must figure that out.”

Cal returns to action Friday against Notre Dame, a game Madsen called “huge” as conference play continues.

Starts, physicality and communication will be the focus.

“Early, loud, continuous,” Madsen said.

Head Coach Mark Madsen directing his team in the second-half vs. Louisville: Photo courtesy Morgan Garcia