The number that will make Head Coach Emmett Davis and the Colgate men’s basketball team (3-7) cringe after its 83-48 loss to Cal-Berkeley (10-2) on Monday, December 22 is not 20, the amount of turnovers Colgate committed, or 35, the losing deficit. Rather, the numeral in question is 32. Cal-Berkeley scored an astronomical 32 points off 20 Colgate turnovers, which helped turn an evenly matched game in the early goings into a complete rout.

5’10” guard Jerome Randle led Cal with 16 points thanks to his blazing speed in transition and his ability to drive to the basket. Forward Jamal Boykin scored 13 points, making five of six field goals and all three of his free throws. Guard Patrick Christopher poured in 15 points, nine of which came in a sequence where Christopher nailed three three-pointers in less than two minutes late in the second half.

Colgate was led by freshman point guard Anthony Hill, who accrued a season-high 10 points and four assists. Junior power forward Ben Jonson continued his strong play with 10 points and seven rebounds, marking the fourth time in five games that he has scored in double digits. Freshman forward Yaw Gyawu scored eight points and hauled in five boards. Sophomore Mike Venezia and senior forward Alex Woodhouse, the offensive and defensive juggernauts on the team, struggled. Venezia had an off-night shooting the ball, going 3-13 from the field and missing all four of his three-pointers. Woodhouse got into foul trouble early on and never really got into the rhythm of the game, going scoreless for the first time this season.

The game was competitive at the outset, as Hill knocked down two three-pointers to help Colgate to an early 15-11 lead. The Raiders were out-hustling the Bears for loose balls and rebounding the ball with great fervor, but ‘Gate was also the beneficiary of many missed Cal shots in and around the paint. Furthermore, ‘Gate was controlling the pace of the game, playing their usual slow-tempo style, which threw Cal off in the beginning. However, the Golden Bears succeeded in going on a 9-0 run to take a 20-15 lead, but two Gyawu free throws and a three-point play from sophomore center Alex English tied the game once again with six minutes left in the first half.

But the Raiders’ Achilles heel this season soon reared its ugly head, and Cal turned its defense into great offense to take total control of the game. Four Colgate turnovers turned into eight Cal points in the beginning part of a 19-4 Golden Bear run that helped the Berkeley squad take command of the game late in the first half. Furthermore, Cal went on the fast break numerous times to score points in bunches, and led 39-24 at halftime.

The second half was evenly played until the aforementioned Patrick Christopher three-point show gave Cal a 70-43 advantage with 5:11 remaining in the game.