SALT LAKE CITY, Utah– Cal had three players in double figures, but the Golden Bears' effort in hostile territory fell just short to Utah, 72-66, in Salt Lake City on Friday night.
Freshman Kristine Anigwe led with 22 points and seven rebounds. Junior Courtney Range chipped in 13 points and moved into ninth in Cal's single-season records for three-pointers. Sophomore Penina Davidson rounded out the trio with 10 points.
The Bears tied the game up three times, but Utah always managed to slip by with a few more points to lead after every quarter.
Emily Potter scored Utah's first four points and Paige Crozon added a layup and a three-pointer to boost the Utes to an early 9-0 lead. Cal head coach Lindsay Gottlieb quickly called a timeout at 7:36, but it would be another minute before the Bears could get its first points on the board with a layup and free throw by Anigwe.
The Bears couldn't overcome their slow start, shooting 33.3 percent (4-12) in the quarter, but Courtney Range hit a pair of triples to move into ninth all-time in Cal's single-season records for three-pointers. Utah led 22-14.
Cal scored five unanswered to open the second quarter, putting the Bears back on track before they finally tied the game up, 24-24, at 5:56. The draw triggered a five-point outburst from the Utes before Cal tied it up once again, 30-30, at 1:22, and then took the lead on a pair of free throws by Mo Mosley.
Danielle Rodriguez added a layup for the Utes in the final five seconds of the half to swing the score back in the home team's favor at halftime, 34-31.
Utah stretched its lead out to five points early in the third quarter until a pair of back-to-back layups by Anigwe sparked a 10-0 Cal run over a three-minute span. At 4:42, the Bears led 45-40 with everyone chipping in to the pot, including sophomore Mikayla Cowling and Mosley.
The Utes finally broke a five-minute scoring drought at 2:54, but by that time the Bears had built out a 47-42 lead. A three-pointer by Malia Nawahine put the Utes within two, and a layup by Tanaeya Boclair tied the game up for the third time, marking a 7-0 run for Utah to end the quarter with a 51-50 lead.
Utah drew the lead out to as much as six points in the final 10 minutes and the Bears couldn't manage to pull the game back in their favor for the fourth time in the game. Cal reached within one point, 65-64, at 1:15, but a trey by Nawahine sparked her offense the rest of the way through.
NEXT UP
The Golden Bears wrap up regular-season road action at Colorado on Sunday, Feb. 21. Cal's battle with the Buffs begins at 11 a.m. PT and airs live on Pac-12 Mountain.
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).
