STANFORD, Calif. –. Fourteenth-ranked Stanford prevailed in the first installment of the Battle of the Bay, beating the Golden Bears (17-9, 8-7 Pac-12), 74-69, on Thursday night at Maples Pavilion.  The Cardinal (19-8, 13-2 Pac-12) used a third quarter surge to gain separation in a game that saw four lead changes and Cal claw back from a double-digit deficit on multiple occasions. 

The Bears (17-9, 8-7 Pac-12) trailed by as many as 15 points late in the fourth quarter before cutting the deficit to four with 17 seconds left to play, holding the Cardinal without a field goal for the final 8:04 of the game. However, the league-leading were able to put the game away at the foul line, going 6-8 from the stripe over the final minute to win their sixth consecutive meeting against the Bears.

Asha Thomas led the Bears with 20 points, going 4-8 from beyond the arc, as she led Cal in scoring for the third consecutive game. Senior guard Mikayla Cowling added 14 points and five assists for Cal as Jaelyn Brown added 10 points off the bench. Stanford freshman Kiana Williams led all scorers with 26 points, going 5-7 from beyond the arc. Brittany McPhee, Stanford's leading scorer, finished with 17 points on 5-20 shooting, after being held to just four points in the opening half.

The 88^th official meeting in the Battle of the Bay saw Stanford jump out to a 9-0 lead, as the Cardinal connected on six of their first seven attempts of the night from the floor. However, the Bears clawed back from an 11-point deficit, outscoring the Cardinal 22-15 in the second quarter. Cal took its first lead of the game at 33-32 off a put-back by CJ West, part of a 15-5 run for the Bears. West went 3-4 from the floor on the night, finishing the game with nine points and seven rebounds.

Cal's defense held the Cardinal without a field goal for over three minutes before Shannon Coffee drained a three-pointer at the halftime buzzer, giving Stanford a 37-35 lead heading into the locker room.

The Bears opened the third quarter on a 9-2 run before the Cardinal responded with a run of their own, outscoring Cal 15-5 over the final 5:13 of the third. After committing just four turnovers in the first half, Cal committed 12 turnovers in the second half, which Stanford turned into 11 points off turnovers.

Stanford's lead reached 15 with less than five minutes remaining in the game before Cal staged another comeback attempt, coming up just short despite timely shooting from beyond the arc by Thomas and Cowling, who went a 7-17 from deep. The Bears also had another productive night from the foul line, connecting on 15 of their 21 attempts. Junior center Kristine Anigwe led the Bears with a 7-8 effort from the charity stripe and  finished the game with nine points and seven rebounds.

With the loss, Cal falls to 2-5 on the road this season in Pac-12 play and is now 0-9 against Top-25 opponents.

Cal and Stanford will square off again at 2:30 p.m. PT on Saturday at Haas Pavilion, in the second leg of the home and home series. Cal's final home game of the regular season, the Bears will recognize seniors Mikayla Cowling and Penina Davidson briefly before the game, followed by a postgame senior ceremony. The postgame ceremony is free and open to all who attended Saturday's game. The home finale also marks the Bears' annual Lunar New Year celebration, with in-game and halftime programming celebrating the holiday.

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