BERKELEY –A 19:07 scoring drought by Colorado set Cal up for a big-time bounce back after dropping its first two Pac-12 games, and the No. 21 Golden Bears defeated the Buffaloes 64-35 in their conference home opener at Haas Pavilion on Friday night. The Bears improved to 10-4 overall and 1-2 in conference action with a five-game home win streak.
Cal allowed just one more point than the school record for fewest points allowed, which came in a 62-34 victory over Washington on Jan. 11, 2009.
All eight of Cal's healthy players saw action, with every single player contributing points in the effort. Freshman Kristine Anigwe has reached a double-double in every Pac-12 game of the season so far, scoring 20 points (7-12) and matching a career-high 13 rebounds for her third consecutive double-double and eighth overall. Anigwe also tallied a career-best four assists. Junior Courtney Range had 10 points (4-11), eight rebounds and three steals, and freshman Asha Thomas' balanced effort included eight points (4-5), four assists and six rebounds.
Colorado's 19:07 scoring drought, which lasted from 3:27 in the first quarter to 4:40 in the third quarter and included a scoreless second quarter for the Buffs, saw the Bears go on a 19-0 run.
The game deadlocked, 14-14, at 2:53 of the first quarter and continued that way for nearly six minutes. Anigwe finally broke the game's scoring drought at 7:04 with a free throw.
While the drought continued for Colorado, Cal's offense began to stir, and a layup by MaAne' Mosley at 3:35 set Cal up for an 8-0 run by the Golden Bear freshmen. The scoring by committee saw Anigwe pour in five while Mosley and Thomas chipped in two apiece.
For the first time this season, the Bears held an opponent scoreless as Cal kept Colorado at bay the entire second quarter, marking a 13:27 first-half drought for the Buffaloes. Cal shot 18.8 percent (3-16) in the quarter, and 32.1 percent (9-28) for the half while holding the Buffs to 31.6 percent (6-19) shooting.
Makenzie Ellis finally snapped Colorado's drought with a jumper at 4:40 in the third quarter to end Cal's 19-0 run.
Cal increased its lead to as much as 32 points, going 7-7 from the floor from 7:59 to 3:37 of the fourth quarter. Cal shot a much-improved 53.1 percent (17-32) in the second half and 43.3 percent (26-60) in the game. Colorado was limited to only 12 shots from the floor for a 25.5 percent (12-47) clip in the game.
Kennedy Leonard led Colorado as the only player in double figures, tallying 12 points.
NEXT UP
Cal continues its first weekend of home Pac-12 play against Utah at 2 p.m. on Sunday. Promotions include a pre-game Snow Day in the Bay “snowy” play area in front of Haas Pavilion.
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).
