Cal played without its leading scorer, Andrej Stojakovic, in Wednesday’s home game against Florida State, but Bears freshman Jeremiah Wilkinson had a strong offensive game in his first collegiate start and Rytis Petraitis had a big game on his birthday to propel Cal to a 77-68 victory over the Seminoles.

“We came together and said, ‘We’re going to play this one for him,’ ” Petraitis said regarding the absence of Stojakovic, who averages 18.9 points but sat out Wednesday’s game with the flu.

The Bears’ 24 offensive rebounds, the most by an ACC team this season, was indicative of the extra effort Cal put forth in this one.

“We talk in our locker room about strength in numbers,” Cal coach Mark Madsen said. “Tonight without a great member, Andrej Stojakovic, we had a lot of guys step up.”

Jeremiah Wilkinson took Stojakovic’s place in the starting lineup and scored a team-high 18 points in his first collegiate start.

“He’s out so we know there is a scoring void to fill,” said Wilkinson.

Joshua Ola-Josheph added 14 points off the bench, and Petraitis had a strong all-around game, with 12 points, 13 rebounds and four assists while playing on his birthday.

“It’s a great birthday present,” he said. “I’m 22; I’m getting old.”

Petraitis would never be considered a smooth player. He’s just all over the court, hustling for everything, taking charges and making room under the basket with his rough-and-tumble style. He had eight offensive rebounds.

“I don’t know how he does it,” Madsen said, “but he has a huge heart.”

Petraitis explained that he is copying the way his head coach played while at Stanford.

“I feel that’s the way Madsen played too, so I try to emulate that in a way,” Petraitis said. “He inspires me to play like a dog.”

Cal center Mady Sissoko had 14 points and 13 rebounds, but his biggest contribution came on the defense end, where he blocked five shots.

“Mady’s an absolute warrior,” Madsen said.

Cal (10-9, 3-5 ACC) shot only 37.7% from the field, but the Bears committed just 10 turnovers and outscored Florida State 19-3 from the foul line. And those 24 offensive rebounds had a lot to do with Cal overcoming its mediocre shooting.

“That’s mentality, that’s hustle, and that’s just heart,” Madsen said of the work on the boards.

It’s the second straight win for Cal, which was coming off its first ACC road win, a 65-62 victory at North Carolina State on Saturday.

Cal is hoping Stojakovic will be availble for Saturday’s game against Miami. However, Cal made some big plays in his absence.

Florida State (13-6, 4-4 ACC) held a 51-49 lead with 11:51 left, but a three-pointer by Wilkinson on Cal’s ensuing possession put Cal ahead to stay.

Cal took an eight-point lead at 61-53 when Petraitis made two free throws with 7:32 left in the game, and Petraitis made in a 10-point lead with a follow shot at the 6:38 mark.

Cal increased the margin to 12 points on Jovan Blacksher Jr.’s 8-foot shot with 4:26 to go, and Cal hung on from there. Florida State got as close as 69-63 with 1:22 remaining, but Cal made its free throws in the closing moments to preserve the lead.

Florida State had won two in a row and four of its last five games before Wednesday. But the Seminoles came into Wednesday’s game with a 1-3 record in games played on their opponent’s home court, and their lone road win ACC action came against last-place Miami.

Cal had a strong start to the game, leading by 10 points early in the first half, and holding a 37-33 lead at halftime.

Ola-Joseph led the Bears with 11 points on 4-for-5 shooting in the first half, and Wilkinson added 10 points for Cal, although he was 0-for-5 on three-pointers.  The Bears used a 13-0 run early in the game to turn a 6-2 deficit into a 15-6 lead.  Cal increased the margin to 10 points with 12:54 left in the first half, but the Seminoles quickly made up the deficit.

Cal held a 35-33 lead before Petraitis’ tip-in at the buzzer gave the Bears a four-point advantage at halftime.

Florida State shot 51.7% from the field in the first half compared with Cal’s 38.5% shooting, but the Bears got 10 more shots than the Seminoles, thanks to Cal’s 15 offensive rebounds while Florida State had just four offensive boards in the first 20 minutes.

NOTES: Despite the win, Cal point guard Jovan Blacksher Jr. continued to struggle with his shot. He had just three points on 1-for-11 shooting on Wednesday to go along with two assists and three turnovers. Over his last five games he’s averaging 6.2 points on 11-for-50 shooting (22%).

Cal head coach Mark Madsen announced on Monday that forward BJ Omat will miss the rest of the season with an injury.  He played in Bears’ first four games and had two starts before being sidelined.

Cal’s Andrej Stojakovic entered Wednesday’s action averaging 18.9 points, which ranked fourth in the ACC. But he totaled just 16 points in last week’s two road games combined, and he was 0-for-7 on three-pointers in those games against North Carolina and North Carolina State. Cal is hoping he will be available for Saturday’s home game against Miami.

Florida State’s Jamir Watkins entered Wednesday’s game averaging 18.6 points, and he scored 18 points against Cal.

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