BERKELEY – The Top-25 matchup in the championship game of the 2017 Cal Classic lived up to the billing, as No. 21 California and No. 23 Missouri battled in an energetic and tightly-contested affair. The visiting Tigers (5-1, 0-0 SEC) claimed a 55-52 victory over the Golden Bears (3-2, 0-0 Pac-12) as the three-point attempt by Cal guard Asha Thomas in the final seconds fell short.
Thomas led all scorers with 14 points while junior forward/center Kristine Anigwe also reached double figures with 10 points. Thomas and freshman guard Kianna Smith, who had nine points and five assists to go with a 17-point, 12-assist performance against Manhattan, were named to the Cal Classic All-Tournament Team. Manhattan's Kayla Grimme and Missouri's Cierra Porter and Amber Smith also earned All-Tournament honors, while Tigers' guard Sophie Cunningham was named Tournament MVP.
The loss snaps Cal's  streak of 13 consecutive home wins in non-conference play, denying the Golden Bears their second consecutive Cal Classic title.
Both of Cal's losses this season have come against Top-25 teams. The Golden Bears suffered their first loss of the season on November 17 on the road against top-ranked Connecticut and dropped their first home game of the year today against Missouri, ranked 19th in the Coaches Poll and 23rd in the AP Top 25.
Trailing by six entering the fourth quarter, the Bears went on an 11-4 run midway through the period, tying the game at 49-49 with 3:41 left in regulation as Anigwe finished in the paint. The two-time honorable mention All-American ended the game with 10 points and two blocked shots, despite seeing limited minutes due to early foul trouble. Missouri took a three-point lead with 11.4 seconds left to play after Porter made one of her two free throw attempts. Thomas, who set a program record with nine three-pointers against Manhattan and was 4-8 from three-point range against Missouri, got a look at a three-pointer out of the Cal timeout, but her shot fell short.
"We gave ourselves a shot to win at the end, we just couldn't pull it out," said Cal head coach Lindsay Gottlieb. This is a really fun group to coach and my standards for them are really high. That's what makes this one tough to swallow but I know we have the ability to take this and learn from it down the road as we try to accomplish things bigger than just to today."
The second meeting all-time between the Golden Bears and Tigers was a defensive-oriented affair, as Cal allowed its fewest points in any game this season. Offensively, the Bears got off to a slow start and trailed 30-22 at halftime. Thomas, who drained a three-pointer as the second quarter expired to cut the deficit to eight, scored 11 of her game-high 14 points in the second half as the Bears started the second half 3-3 from beyond the arc. Cal went 4-7 from three-point range in the second half, as Smith added a trey of her own. The freshman from Moreno Valley, California ended the night with nine points on 4-7 shooting from the field.
Cal outscored Missouri 30-25 in the second half and 15-12 in the final quarter.
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The Bears will be back in action at Haas Pavilion on Thursday, November 30, hosting Seattle University at 11:30 a.m. PT. Cal's fourth annual "School Haas Rock" game, the midday game is part of a broader educational event drawing elementary and middle school-age children from across the Bay Area.
 For more information and updates the Bears, follow the team on Twitter (@CalWBball), Instagram (@CalWBball) and Facebook (Facebook.com/CalWBball).
2017 CAL CLASSIC ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM
Cierra Porter (Missouri)
Amber Smith (Missouri)
Asha Thomas (California)
Kianna Smith (California)
Kayla Grimme (Manhattan)
MVP: Sophie Cunningham (Missouri)
