BERKELEY – Part two of the highly anticipated Battle of the Bay between Cal and No. 15 Stanford was everything fans have come to expect from the heated crosstown clash – tough shots, stifling defenses and the kind of grit that only comes from playing your fiercest conference rival. Unfortunately for Cal, while the Golden Bears gritted it out for all 40 minutes, the upset bid fell short 60-55 Friday night in Haas Pavilion.
Cal (11-12, 2-10 Pac-12) led by seven points, 34-27, at halftime but went 1-10 in the third quarter for a season-low four points while Stanford (19-5, 9-4 Pac-12) opened the second half on a 13-0 run to gain control of the game for good. The Bears' fourth-quarter comeback effort brought them within three points in the final 30 seconds of the game, 56-53, but Cal couldn't close it out with a stop when it needed one.
Junior Courtney Range scored a game-high 25 points, and freshman Kristine Anigwe finished one board shy of her 11th double-double of the season with 12 points and nine rebounds. Sophomore Gabby Green made her return to the lineup after missing five consecutive contests.
Freshman Asha Thomas quickly fired off a three-pointer to put the Bears on the board to open the game, and Cal stifled the Cardinal offense in its first possession, forcing a shot clock violation and bringing the Haas crowd of a season-high 5,632 fans roaring to its feet. The Bears scored five before Stanford could get its first points on the board, and Cal stretched its lead to as much as seven points in the first quarter as Thomas found classmate MaAne' Mosley at 1:48. The Bears kept the Cardinal at bay with a steal and a pair of offensive rebounds in the final 1:30 to lead 18-13 at the end of the period.
Stanford tried to put the game back in its control in the second but Cal refused to ease up, maintaining its lead for all 10 minutes. Though the Cardinal pulled within one point at 5:25, the Bears grabbed defensive rebounds on every Stanford shooting effort to extend the led. Range put the lid on the second quarter with a long-ranging trey in the last 20 seconds, and Cal led 34-27.
While Stanford's shooting started at 50 percent in the first quarter, the Cardinal tapered off with a 26.3 percent effort in the second quarter for a 35.5 percent first half. Meanwhile, the Bears did the opposite, building from 35.3 percent to 45.5 percent to shoot nearly 40 percent through the first 20 minutes.
Range led the Bears at halftime with a game-high 16 points, followed by eight points from Anigwe.
The Cardinal opened the second half on a 13-0 run before Cal could get its first basket after the break, scoring on a Mikayla Cowling layup at the four-minute mark. By then, Stanford had stolen the lead, 40-36, and the Bears found themselves in a hole for the first time all night. With the tables turned, the Bears were forced to spend the rest of the quarter chipping away. The sides traded free throws in the final three minutes, but Stanford led 42-38 entering the final stretch.
Stanford drained a pair of threes in the first five minutes of the fourth quarter to push its lead to eight. A pair of jumpers by Cowling and sophomore Penina Davidson put the game back within four points. The Cardinal offense pushed the lead back to six points in the visiting team's favor. Range sank a three with 26 seconds to go to keep Cal's glimmer of hope alive, 56-53, but the Bear defense couldn't get the stop.
NEXT UP
Cal wraps up a five-game Bay Area homestand against the Arizona schools. The Golden Bears host Arizona State on Friday and Arizona on Sunday in the annual Play4Kay weekend.
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).
