No. 25 Cal vs San Diego
Thursday, Dec. 7 | 7 PM PT | Haas Pavilion | Berkeley, CA
GAME NOTES | LIVE STREAM | LIVE STATS | TWITTER | INSTAGRAM | FACEBOOK
BERKELEY - After a dominant defensive performance in its last outing, the California women's basketball team will be looking for a repeat on Thursday when the Golden Bears (5-2, 0-0 Pac-12) host the University of San Diego at 7 p.m. PT at Haas Pavilion. This will be the second meeting all-time between the Golden Bears and Toreros (5-3, 0-0 Pac-12) and their first ever in the regular season. The teams last met in the First Round of the 2008 NCAA Tournament, a 77-60 victory for the Golden Bears behind 21 points and 12 rebounds from Ashley Walker.
Both teams enter this year's matchup with five wins on the season. The Toreros are 5-3 on the year and looking to snap a two-game losing streak while the Bears have won their last two games, including a 38-point victory at Santa Clara on Saturday. Thursday's game will be the second the in a streak of four consecutive games for Cal against West Coast Conference foes. The Bears are 2-0 against the WCC so far in 2017-18 with wins over Saint Mary's and Santa Clara, and will squared off against Pacific and BYU before closing the non-conference slate at Kentucky on December 21.
After suffering their lone home loss of the season on November 25 against No. 23 Missouri, the Golden Bears have bounced back in emphatic fashion. Cal beat Seattle U, 87-67, on November 17 in the fourth annual "School Haas Rock" game and followed that performance up with a 79-41 win at Santa Clara on Saturday. The Golden Bears opened the game on a 16-0 run and held the Broncos to just 41 points, the fewest the Bears have allowed in any game over the last two seasons.
Junior center Kristine Anigwe led the Bears in scoring in both games, averaging 21 points per game and shooting 76 percent (17-25) from the floor in the two wins. Sophomore guard Jaelyn Brown matched her season high with 11 points off the bench in both outings while classmate CJ West had a career-high 18 points against Seattle U.
Thursday's game also has the chance to mark a milestone for Cal head coach Lindsay Gottlieb, who enters the game with an overall record of 199-106 in her 10 seasons as a Division I head coach. Gottlieb earned her collegiate coaching with UC Santa Barbara on November 16, 2008, a 75-66 victory over San Diego. A two-time conference coach of the year, Gottlieb spent three seasons as head coach of the Gauchos before being named head coach of the Golden Bears in April 2011. Gottlieb has a record of 143-67 in her seven seasons at Cal and has led the team to five NCAA Tournament appearances in the last six seasons, including the program's first trip to the Final Four in 2013.
FOLLOW THE ACTION
Fans unable to attend Thursday's game can watch the action 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
The Cal women's basketball team jumped out to an early lead and never looked back, downing Santa Clara, 79-41, on Saturday afternoon at the Leavey Center. The Golden Bears opened the game on a 16-0 run and held the Broncos scoreless for the first 6:29 of the contest.
Junior center Kristine Anigwe led all scorers with 17 points while sophomore Jaelyn Brown matched her season high, scoring 11 points for the second consecutive game while going 3-6 from beyond the arc. Junior guard Asha Thomas dished out a season-high eight assists to go with five points and zero turnovers in 25 minutes of action.
With the win, Cal improves to 2-1 on the road this season and has won 19 of its last 20 games West Coast Conference foes. The 41 points are the fewest the Bears have allowed in any game over the last two seasons, while the 38-point margin of victory is Cal's largest since a 62-point win over CSUN on December 30, 2015.
The Bears controlled Saturday's game from the outset, going 3-3 from beyond the arc to open the first quarter. Freshman guard Kianna Smith connected on her first two three-point attempts of the game and went 3-4 from beyond the arc in the first half. Smith, who earned Pac-12 Freshman of the Week honors earlier this season, finished the game with nine points and five assists while classmate Alaysia Styles grabbed a team-high six rebounds to go with nine points.
SCOUTING THE TOREROS
San Diego is 5-3 and the season and looking to snap a two-game losing streak. After starting the season 5-1 with their lone loss coming at Hawaii in overtime on November 19, the Toreros have dropped their last two games, a 77-76 decision at San Diego State on November 29 and an 80-73 loss at Seattle U on December 2.
The Toreros took a 52-49 lead into the fourth quarter, but the Redhawks closed the game on a 19-6 run to hand San Diego its second consecutive road loss. Alexandra Hagen and Aubrey Ward-el both scored 17 points for the Toreros in the loss while Maya Hood added 16 points on 7-11 shooting from the floor.
With three starters and 11 players total returning from last season, San Diego was picked to finish fourth in the WCC Preseason Coaches Poll. Hood, a redshirt senior, was named to the All-WCC Preseason Women's Basketball Team after earning WCC Defender of the Year honors in 2016. Hood leads the team in rebounding, averaging 6.6 rebounds per game to go with 11.3 points per game. Ward-el leads the Toreros in scoring at 15.4 points per game and is shooting 32.4 percent (11-34) from beyond the arc. Hagen (11.8 points per game) and senior forward Sydney Williams (10.1 points per game) are also averaging double-figures.
UP NEXT
Following Thursday's game, the Golden Bears will make the short drive to Stockton for a 2 p.m. tipoff against the Tigers on Sunday, December 10. This will be the third meeting between the schools in the last five seasons. Cal will then return to Haas Pavilion on December 16 for its final non-conference home game of the year, hosting BYU at 5 p.m. PT. That game will be broadcast live on Pac-12 Networks as part of a double-header with the Cal men's basketball team.
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).