LAS VEGAS – Senior Courtney Range scored a season-high 28 points on Monday afternoon, leading Cal to a 71-51 victory over Southern Miss in the first game of the 2016 Puerto Rico Classic hosted at the South Point Arena in Las Vegas. With the win, the Golden Bears extend their program-best start to 10-0 and have matched the third-longest winning streak in program history.
Range went 3-7 from beyond the arc and finished just one point shy of her career high as the Bears registered their 14th consecutive win in non-conference play. Sophomore center Kristine Anigwe added 18 points in 20 minutes of action, going a perfect 7-7 from the floor.
Range got Cal going early in the game, scoring 10 points in the opening quarter on 4-of-5 shooting from the floor. The senior from Manteca, Calif. put up 18 points in the first half on 3-6 shooting from beyond the arc as the Bears led the Lady Eagles 36-19 at the half. Monday's performance marked Range's second 20-point performance of the season and the eighth of her career.
Anigwe – who played just nine minutes in the first half after picking up her third foul early in the second quarter – got to work in the second half, scoring 11 of her 18 points after the break. The second leading scorer in the Pac-12 and fourth in Division I, Anigwe has now scored double-figures in 20 consecutive games and 40 of her 41 career outings.
As a team, Cal outscored Southern Miss 26-14 in the paint in the second half after managing just eight paint points through the first two quarters. Freshman center CJ West gave the Bears valuable minutes off the bench, finishing with seven points and a career-high nine rebounds. Junior forward Penina Davidson also grabbed nine boards, matching her own career best, while classmate Mikayla Cowling dished out seven assists.
Playing its first game in eight days, Cal matched its season-low with 71 points but held Southern Miss to just 51, the fewest points the Bears have allowed all season. Megan Brown paced the Lady Eagles with 12 points, adding three rebounds and three assists.
Tournament action continues tomorrow as the Bears face No. 20 Oklahoma at 6:45 p.m. PT. The Sooners are the first AP Top 25 team the Bears have faced all season and are coming off an 81-69 win over Xavier on Monday. Cal – who has been ranked 24th in the USA Today Coaches Poll each of the last two weeks – had three wins against AP-ranked opponents last season, the most recent victory coming against No. 10 Arizona State in the quarterfinals of the 2016 Pac-12 Tournament.
