GAME NOTES: California kicks off a seven-game homestand on Wednesday night when the Golden Bears entertains the Wyoming Cowboys in non-conference action at Haas Pavilion.

Off to their best start since the 2007-08 campaign when they also had seven wins in eight opportunities out of the gate, the Golden Bears opened with three straight wins before taking a tumble against Texas, 71-55, during the 2K Classic in New York back on Nov. 21.

The team bounced back though, putting together a four-game win streak that most recently included a victory over another representative from the Mountain West Conference, the Nevada Wolf Pack (63-56) on Sunday at the Lawlor Events Center in Reno.

As for the Cowboys, they actually have a better record than Cal at the moment, showing an 8-1 mark with the lone blemish being a 66-53 setback versus SMU last week in Dallas. Since then, the team has responded with a 70-35 thrashing of Regis on Sunday.

The series, despite dating back more than 50 years, is entering just its sixth game, with the Bears having won three of the first five encounters. The most recent clash took place almost 11 years ago to the day as California crushed the Cowboys at home in an 80-55 final.

Larry Nance Jr. stuck around for only 16 minutes against Regis on Sunday, hitting all three of his field goal attempts as he finished with a mere six points, although during that brief exposure he scored the 1,000th point of his Wyoming career in the blowout win. All five starters attempted just three field goals before making a hasty retreat to the break for the Cowboys as they shot 53.8 percent from the field and limited the visitors to only 28.6 percent. Matt Sellers, who played a mere nine minutes off the bench, came away with a game-high 12 points for the Pokes.

Nance, the 33rd player in program history to reach the 1,000-point plateau, is currently the only double-digit scorer on the roster with his 12.7 ppg, adding 5.4 rpg as he shoots 61.6 percent from the floor. Josh Adams is responsible for another 9.8 ppg and a team-best 38 assists, while Derek Cooke Jr. (7.6 ppg) is one of the most accurate shooters in the nation as he converts field goals at an astounding 82.1 percent clip.

California appeared to be nowhere near prepared for the meeting against the Wolf Pack over the weekend in Reno as the visitor shot a woeful 7-of-28 (.250) from the floor in the first half. The team regrouped at the intermission and came out hitting shots at a 51.5 percent clip, picking up the win despite the awful start on the road.

Tyrone Wallace accounted for a game-high 29 points, cleared eight rebounds and handed out four assists for the Bears, followed by David Kravish with 11 points and six boards for a group that survived 3-of-12 shooting beyond the arc by turning the ball over just three times.

Wallace, the leading scorer for Cal in the last three outings and five times overall, is close to averaging a double-double with his 19.3 points and 8.9 rebounds per contest, both of which are team highs entering the week. A 50.9 percent shooter from the floor who has also handed out a team-best 37 assists, the knock against Wallace at the moment is that he is shooting only 55.6 percent at the free-throw line and that has the team coming in at just 62.7 percent.

With scoring being held to a minimum, the Cowboys might have a fighting chance in this meeting, although there is something to be said about a team that is playing on the road for just the second time in 10 games.