BearTalk

Even before Saturday’s game against Nevada, when the issue was highlighted, Cal coach Mike Montgomery said developing a low-post scoring game is a priority for the Golden Bears.

Cal survived the Wolf Pack by unleashing their 3-point shooting game late in the second half, hitting five straight to fuel a 75-66 victory.

But the Bears (8-2) still didn’t show much ability to score around the basket.

“I think we need to establish an inside game,” Montgomery said on Friday. “Hopefully, we’ll figure out if people are going to really defend us on the perimeter, we have to have the ability to go in and create something inside. We’re still working on that.”

They get another chance to tinker with the assignment Monday night when they face Colgate (3-6) at Haas Pavilion. The Raiders feature no one in their starting lineup taller than 6-foot-8, so perhaps Cal will feel confident attacking the paint.

“We’ve been a little reluctant, and part of it has been my fault for not emphasizing it,” Montgomery said.

Cal got one field goal from its post position against the the Wolf Pack, a close-range hook shot by sophomore Harper Kamp.

Afterward, Montgomery said the Bears adjusted accordingly.

“You’re never as good as you need to be,” he said. “We went small again and it turned out to be a pretty good lineup for us. We don’t have a dominant inside scorer.

“We’re goint to continue to work on ways to get the ball down inside and try to improve that.”

THE BIG 3: On Friday, Montgomery identified three areas of priority before the start of Pac-10 play.

“We need to get consistent,” he said, “with what’s going to win games: Execution, defense and effort. (Those are) probably the three things we need to get consistent with.”

ON COLGATE: Asked prior to the Nevada game what he knows about Colgate, Monty said, “Adonal Foyle graduated from there. They’re in Hamilton, N.Y.

“It’s actually a pretty little spot, if you don’t blink. It’s not very big. It’s cold. It’s a good school.”

The Raiders are young, all the moreso because would-be fifth-year senior Kyle Roemer, formerly of De La Salle High, is out for the season after undergoing knee surgery to repair a torn ACL. Roemer averaged 16.2 points last year.

Colgate won its first two games of the season, then lost six in a row before beating Monmouth 54-53 on Dec. 13. The Raiders haven’t played since.

They average just 55.1 points and have been outrebounded by 7.8 per game. They like to keep the score down, with only one opponent (Syracuse) having scored more than 67 points against them.

The club’s top scorer is sophomore guard Mike Venezia, who had a season-high 16 points in the win over Monmouth. Junior forward Ben Jonson secured that victory by hitting a jumper with two seconds left.

Colgate has a potential star in freshman guard Anthony Hill, the son of former Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Tony Hill. The 6-footer from Plano, Texas, totaled 1,178 points, more than 400 assists and 215 3-point baskets during his prep career.

Hill averages 4.7 points off the bench and leads the team with 16 assists.

WOMEN’S GAME CANCELED: The Cal vs. Baylor women’s game, which was to precede the Cal-Colgate men, has been canceled because of bad weather that prevented Baylor from traveling to the Bay Area from Oregon. Baylor beat Oregon 81-71 on Saturday night, but could not get out of Eugene due to snow and ice.

TIPOFF: 8 p.m. Monday, Haas Pavilion, Berkeley.
TV: None. RADIO: 1550 AM.

NOTES: Cal and Colgate have met just once previously, with Cal taking a 77-47 victory exactly 27 years ago tonight . . . Emmett Davis is the winningest coach in Colgate history with 141 victories in 11 seasons . . . Most Cal players will head home for Christmas after Monday’s game, returning by Thursday night . . . Cal’s NCAA-best 3-point shooting accuracy is now 52.3 percent.

   PROJECTED STARTING LINEUPS:

   Cal:
   PF Jamal Boykin, 6-8, Jr., 9.0 ppg, 5.9 rpg
   SF Theo Robertson, 6-5, Jr., 12.1 ppg, 4.0 rpg
   C Jordan Wilkes, 7-0, Jr., 4.0 ppg, 4.3 rpg
   SG Patrick Christopher, 6-5, Jr., 14.4 ppg, 4.0 rpg
   PG Jerome Randle, 5-10, Jr., 20.6 ppg, 4.7 apg

   Colgate:
   PF Ben Johnson, 6-6, Jr., 8.2 ppg, 3.9 rpg
   SF Alex Woodhouse, 6-8, Sr., 7.9 ppg, 6.4 apg
   SG Willie Morse, 6-2, Sr., 5.6 ppg, 2.2 rpg
   SG Joe Hoban, 6-1, So., 3.2 ppg, 1.2 rpg
   PG Mike Venezia, 6-1, So., 11.7 ppg, 2.9 rpg