Hurricane Heartbreak: Miami falls to Cal in close contest

Malik Reneau’s 24 points weren’t enough for the Miami Hurricanes to avoid falling heartbreakingly.

Led by John Camden’s season-high 26 points, including 4-of-5 from the three-point line, the Cal Golden Bears prevailed 86-85 on Saturday.

Camden, who is on his fourth team in five years, is averaging 14 points per game and is averaging the fifth most three-pointers made in the ACC.

“John is someone that we’ve relied on throughout the year,” said Cal head coach Mark Madsen.

“He’s one of the most confident people you’ll ever meet,” he added. “His approach to the game is second to none, and he’s a consummate professional.”

Reneau tied his season high (24 vs. Delaware St., Nov. 23, 2025) by shooting 6-of-8 with a 12-of-14 clip from the free throw line. His last basket put the Hurricanes ahead 85-84 with two minutes remaining in the game.

A layup from Dhiaukuei Manyiel Dut, his only bucket, entering the final minute proved to be the difference. After Shelton Henderson missed the layup, in the final seconds of the game, Camden came down with the rebound to secure the win for Cal.

“John Camden came down with the biggest rebound of our night,” Madsen said.

Henderson scored 16 points for Miami on 7-of-11 shooting, all on close and mid-range shots. Tre Donaldson added 14 points and Dante Allen and Ernest Udeh Jr. each chipped in 12 points.

Outside of Camden, Cal was led by Justin Pippen, son of NBA legend Scottie Pippen, who scored 17 points with eight assists. Chris Bell scored 16 points and Dai Dai Ames added 14 points.

Henderson scored six points to help Miami keep pace with Cal with the game tied 12-12 entering the first media timeout five minutes into the game. A few key defensive plays leading to inside baskets put Miami up 19-16 with 11:44 remaining in the first half.

After Donaldson drained a three-pointer to increase Miami’s lead, Cal went on a 12-2 run to take the lead. Donaldson made another three-pointer before going into a media timeout with Miami trailing 31-27 with 6:12 to go before halftime.

Miami stormed back to take a 55-53 lead after the first five minutes of the second half, highlighted by free throws and a dunk by Henderson.

Entering the seventh minute of the second half leading by two, the Hurricanes went on a 10-3 run sparked by a dunk by Reneau to go up 70-61 with 10:30 left in the game.

A layup from Timojie Malovec kept Miami up by eight with seven minutes remaining. Cal clawed back with three free throws and a dunk from Ilic to make it a 78-75 game with 4:35 left.

Udah made three free throws of his own to give Miami some space from Cal, up 81-77 with four minutes remaining in the game.

Ames made a pair of shots from the charity stripe and drained a three-pointer to put Cal back on top 82-81 with 3:41 remaining.

The Golden Bears used long-range shooting to gain an advantage over the Hurricanes. Cal was 10-of-23 from the three-point line while Miami was 4-of-12. Against a team that is built towards defense and interior dominance, Cal grabbed just enough rebounds to minimize Miami’s 32-28 advantage at the glass.

“The key for us was going to be rebounding,” Madsen said. “If you look at Miami, they’re big, they’re strong, they have a knack for the ball. They’ve been very well coached to crash almost at every single possession.”

Cal (16-6, 4-5) split its cross-country road trip to Florida after a home stretch that included wins over North Carolina and Stanford. The Golden Bears enter the final month of the regular season trending towards their first 20-win season since 2016-17.

“I think the word ‘resilience’ comes to my mind about this group,” Madsen said. “These guys truly love each other. It’s one of the closest-knit teams I’ve seen as a coach or even as a player. And I’m not in the locker room now but you can feel it, and I think that helps this team.”

Despite the tough loss, the Hurricanes (17-5, 6-3) remain in fifth place in the ACC. They need to wedge themselves between Virginia and North Carolina State to earn a double-bye in the ACC Tournament.

“At the end of the day, there’s bigger fish to fry,” Donaldson said. “You’ve got to take it on the chin and move on to the next, and just stay together. These are tough losses. I mean, the ACC is a good conference.”

Miami will travel to Boston College on Feb. 7 before returning home to host North Carolina on Feb. 10.