2017 Cal Classic
No. 21 Cal vs Manhattan
Friday, Nov. 24 | 2 PM PT | Haas Pavilion | Berkeley, CA
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BERKELEY - The Cal women's basketball team returns to Haas Pavilion on Friday for the opening day of the annual Cal Classic. The 2017 field for the four-team tournament features the Golden Bears (2-1, 0-0 Pac-12), Manhattan (1-2, 0-0 MAAC), No. 23 Missouri (3-1, 0-0 SEC), and Coppin State (1-3, 0-0 MEAC). Cal and Manhattan will meet on Friday at 2 p.m. PT in the tournament opener, with Missouri and Coppin State squaring off at 4 p.m. The winners of Friday's game will meet at 2 p.m. PT in the tournament championship game while the consolation game tips off at Noon PT.
Ranked No. 21 in the latest AP Poll, the Golden Bears have won Cal Classic five of the last six years it has been held. Lindsay Gottlieb's squad topped Duquesne, 86-66, in the championship game last year as four different players scored in double-figures. Kristine Anigwe led the Bears with 19 points and 10 rebounds while returners Penina Davidson and Mikayla Cowling also reached double-digits.
Lindsay Gottlieb's squad looks to continue its tradition of tournament success and maintain its perfect home record. The Golden Bears opened the 2017-18 season at home on November 10, with an 87-80 win over East Bay rival Saint Mary's. Cal enters the weekend having won its last 12 home games in non-conference play, a streak that dates back to the 2015 Cal Classic.
Cal's leading scorer so far this season is junior forward/center Kristine Anigwe, who is averaging 19.7 points per game on the year and is coming off a 28-point, 25-rebound performance at Brown. Senior forward Penina Davidson is second on the team with 9.3 points per game and leads the Bears with two double-doubles.
FOLLOW THE ACTION
All four games from the Cal Classic will be available to watch via live stream. Live stats will also be available, along with additional updates and behind-the-scenes information on the Bears social media accounts (Twitter: @CalWBBall, Instagram: @CalWBBall).
LAST TIME OUT
After falling to top-ranked Connecticut on Friday night, the Cal women's basketball team bounced back on Sunday with an 89-79 victory over Brown University at the Pizzitola Memorial Sports Center in Providence. The Golden Bears picked up their first road win of the season behind 28 points and a career-high 25 rebounds from Anigwe, one rebound shy of tying Cal's single-game record and the second-most by any player in Division I basketball this season.
With the win, Cal improved to 9-0 all-time against Ivy League opponents while Brown suffered its first loss of the season despite a game-high 33 points from guard Shayna Mehta, who went 9-15 from beyond the arc.
Davidson added 15 points and 12 rebounds for Cal, as the New Zealand international registered her second double-double of the season and the third of her career. Three other Golden Bears scored in double-figures, with a career-high 12 points from Kianna Smith and 11 points apiece from Jaelyn Brown and Asha Thomas.
SCOUTING THE JASPERS
Friday's game will be the first meeting ever between Manhattan and Cal, and the Golden Bears' first matchup against an opponent from the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference since a 65-45 win over Canisius on December 21, 2003. The Jaspers are coming off their first win of the season, beating St. Francis (NY), 57-54, on November 18.
Senior center Kayla Grimme led all scorers with 18 points and added 13 rebounds for her second double-double of the season. Guards Imani Tatum and Taylor Williams added 11 points apiece for the Jaspers, who lost their first two games of the season, falling to Stony Brook and Sacred Heart on the road.
Head coach Heather Vulin enters her second season as head coach of the Jaspers and returns 10 players from last season's squad that went 9-24, including four starters and five seniors. Grimme and Tatum were Preseason Second Team All-MAAC selections and led the team in scoring this season, averaging 19.7 points per game and 12.0 points per game, respectively. A 6'2" center, Grimme was a third team All-MAAC honoree last season while Tatum was the 2015-16 MAAC Defensive Player of the Year.
SCOUTING THE EAGLES
Coppin State enters the 2017 Cal Classic with an overall record of 1-3, with all three losses coming on the road. The Eagles opened the season with a 100-54 loss at No. 3 Baylor and also dropped contests at Stephen F. Austin and Charleston Southern. Coppin State earned its first win of the season on November 18, beating Mount St. Mary's, 68-54, behind a 21-point, 14-rebound performance from Chance Graham.
The 2016-17 MEAC Freshman of the Year, Graham has posted double-doubles against Mount St. Mary's and Baylor, and is second on the team in scoring at 14.5 points per game. Senior point guard Genesis Lucas leads the team in scoring at 19.8 points per game. A first team all-conference selection last season, Lucas has played every minute for the Eagles this season and is second in Division I with 88 field goal attempts.
Head coach DeWayne Burroughs is in his second season at Coppin State, leading the team to an 8-21 record last season. The Eagles have never faced any of the other three participants in the 2017 Cal Classic.
SCOUTING THE TIGERS
Ranked No. 23 in the latest AP Poll, Missouri is one of two SEC opponents on Cal's non-conference schedule, with the Golden Bears slated to take on Kentucky on December 21 in Lexington. Cal and Missouri have met one previously, an 82-70 victory for the Golden Bears on November 23, 2014 at the Wahine Classic in Hawaii. Mikayla Cowling had 15 points off the bench for the Golden Bears as a freshman.
After dropping their season opener against Western Kentucky, the Tigers have won their last three outings, including a 69-59 road win over Missouri State on November 19. Junior guard Sophie Cunningham had a team-high 26 points on 10-14 shooting from the floor to secure the win for the Tigers. An AP All-America Honorable Mention last season, Cunningham leads Missouri in scoring, averaging 20.3 points per game this season. Redshirt senior Jordan Frericks returns after sitting out all of last season with a knee injury and is second on the team in scoring with 19.5 points per game. Junior forward Cierra Porter is averaging a double-double on the season, with 11.5 points and 11.5 rebounds per game.
Now in her eighth season at Missouri, head coach Robin Pingeton has led the Tigers to the postseason each of the last five seasons, including trips to the Second Round of the NCAA Tournament each of the last two years. The Tigers went 22-11 last season with key wins over Kentucky, Texas A&M, and eventual national champion South Carolina. Missouri earned a six-seed in the 2017 NCAA Tournament and won its opening game vs South Florida before falling to Florida State in the second round.
UP NEXT
After Friday's game, the Golden Bears will take on either Missouri or Coppin State on the final day of the Cal Classic. The consolation game will be held at Noon on Saturday with the championship at 2 p.m. PT. The All-Tournament Team and MVP will be awarded at the conclusion of Saturday's championship game.
Following the Cal Classic, the Bears will host Seattle on Thursday, November 30 at 11:30 a.m. PT in Cal's annual "School Haas Rock" game, an event which draws school children from across the Bay Area.
2017-18 TICKETS ARE ON SALE NOW
Season, group and single-game tickets for the 2017-18 women's basketball season are now on sale. Season tickets start as low as $40 ($2.67 per game, 15 games) for youth and seniors and $80 ($5.33 per game, 15 games) for adult general admission tickets. Single-game tickets are available starting at $4 for youth and seniors and $5 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.
JOIN THE JOURNEY: THE RETURN OF THISISCALBASKETBALL.COM
Cal's one-of-a-kind multimedia fan site, ThisIsCalBasketball.com, is back for its seventh 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).