Yale beats Cal 76-59 in NCAA Basketball opener in Shanghai

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02:46

Two of America's biggest academic powerhouses tipped off the new NCAA basketball season when Shanghai once again played host to the Pac-12 China Game. The University of California – Berkeley and Yale University provided a reminder that their schools excel in sports, as well as scholarship, with this contest capping off an all-around educational experience for the participating teams.

There is no need to grade on a curve when scholastic standouts from the University of California's flagship Berkeley campus get together with their counterparts from Yale. One of the main themes going into the fourth annual Pac-12 China Game was a reiteration that this venture extends far beyond basketball.

Jamie Zaninovich, Pac-12 Conference Deputy Commissioner announced, “The Pac-12 global initiative is first and foremost about the power of sports, the faster positive cultural exchange and unique educational experiences for student-athletes. I think once again we have achieved that this week.”

Meanwhile, Chen Yue, the Pac-12 China game ambassador, mentioned, “It's great that they came to Shanghai and played great basketball. By showing this game to all the young, teenagers in China, they can feel the difference in culture, difference in basketball by looking at the Americans. I think that is very meaningful.”

This contest culminated a week of academic interaction in Hangzhou, Suzhou, and Shanghai aimed at continuing efforts by the Pac-12, Federation of University Sports of China, and Alibaba, to build bridges between the host country, and the USA. But the action on the court got off to a slow start, before the designated visitors initiated an explosive run.

Despite the Golden Bears' spirited attempts to keep the score close, the Ivy League's Bulldogs maintained control in the second half, en route to becoming the first invited guests to earn a victory over the Pac-12's representatives. But the impression this trip will leave on these two squads encompassed much more than the result on the floor.

In 12 months, Arizona State and Colorado will be able to realize similar memories, as next year's game features two Pac-12 members tipping off the season in China for the first time ever.