MORAGA, Calif. – She's only listed at 5-4, but point guard
Asha Thomas certainly made her presence felt Friday night. Thomas led Cal with 19 points on 5-8 shooting from three-point range as the Bears beat East Bay rivals Saint Mary's, 74-67 in their season opener.
Senior
Courtney Range and sophomore
Kristine Anigwe also scored in double-figures as Cal opened the season with a win for the fifth consecutive year. The Bears are now 5-1 in openers under head coach
Lindsay Gottlieb, including a 3-1 record when starting the season on the road.
Friday's win was especially sweet as Cal avenged last seasons' 64-63 loss to the Gaels in the Cal Classic, the Bears' first loss in the series since 2002. The victory also marked Cal's first win in a true road game since November 15, 2015, snapping a streak of nine consecutive losses in away games.
Saint Mary's jumped out to an early lead on Friday night, starting the game on a 10-3 run while the Bears struggled from the field, shooting just 21 percent (3-14) in the first quarter.
But the Bears' offense found its groove, opening the second quarter on a 5-0 run. Thomas – who didn't even attempt a shot in the first quarter – connected on her first three attempts from beyond the arc, scoring a total of 14 points in the second quarter alone. A Pac-12 All-Freshman Honorable Mention selection last season, Thomas finished the night with 19 points, three shy of her career high, while also chipping in three assists and two steals.
Freshman
Jaelyn Brown was also instrumental in Cal's comeback, scoring six consecutive points mid-way through the second quarter, giving the Bears their first lead of the game. The 6-1 freshman from Murrieta, Calif. finished the game with six points, four rebounds, and two steals in just 17 minutes of play, fouling out 4:43 left in the game.
"We expect production off our bench," Gottlieb said. "You never quite know what you're going to get, but we expect our freshmen to come in and help us. Obviously today that was such a critical time with Jaelyn. It was huge for us."
The Gaels - who were held scoreless for over four minutes in the second quarter - started the third quarter strong, drawing within one point of the visiting Bears. But Cal's inside game came alive, scoring 26 points in the paint in the second half compared to just 12 through the first two quarters. Anigwe – the reigning National Freshman of the Year – scored nine of her eleven points in the second half, while Range had eight points in the fourth quarter alone, finishing the night with 14 points and a game-high 9 rebounds.
Junior
Mikayla Cowling dished out a team-high six assists while freshmen
Mi'Cole Cayton and
CJ West also gave the Bears valuable minutes off the bench, scoring five and six points, respectively, in their collegiate debuts.
Saint Mary's was paced by junior Carly Turner, who led all scorers with 21 points. The Gaels went 24-8 last season and were picked third in the West Coast Conference Preseason Poll.
The Bears will be back in action on Monday, November 14, against another West Coast Conference foe, hosting Santa Clara at 7 p.m. PT. Monday's home opener marks the start of a five-game homestand for the Bears, who have posted a winning record at Haas Pavilion each of the last 13 seasons.
The first 500 fans to Monday's home opener will receive a free clear bag, in accordance with the new clear bag policy from Cal Athletics. For more on the policy visit
CalBears.com .
