The California Golden Bears faced off against the St. Mary’s Gaels tonight at home in Haas Pavilion. The Bears started with a stout defense, shutting down St. Mary’s shooting behind the arc, and… well, everywhere really: the Gaels only picked up a few free throws in the first five minutes, while Kareem South managed 8 points in the same interval. But it didn’t take long for the Gaels to start making things more interesting with a strong performance by Malik Fitts, wiping out the Bears’ early 10-2 lead to even the game 15-15. The Gaels continued to extend their lead throughout the remainder of the half, finding killer 3-pointers to quickly pull away.