WBB12/8/2017 5:06 PM | By: Cal Athletics
Streaking Bears Head To Stockton
BERKELEY – After an impressive offensive performance spurred the Cal women's basketball team to its third consecutive victory on Thursday evening, the Golden Bears will look to keep that momentum going on the road, visiting Pacific at 2 p.m. PT on Sunday. This will be the third meetings between the Bears (6-2, 0-0 Pac-12) and Tigers (4-4, 0-0 WCC) in the last five seasons and the 26th meeting all-time between the schools. Cal holds a 23-2 overall advantage in the series and has won the last three matchups.
Ranked No. 25 in the latest AP Poll, Cal's offense was firing on all cylinders it's last time out, shooting a blistering 69.1 percent (38-55) from the field in an 89-64 win over San Diego on Thursday night at Haas Pavilion. Junior forward/center Kristine Anigwe led the way with 26 points as Cal head coach Lindsay Gottlieb earned her 200th collegiate win.
With the victory, Cal improved to 6-2 on the season, it's only losses coming to No. 23 Missouri and top-ranked Connecticut. A two-time All-American and 2018 Wade Trophy candidate, Anigwe leads the team and ranks second in the Pac-12 in scoring this season, averaging 17.5 points per game this season. Junior guard Asha Thomas is second on the team in scoring, averaging 11.5 points per game, and added 13 points in Cal's win over the Toreros, going 3-4 from beyond the arc.
Pacific enters Sunday's game looking to snap a two-game losing streak. The Tigers have lost three of their last four games overall and are coming off an 81-70 defeat at Fresno State on Thursday night. Pacific is led by head coach Bradley Davis, who graduated from Cal in 1995.
FOLLOW THE ACTION
Sunday's game vs Pacific will be streamed live on TheW.tv. 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
A balanced and highly efficient offensive effort was the story of the night for the Golden Bears, who shot a season-high 69.1 percent in an 89-64 win over San Diego on Thursday night. The victory was the 200th in head coach Lindsay Gottlieb's collegiate career, reaching the milestone in her 306th career game.
Cal's offensive outpouring marked just the fifth time in the last five seasons that the Bears connected on at least sixty percent of their shots and is the highest field goal percentage by any team against a Division I opponent this season.
Spearheading that effort was two-time Honorable Mention All-American Anigwe, who registered a game-high 26 points, 16 of which came in the first half. The center/forward from Phoenix went 11-14 on the night, including a streak of eight consecutive made field goals from midway through the first quarter through late in the third. The Wade Trophy candidate emphasized her focused in improving her efficiency this offseason and has lived up to the billing as of late, shooting 77 percent (30-39) from the field over her last three games and scoring a total of 68 points in her last 74 minutes of action.
Junior guard Asha Thomas and senior forward Penina Davidson added 13 points each for Cal, while freshman guard Kianna Smith recorded her fifth game with at least five assists this season, finishing with seven assists and eight points on the night.
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"We have a really good group and we're a more balanced team," Gottlieb said. "Whatever teams throw at us, we have enough. In the past, we hoped we would finish, now I expect us to finish those shots. They make it look easy."
Tallying her third 20-point performance of the season, Anigwe led an impressive effort on the interior by the Bears, who outscored the Toreros 54-18 in the paint. Cal's post trio of Anigwe, Davidson, and sophomore CJ West went a combined 20-25 from the floor on the night as the Bears also held a 29-24 advantage on the boards.
SCOUTING THE TIGERS
Pacific is 4-4 on the season, entering Sunday's game on a two-game losing streak. The Tigers dropped an 80-55 decision at Northern Colorado before falling to Fresno State, 81-70, on the road on Thursday. Senior guard GeAnna Luaulu-Summers led Pacific with 19 points in the loss while forward Jenelle Grant added 11 points and eight rebounds.
A Preseason All-WCC selection, Luaulu-Summers leads the team in scoring for the second consecutive season, averaging 16.9 points per game on the year. Luaulu-Summers was a First Team All-WCC selection in 2017 and is one of seven returners for head coach Bradley Davis, who graduated from Cal in 1995.
Pacific went 10-21 last season and was projected to finish eighth in the WCC Preseason Coaches Poll.
UP NEXT
Following Sunday's game, the Golden Bears will return to Haas Pavilion on December 16 for their final non-conference home game of the year, hosting BYU at 5 p.m. PT. "Star Wars"-themed for the upcoming release of "Star Wars: The Last Jedi", next Saturday's game will be broadcast live on Pac-12 Networks as part of a double-header with the Cal men's basketball team. The Golden Bear men will tip-off at 1 p.m. PT vs Cal State Fullerton and fans can get into the women's game for free by presenting their Cal men's basketball ticket to the box. Tickets to the women's game vs BYU can also be presented to the box office for free admission to the men's basketball game.
Cal closes out the 2017-18 non-conference schedule on December 21, taking on No. 20 Kentucky at 12 p.m. ET/9 a.m. PT in Lexington, Kentucky. The matchup between the Wildcats and Golden Bears will be broadcast on the SEC Network and the ESP App.Â
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).
