Bears Open Pac-12 Play In Arizona

BERKELEY - Cal kicks off the Pac-12 season on Thursday in Arizona, taking on the Wildcats at 6 p.m. PT in Tucson. The teams split their two meetings last season, with each team winning on their home floor.

At 12-0, Cal is one of eight undefeated teams left in women's college basketball and is now ranked No. 21 in the AP Poll and 18^th in the USA TODAY Coaches' Poll. The Golden Bears closed out the non-conference season with three wins in three days in Las Vegas, including an upset win over then-No. 20 Oklahoma. Sophomore center Kristine Anigwe was recently named the Pac-12 Player of the Week, ESPNW Player of the Week, and USBWA National Player of the Week after averaging 29.7 points per game and 11.7 rebounds per game in the Bears' three wins, including a pair of 30-point, 15-rebound outings. The Phoenix, Ariz. product leads the Bears in both scoring (25.1 PPG) and rebounding (10.2 RPG), while senior Courtney Range is second in both categories and scored her 1,000^th career point in Cal's win over Arkansas State.

Arizona is 9-2 on the season, coming off a 75-52 win over Portland State on Tuesday night to close out non-conference play. Senior forward LaBrittney Jones leads the team in both scoring (14.5 PPG) and rebounding (7.8 RPG) while Malena Washington is second on the team in scoring, averaging 13.2 points per game.

HOW TO FOLLOW THE ACTION
Thursday's game 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 WILDCATS
Arizona is 9-2 on the season and has won six of its last seven games, the lone loss in that span coming on
the road to Kansas on Dec. 17. The Wildcats are coming off a 75-52 win over Portland State on Tuesday night in which they connected on a season-high 32 field goals and dished out a season-best 20 assists. Lauren Evans led the Wildcats with 13 points while Breanna Workman and Malena Washington both chipped in 10 points. Senior forward LaBrittney Jones leads the team in both scoring (14.5 PPG) and rebounding (7.8 RPG) while Washington is second on the team in scoring, averaging 13.2 points per game

The Wildcats are 6-1 at home this season, falling to North Texas 62-58 at home on November 22. Arizona has won five straight at home since that loss. Arizona finished 11th in the Pac-12 last season, going 3-15 in conference play. The Wildcats were picked to finish 12th this season in both the preseason media and coaches polls.

Head Coach Adia Barnes is in her first season with the Wildcats. A 1998 graduate of Arizona, Barnes is still the all-time leading scorer in program history with 2,237 career points and won a WNBA Championship with the Seattle Storm. Barnes spent the last five seasons at Washington as an assistant coach, helping the Huskies to the Final Four last season.

LAST TIME OUT
The Bears wrapped up the non-conference slate with an 80-55 win over Arkansas State on December 21 at the Puerto Rico Classic in Las Vegas. With the win, Cal improved to 12-0 on the season and tied the second-longest win streak in program history.

Sophomore Kristine Anigwe led all scorers with 39 points and grabbed a career-high 16 rebounds for her second 30-point, 15-rebound performance in as many nights. Cal outscored Arkansas State in the paint, 62-12, and 22-9 on second chance points, as Anigwe pulled down a career-best nine offensive rebounds

Courtney Range scored her 1,000th career point in the first quarter, becoming the 27th player in Cal women's basketball history to reach the milestone. Range finished the night with 11 points and eight rebounds. Junior Mikayla Cowling also had a productive outing, matching her season-high with eight assists, while also adding five steals and six rebounds

NEXT UP
The Bears will face No. 18 Arizona State on New Years' Day at 2 p.m. PT, televised live on Pac-12 Networks. Cal is 1-0 against Top-20 opponents this season, beating No. 20 Oklahoma on Dec. 20 in Las Vegas. The Sun Devils have won seven straight and host Stanford on Friday to kick off conference play.

Cal lost to Arizona State in Tempe last year, 57-49, but knocked off the Sun Devils in the Pac-12 Tournament in March. The 10-seed Bears beat the second-seed Sun Devils 75-64 in the quarterfinals, the largest upset in Pac-12 Tournament history.

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).