No. 24 Cal at Kentucky
Thursday, Dec. 21 | 12 PM ET/9 AM PT | Memorial Coliseum | Lexington, KY | SEC Network
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LEXINGTON, Kentucky – The Cal women's basketball team (8-2, 0-0 Pac-12) will close out the 2017-18 non-conference campaign in the eastern time zone, visiting Kentucky (8-4, 0-0 SEC) on Thursday at 12 p.m. ET/9 a.m. PT. Cal's final tune-up before opening Pac-12 play, the Golden Bears – ranked 24^th in the latest AP Poll – enter the matchup a five-game winning streak. The Wildcats, who have been ranked as high as No. 20 in the AP Poll this season and has made eight consecutive appearances in the NCAA Tournament, will be looking to snap a three-game losing streak, dropping an 87-63 decision vs third-ranked Louisville their last time out.

Thursday's game will be the first ever matchup between the Kentucky and Cal, and will be the Bears' second game this season against and SEC foe. Cal suffered its lone home loss of the season on November 25, falling to then-No. 23 Missouri, 55-52, in the Cal Classic championship game. The Bears have won three of their last five meetings against SEC opponents, including a 55-52 victory over LSU in the First Round of last year's NCAA Tournament. Kentucky is 1-0 against the Pac-12 this season with a 73-68 victory at Washington State on November 19.

Cal's second trip to the east coast this season, the Bears are 3-1 on the road this season, their only road loss coming on November 17 against top-ranked Connecticut at Gampel Pavilion.

The Bears are coming off a 70-45 victory over BYU on  Sunday that saw a balanced effort on both ends of the floor. Senior guard Mikayla Cowling had a season-high 21 points to lead the Bears, who held the Cougars to just five points in the first quarter and 30.5 percent (18-59) shooting from the field on the game. Cowling is one of five players averaging at least eight points per game for the Bears this season, led by 18.7 points per game from junior forward/center Kristine Anigwe. A two-time All-American honorable mention and preseason candidate for the 2018 Wade Trophy, Anigwe is expected to return to action after sitting out Saturday's contest vs the Cougars. Anigwe is averaging nearly a point per minute in her last four outings (96 points in 104 minutes) and leads the Pac-12 in both scoring (18.7 PPG) and rebounding (8.8 RPG) this season.

FOLLOW THE ACTION
Thursday's game against the Wildcats will be broadcast live on the SEC Network, with Tiffany Greene and Debbie Antonelli on the call.  Live stats and a live stream 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
Using big runs to start both the first and second halves, the Cal women's basketball team extended its win streak to five in a row with a 70-45 victory over BYU on Saturday evening at Haas Pavilion. Cowling led the Golden Bears with a season-high 21 points on 4-5 shooting from beyond the arc, while freshman Kianna Smith added 12 points and five assists. Cassie Devashrayee paced the Cougars 10 points as the Bears' defense held an opponent to fewer than 50 points for the second time this season.

Freshman forward Alaysia Styles grabbed a game-high 11 rebounds as the Cal outrebounded BYU, 55-36, on the night.

Looking for their fifth consecutive win, the Bears got off to a hot start, scoring the first seven points of the game and holding BYU scoreless for the first 3:34 of the contest. Cal opened the game on a 15-2 run and outscored the Cougars 22-5 in the first quarter, the fewest points the Bears have allowed in any quarter all season.

The Cougars regained some ground with a 7-0 run of their own midway through the second quarter, but the Bears maintained a 35-21 advantage entering the locker room as Cowling drained a three at the buzzer as time expired. Cal, playing without junior forward/center Kristine Anigwe (coaches' decision), carried its momentum into the second half, opening the third quarter on a 16-2 run.

SCOUTING THE WILDCATS
Kentucky enters Thursday's game looking to snap a three-game losing streak, the team's longest losing streak in the last two seasons. The Wildcats suffered their first home loss of the season on Sunday, falling to No. 3 Louisville, 87-63, at Memorial Coliseum. Guard Maci Morris led Kentucky with 16 points, but the Wildcats were unable to make up a 47-25 halftime deficit against their in-state rivals.

Morris, a 6'0" sophomore, leads the Wildcats in scoring this season, averaging 15.8 points per game. Taylor Murray and Tatyana Wyatt are also averaging double-figures so far this season, at 11.9 and 10.7 points per game, respectively. Senior center Alyssa Rice leads the team on the boards, averaging 7.5 rebounds per game this season to go with two double-doubles.

Returning three starters and nine letterwinners from last season's squad that went 22-11 and reached the Second Round of the NCAA Tournament, Kentucky was picked sixth in the SEC Preseason Coaches Poll. The Wildcats opened the year with eight wins in their first nine games, the lone loss in that stretch coming at No. 9 Baylor on November 30.

Head coach Matthew Mitchell is in his 11^th season at Kentucky, having led the Wildcats to eight consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances, including trips to the Elite 8 in 2010, 2012, and 2013.

UP NEXT
The Bears will open Pac-12 play on December 29, hosting USC (8-1, 0-0 Pac-12) at 6 p.m. PT at Haas Pavilion. The Trojans opened the season on an eight-game winning streak before falling to No. 19 Texas A&M, 75-74, on December 15. The Bears won both meetings with the Trojans last season, including a 71-58 victory in the first round of the 2017 Pac-12 Tournament. Cal was picked fifth in the 2017-18 Pac-12 Preseason Coaches' Poll while USC came in at number eight.

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).