BERKELEY – Despite an inspired comeback attempt in the fourth quarter, the Cal women's basketball team could not overcome a slow start, falling to Colorado, 64-59, Sunday afternoon at Haas Pavilion. The Golden Bears (17-9, 5-9 Pac-12) narrowed a 13-point deficit to two, but the visiting Buffaloes (14-11, 4-10 Pac-12) held on to secure their first conference road win in two seasons.

For the second consecutive game, Cal was slow coming out of the gates, trailing Colorado 17-4 midway through the first quarter. The Bears narrowed the deficit to seven entering halftime, outscoring the Buffaloes 12-11 in the second quarter. Sophomore center Kristine Anigwe, who picked up her third foul just 31 seconds into the second half, scored 10 of her team-high 15 points in the first half and added five rebounds and four blocked shots on the night.    

The teams traded baskets to start the second half before Cal made a push late in the third quarter. After starting the game 0-9 from three-point range, Asha Thomas drained a three-pointer with 57 seconds left in the the period and Mikayla Cowling added another triple as time expired to cut Colorado's lead to three. Thomas, who had just two points in Friday's loss to Utah, finished with 14 points while Cowling had 12 points, eight rebounds, and five assists, her fourth consecutive game scoring in double-figures.

The Buffs built their lead back early in the fourth quarter, as a Zoe Correal layup gave Colorado a 59-50 advantage with 4:27 left to play. Correal, a San Francisco native, had a career-high 16 points and 15 rebounds to lead the Buffaloes while guard Alexis Robinson added 15 points, going 3-6 from beyond the arc.

Yet despite the lead, Cal looked poised for a comeback, having already erased a 12-point deficit in a win over the Buffaloes earlier this year in Boulder. The Bears responded with a 7-0 run and freshman guard Mi'Cole Cayton finished a put-back to make it 59-57 with 2:35 left in the game. Howeve,r Colorado guard Kennedy Leonard hit a deep three with 38 seconds left in the game, and drained two free throws to seal the victory for the visitors. 

One of the top teams in the nation in terms of steals per game, Colorado forced Cal into 19 turnovers and outscored the Bears 21-5 on points off of turnovers. Cal held a 41-37 advantage on the glass, led by 11 rebounds from junior forward Penina Davidson. 

"Colorado beat us today and that's hard to take when you really want to go where you want to go," said Cal head coach Lindsay Gottlieb. "That being said, there is no one in the locker room that doesn't feel this way and there isn't anyone that won't be ready for Thursday."

Cal will play its final home game of the 2016-17 season on Thursday, February 16, hosting No. 8 Stanford at 8 p.m. PT in the first leg of the Battle of the Bay. Cal seniors Courtney Range and KC Waters will be honored at the game, as well at a post-game celebration on the court, open to the public.