BERKELEY– After splitting last week's road trip to the Rockies, the Cal women's basketball team returns to Haas Pavilion, hosting No. 18 Arizona State at 8 p.m. PT on Friday night. This will be the second meeting this season between the Golden Bears (14-4, 2-4 Pac-12) and Sun Devils (13-4, 4-2 Pac-12), who played a double-overtime thriller on January 1, 2017. Cal clawed back from an 11-point first quarter deficit and forced the game into extra time behind a career-high 19 points from junior forward Penina Davidson. However, the Sun Devils outscored the Bears 12-2 in the second overtime period to hand Cal its first loss of the season, the 72-62 defeat snapping the Bears' 13-game win streak.

Cal is coming off another narrow defeat, falling short against Utah on Sunday afternoon. After trailing by as many as 12 points midway through the fourth quarter, the Bears drew within one with 1:47 left to play, led by Kristine Anigwe's 22 points, 10 rebounds, and career-high seven blocked shots. However, Cal could not get any closer, falling to the Utes 63-57. Cal kicked off the road trip with a 65-53 win over Colorado, an impressive come-from-behind effort in which the Bears erased a double-digit deficit with a 20-0 run from the end of the second quarter through the middle of the third period. Anigwe scored 25 of her 29 points in the second half while junior guard Mikayla Cowling added eight rebounds, nine assists, and five points.

The defending Pac-12 regular-season co-champions, Arizona State is coming off a 65-54 home loss to No. 8 Washington on Sunday night. The Sun Devils led by one at the half before the Huskies used a 10-0 run in the fourth quarter to seal the victory. Freshman Reili Richardson led Arizona State with 11 points in the loss while leading scorer Sophie Brunner, who had a season-high 21 points and 12 rebounds earlier this year against the Bears, had eight points and nine rebounds. Sunday's loss to the Huskies snapped Arizona State's four-game winning streak in conference play.  

HOW TO FOLLOW THE ACTION
Friday's game will be broadcast live on Pac-12 Networks, with Krista Blunk and Tammy Blackburn on the call. Fans can also keep up with the action by listening to KALX 90.7FM Berkeley or following online with live stats and @CalWBBall on Twitter for updates throughout the game.

A LOOK AT THE SUN DEVILS
Arizona State is 13-4 on the year and 4-2 in Pac-12 play. The 18^th-ranked Sun Devils are coming off an 11-point home loss to No. 8 Washington on Sunday Night. Arizona State went 4-9 from beyond the arc, but it wasn't enough to keep up with the Huskies offense, who outscored the Sun Devils 19-10 in the fourth quarter. Freshman Reili Richardson scored in double-figures for the sixth consecutive game and is averaging 12.3 points per game in Pac-12 play. Brunner, a 6'1" senior, narrowly missed her second consecutive double-double as she was held to eight points on 4-11 shooting from the floor.

Brunner leads Arizona State in both scoring (12.5 PPG) and rebounding (7.7 RPG) while the Sun Devils lead the conference in scoring defense, holding opponents to 54.2 points per game. Arizona State also tops the Pac-12 in three-point defense, limiting the opposition to 23.7 percent shooting from beyond the arc.

Two-time Pac-12 Coach of the Year Charlie Turner Thorne is in her 20^th season as head coach of the Sun Devils, leading Arizona State to a share of the Pac-12 regular season title last season and the program's highest seed ever in the NCAA Tournament (2 seed). The Sun Devils return three senior starters – Brunner, Quinn Dornstauder, and Kelsey Moos – from last season's team that went 26-7 overall and 14-4 in conference play.

Arizona State was picked to finish fourth this year in both the Pac-12 Preseason Coaches' and Media Polls. Both polls had Cal finishing sixth.  

LAST TIME OUT
After trailing by as many as 12 points midway through the fourth quarter, Cal's comeback attempt fell short, falling to Utah 63-57 on Sunday afternoon at the Jon M. Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City.

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 while classmate Asha Thomas added 10 points, going 3-7 from beyond the arc. Junior guard Mikayla Cowling matched her season high with nine rebounds.

NEXT UP
The Bears continue their homestand on Sunday, hosting Arizona at 1 p.m. PT. Cal women's basketball alumnae will be recognized at halftime of Sunday's game, which is also a Cal Kids' Day, with $1 admission for youth 17-and-under. Cal beat Arizona 74-64 earlier this season in Tucson to kick off Pac-12 play. The Wildcats are currently 11-6 on the year and 2-4 in conference, coming off a 56-55 victory on Sunday afternoon over Washington State. Arizona faces No. 10 Stanford on Friday night.

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).