BERKELEY – On a day when California's item of the game was three-pointer foam fingers, women's basketball fans got plenty of use out of their giveaway gear as the Golden Bears hit a program-record 14 treys in an 82-57 rout of Cal Poly (2-2). No. 21 Cal improves to 4-0 on the season.
“Cal Poly is really scrappy and at times that can be hard to play against, but today we showed that we have the potential to be a very complete basketball team,” said California head coach Lindsay Gottlieb. “We went down to Louisville and really dominated them inside with Kristine and Courtney doing a brunt of the scoring and then we come home and score 24 threes in two days.”
Sophomore Gabby Green (4-8) and Mikayla Cowling (4-4) and freshman Asha Thomas (4-6) paced the Bears with four triples apiece as the Bears toppled a 20-year team record, besting their team-high of 13 three-pointers set in December 1995. Cal shot 56 percent from behind the line and won every quarter.
Every game, you have to be locked in,” Cowling said. “It was nice to get the ball and knock down some threes, but I think everyone contributed tonight and it was a great team effort.”
The Mustangs led by two points briefly to open the game, but Cal went on a 10-0 run over a two-minute span to pull away with a nine-point cushion before closing out the first quarter 23-14.
The Bears' lead grew to as much as 19 in the second quarter, with Cal leading 35-16 with 3:44 to go before Hannah Gilbert and Dynn Leaupepe teamed up to score 10 unanswered and cut Cal's lead to 35-26. Sophomore Penina Davidson closed out the half with the Bears' sixth triple of the game.
Cal forced 13 turnovers by halftime, capitalizing with 19 of its 35 points off of Cal Poly's lost possessions.
The Bears surged ahead in the third quarter with 26 points, including a 5-6 clip from beyond the arc. Green, Thomas and Cowling notched threes in back-to-back-to-back Cal possessions as Cal began to put the game away, 64-46.
The Bears ran away with the game as nine of Cal's 18 fourth-quarter points came off of threes, including another three-consecutive treys in a one-minute span.
The Bears closed out the second half shooting 72.7 percent (8-11) from the three-point line, while Cal shot 55.2 percent (32-58) for the game.
“I'm really proud of our players because in this two-game homestand there was a lot of growth,” Gottlieb said. “They are fun to coach because they are so young. They are like sponges and pretty much listen to what I have to say and always try to keep getting better. The potential of this squad is limitless.”
NEXT UP
The Bears join Cal men's basketball in Las Vegas, Nev. for a feast of Golden Bear basketball. The Cal women will play in the South Point Shootout at the South Point Hotel and Casino, while the men will play down the street at the Orleans Arena. Cal women's basketball opens the South Point Shootout against Texas A&M on Friday, Nov. 27 at noon.
2015-16 TICKETS ON SALE NOW
Season, group and single-game tickets for the 2015-16 women's basketball season are now on sale. Season tickets start as low as $27 ($1.59 per game, 17 games) for youth and seniors and $84 ($4.94 per game, 17 games) for adult general admission tickets, while single-game tickets are available starting at $3 for youth and seniors and $8 for adults. For more information, call the Gold Standard Sales and Service line at (800) GO BEARS (462-3277) or visit the CalBears.com ticket page.
JOIN THE BEARS ON THISISCALBASKETBALL.COM
Cal's one-of-a-kind multimedia fan site, ThisIsCalBasketball.com, is back for its fifth season and once again features an unprecedented look into the inner workings of the personalities behind the Cal women's basketball's roster. Visitors to ThisIsCalBasketball.com can get an in-depth look at the people behind the jerseys, from action and portrait photos to bio videos told in their teammates' own words. New to the site this year is The Challenge, a six-part reality show-style miniseries based on the Bears' Amazing Race-esque hunt around campus.
KEEP POSTED
Stay up-to-date on the latest Cal women's basketball news by following the Bears on social media. View behind-the-scenes photos and videos and learn more about Cal and its student-athletes on Twitter (@CalWBball), Instagram (@CalWBball) and Facebook (Facebook.com/CalWBball).
