BERKELEY – The Battle of the East Bay went to the Golden Bears, as the No. 20 California women's basketball team opened the season with and 87-80 victory over Saint Mary's on Friday night at Haas Pavilion. Six different players scored double-figures for the Golden Bears (1-0, 0-0 Pac-12) , who opened the season with a victory for the sixth consecutive season. Kristine Anigwe had a team-high 17 points for the Golden Bears while Gaels (0-1, 0-0 WCC) guard Stella Beck led all scorers with 22 points.

"It was a good win for us. I thought that we did a lot of really good things," said head coach Lindsay Gottlieb, now in her seventh season at the helm of the Golden Bear program.. "The thing I'm most proud of is how we took a punch in that third quarter and stayed composed and stayed together. We responded really well. I love the balance that we have, with six players, almost seven, in double-figures."

A two-time All-American, Anigwe led the Bears with 17 points, 15 of which came in the second half as she returned to action after a minor knee injury sustained in the preseason. Guards Mi'Cole Cayton and Mikayla Cowling added 13 points apiece, while freshman wing Alaysia Styles totaled 11 points in her first collegiate game. Junior guard Asha Thomas and senior Penina Davidson finished with 10 points each. Davidson, a forward from Auckland, New Zealand, grabbed a game-high 12 rebounds for the second double-double of her career.

Friday also marked the 100^th career game for the Davidson and Cowling, the two seniors on the Golden Bears' roster.

In a game that saw fouls and first-game jitters on both sides, Cal's balance and composure prevailed in the tightly contested battle. After a slow start to the game, the Bears should their footing midway through the first quarter and erased a seven-point deficit with a 14-3 run to cap off the quarter. Cal surged again late in the second quarter, taking a 47-36 lead into the locker room.

With four starters returning from last season's squad that reached the West Coast Conference Tournament final, Saint Mary's came out inspired in the second half. The Gaels opened the third quarter on a 16-10 run after intermission and outscored the Bears 30-19 in the third quarter to tie things at 66-66 headed into the fourth. The Gaels went 11 of 18 from the field in the period and went a perfect 6-6 from the foul line.

Beck led the Gaels with 22 points with eight rebounds, while forward Sydney Raggio added a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds.

The Gaels took a two-point lead midway through the fourth quarter but the Bears responded, thanks in part to calm play down the stretch by freshman guard Kianna Smith. The rookie from Moreno Valley, ended the night with eight points and went a prefect 4-4 from the foul line over the final 30 seconds to ice the victory for the Bears

The Bears will now head to the East Coast for a matchup against the top-ranked team in the nation. Cal, ranked 20^th in the AP Preseason Poll, will square off against top-ranked Connecticut at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT on Friday, November 17 at UConn's Gampel Pavilion. The unanimous AP Preseason No. 1, the Huskies reached the Final Four last season but saw their streak of four consecutive NCAA titles come to an end with a 66-64 loss to Mississippi State in overtime in the National Semifinals. This will be the fourth meeting all-time between the Huskies and Golden Bears, and the first since the 2013-14 season.

The Golden Bears will wrap up their trip to New England on Sunday, November 19, heading to Providence, Rhode Island for a game at Gottlieb's alma mater. A 1999 graduate of Brown University, the Golden Bears and Brown Bears will tip off at 12 p.m. ET/9 a.m. PT.

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).