Published Nov 17, 2016
Charlie Moore sets Cal freshman scoring record en route to win over Irvine
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Ben Parker  •  GoldenBearReport
Golden Bear Report
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On Wednesday night, Cal freshman point guard Charlie Moore had the game of his life, scoring a school freshman record 38 points on 10-20 shooting from the field, 3-7 shooting from 3-point range, and 15-17 shooting from the foul line. Shareef Abdur-Rahim who scored 33 points against Northern Arizona in 1995 held the previous freshman record.

Perhaps even more amazingly, Cal needed every one of those 38 points, defeating UC Irvine in overtime by a final score of 75-65. With Jabari Bird (back), Grant Mullins (neck strain), and Ivan Rabb (toe) all out, Cal needed somebody to step up and Charlie Moore was the man to do it.

“My teammates helped me out today,” Moore said after the game. “Just telling me to stay aggressive and not worry about the misses.” Charlie Moore did what he does best, which is getting to the rim, beating opponents off the dribble, and really feeling the game out. Charlie knew when to create for others and he knew when to take the matter into his own hands and create scoring opportunities for himself. He had a superb game, showing off his entire repertoire of tricks: 3-point shooting, floaters, fadeaways, etc. Moore did it all tonight and he did it all efficiently.

The other big performer for Cal was Kameron Rooks, who continues to make a case for most improved player in the Pac-12. He had 15 points and 8 rebounds on 4-7 shooting from the field and 7-12 shooting from the foul line. Rooks really did a good job controlling the middle and holding down the fort down low with Ivan Rabb out.

While Charlie Moore and Kameron Rooks were both the top performers of the night, Cuonzo Martin was really struck by the all-around team effort from his players. “Good win, good team win, good hard fought win,” Martin said after the game. “Probably one of the better wins of my coaching career. Just to see guys compete and battle; not make excuses.”

If there is anything that points to the all around team effort it would be the way Cal controlled the glass 40-27. Cal didn’t let the fact that they were without some of their best players prevent them from making an impact on the glass. Stephen Domingo led the charge on the glass with 9 rebounds and Roger Moute a Bidias finished with 7 rebounds, 3 of which were on the offensive glass. Cal also came up with key defensive stops and really played stingy defense in key moments. While Charlie Moore’s sensational play is rightfully the headline story of the night, defense and rebounding is really what won this game for Cal.

Going forward, Cal looks ahead to a Monday night game against San Diego State at the Golden 1 Center in Sacramento. Cuonzo Martin says he hopes to have Ivan Rabb, Grant Mullins, and Jabari Bird all ready to go for that game, but he couldn’t make any guarantees.