California
Southern Miss
12/16/2016 5:09 PM | Women's Basketball
BERKELEY - The Cal women's basketball team wraps up its non-conference slate in Las Vegas, facing Southern Miss on Monday, December 19, at 4:30 p.m. on the first day of the 2016 Puerto Rico Classic at the South Point Arena. The Golden Bears will face No. 20 Oklahoma and Arkansas State, respectively, the following two days.
Monday's game is the second meeting all-time between the Bears and Lady Eagles, with Cal claiming an 89-75 victory on December 17, 1995.
At 9-0, the Bears are off to the best start in program history and are one of only 11 undefeated teams left in Division I women's basketball. Sophomore Kristine Anigwe leads the team in both scoring (23.6 PPG) and rebounding (9.7 RPG), and is coming off a monster weekend in which she registered 76 points and 25 rebounds in just 47 minutes of play. Mi'Cole Cayton and Asha Thomas both dished out nine assists in Cal's last outing vs Lehigh as the Bears shot a season-high 60 percent (39-65) from the field against the Mountain Hawks.
Southern Miss is 7-2 this season, coming off a 72-50 loss to No. 5 Mississippi State on Dec. 10. Senior guard Brittanny Dinkins leads the Lady Eagles in scoring, averaging 18.8 points per game.
HOW TO FOLLOW THE ACTION
Monday's game and all three of Cal's contests in Las Vegas will be available online via live stream and live stats. Follow @CalWBBall on Twitter for updates on the action throughout the game.
A LOOK AT THE LADY EAGLES
Southern Miss is 7-2 on the season, coming off a 72-50 loss to No. 5 Mississippi State on Dec. 10. Senior guard Brittanny Dinkins leads the team in scoring, averaging 18.8 points per game while redshirt junior Jayla King has two double-doubles on the season, averaging 12.0 points and 8.1 rebounds per game. The Lady Eagles are coached by Joye Lee-McNelis, a 1984 graduate of Southern Miss, and have reached the postseason two of the last three years, making the WNIT in both 2014 & 2015. Lee-McNelis is in her 13th season as head coach of the Lady Eagles, boasting a record of 199-186.
LAST TIME OUT
The Bears wrapped up the non-conference home slate with a 96-63 win over Lehigh on Dec. 11. Cal shot a season-high 60 percent (39-65) from the field and matched its season high with 29 assists. Sophomore Kristine Anigwe led the Bears with 26 points and 11 rebounds for her second consecutive double-double and the sixth of the season. Anigwe has now registered a double-double in 50% of her career games (20 double-doubles, 40 games). Junior forward Penina Davidson had a season-high 16 points against the Mountain Hawks – one shy of her career high – and added eight rebounds, while senior Courtney Range chipped in 16 points of her own, playing in her 100th career game for the Bears
It was also a strong showing for Cal's guards, as Asha Thomas dished out a season-high nine assists to go with 11 points. Freshman Mi'Cole Cayton had a career-high nine assists and zero turnovers in 24 minutes of play. Cayton is one of 15 players in Division I this season to have nine or more assists and zero turnovers in a single game and just the second freshman to do so
NEXT UP
The Bears will face No. 20 Oklahoma on Tuesday at 6:45 p.m., the Bears' first game this season against an AP Top-25 opponent.
Cal will close out the non-conference schedule the following day, taking on Arkansas State at 9:15 p.m. PT.
2016-17 TICKETS ARE ON SALE NOW
Season, group and single-game tickets for the 2016-17 women's basketball season are now on sale. Season tickets start as low as $25 ($1.47 per game, 17 games) for youth and seniors and $75 ($4.41 per game, 17 games) for adult general admission tickets. Single-game tickets are available starting at $5 for youth and seniors and $8 for adults, while flex and partial plans are also available purchase. For more information, call the Gold Standard Sales and Service line at (800) GO BEARS (462-3277) or visit the CalBears.com ticket page.
REBOUNDS FOR RAMA
Rama N'diaye, a member of the Cal Women's Basketball team from 2006-2011, was diagnosed with Stage 2 Breast Cancer this past July at the young age of 29. As a result of the side effects of her treatments, Rama has not been able to consistently work and therefore has sustained significant financial hardship.
It is our goal as a Cal Family to help support Rama in her fight against Breast Cancer emotionally, spiritually and financially. We've introduced Rebound for Rama to allow our extended Cal Family to participate in that end goal, once again proving that our support extends well beyond the hardwood. Donations may be made based on the number of total rebounds that the current Cal team secures over the course of this season or as a flat rate.
Visit www.pledgeit.org/ReboundsForRama to learn about Rama's fight and please consider joining us in this effort.
JOIN THE JOURNEY: THE RETURN OF THISISCALBASKETBALL.COM
Cal's one-of-a-kind multimedia fan site, ThisIsCalBasketball.com, is back for its sixth 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 personalities behind the jerseys, from action and portrait photos to bio videos and conversations between current players and alumnae.
STAY POSTED
Keep 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).
