SALT LAKE CITY - After trailing by as many as 12 points midway through the fourth quarter, Cal drew within one point but the comeback attempt fell short, falling to Utah 63-57 on Sunday afternoon at the Jon M. Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City. With the loss, the Golden Bears drop to 2-4 in Pac-12 play and 14-4 on the season while the Utes improve to 2-4 in conference and 13-4 on the year.
Cal went on an 11-0 run late in the fourth quarter, closing a 12-point deficit to one when senior Courtney Range hit a jumper with 1:47 left in the game. However the Bears went cold down the stretch, held scoreless while the Utes went 5-6 from the foul line to secure the victory.
Sophomore center Kristine Anigwe led Cal with 22 points, 10 rebounds, and a career-high seven blocked shots for her 13th double-double of the season. Classmate Asha Thomas added 10 points, going 3-7 from beyond the arc, but it was not enough as the Bears were held to fewer than 60 points for just the second time all season.
Utah jumped out to an early lead, opening the game on an 11-1 run. Cal's offense was cold in the opening period, going 0-8 from the floor to start the period. Cal quickly responded out of the timeout, closing the period on a 9-2 run but the hosts maintained a seven-point advantage at the half.
The Bears used an 8-0 run early in the third quarter to get within one, but the Utes responded with a 9-2 run early in the fourth to get their lead back to double-digits. Redshirt junior Emily Potter had 15 points for the Utes, while Malia Nawahine chipped in 15 points of her own to go with four rebounds and five assists. It was Utah's first win of the season against a Top-25 opponent.
Cal shot 34.5 percent from the floor on the night and was outscored 32-22 in the paint.
Cal returns to Haas Pavilion next weekend, hosting No. 19 Arizona State on Friday at 8 p.m. PT before facing Arizona at 1 pm on Sunday. The Sun Devils beat the Bears 72-62 in double-overtime on January 1 in Tempe. Arizona State is currently 4-1 in conference play, coming off a 68-49 win over Washington State on Friday morning. The Sun Devils host No. 8 Washington on Sunday afternoon.
