SEATTLE - After an inspired run to the conference semifinals last season, the Cal women's basketball team looks to replicate that success when the 2017 Pac-12 Women's Basketball Tournament kicks off Thursday morning at Seattle's KeyArena. The Golden Bears earned an eight seed in the tournament and will face nine-seed USC at 11:30 am Thursday morning to kick off tournament play.

Cal went on a tear at the 2016 Pac-12 Tournament, reaching the semifinals as a 10 seed before losing to UCLA in overtime with a trip to the final on the line. Lindsay Gottlieb's squad opened the tournament with an overtime win over seven-seed Utah before knocking off second-seeded Arizona State in the quarterfinals, the biggest upset in terms of seed in Pac-12 tournament history.

The Bears and Trojans met once earlier this season, a 63-56 home win for Cal on February 5. Cal junior forward Penina Davidson led the Bears with 17 points and nine rebounds off the bench as the team shot 50 percent (24-48) from the field on the night. USC's Kristen Simon led all scorers with 24 points, going 11-25 from the field. Cal's win completed a weekend sweep against UCLA and USC and snapped a two-game losing streak to the Trojans.

Thursday's game will be just the third meeting between the schools in the Pac-12 Tournament, and the first since 2013. The Bears and Trojans split the earlier two meetings, with Cal winning 78-59 in the quarterfinals of the 2013 tournament and USC claiming a 69-67 victory in the 2009 semifinals.
 
Cal ended the regular season on the road, splitting a pair of games against Oregon and Oregon State. After upending the Ducks, 55-49, on Friday night, the Bears fell short on Sunday against the 10th-ranked Beavers, losing 71-56 despite a career-high 21 points from freshman Jaelyn Brown.

Brown – who was named the Pac-12 Freshman of the Week - was one of four Cal players to earn conference awards, when the league head coaches announced the annual honors on Tuesday. Brown and Mi'Cole Cayton were All-Freshman Honorable Mentions, while junior Mikayla Cowling was an honorable mention selection for both the All-Pac-12 and All-Defensive teams. Sophomore center Kristine Anigwe,  the 2016 Pac-12 Freshman of the Year and the second leading scorer in the conference, was a first team All-Pac-12 and All-Defensive selection. Anigwe, who is averaging 20.6 points per game and 9.2 rebounds per game on the year, is just the second player in Cal women's basketball history to earn first team All-Conference honors each of her first two seasons in Berkeley.

The Trojans have dropped three straight and are coming off a 67-62 loss to Arizona on Sunday afternoon. Minyon Moore, an All-Freshman honoree, led the Trojans with 21 points, and is averaging 11.8 points per game off the bench this season. Simon, an All-Pac-12 selection, leads the Trojans in both scoring (14.5 PPG) and rebounding (8.8 RPG).

HOW TO FOLLOW THE ACTION
Thursday's game will be broadcast live on Pac-12 Networks, with Anne Marie Anderson and Tammy Blackburn on the call. Fans can also keep up with the action by following online with live stats and @CalWBBall on Twitter for updates throughout the game.

A LOOK AT THE TROJANS
USC enters the Pac-12 Tournament on a three-game losing streak, coming off a pair of single-digit losses to Arizona and Arizona State. The Trojans finished the regular season 14-15 overall and 5-13 in Pac-12 play, tied for ninth in the league.

Junior forward Kristen Simon – an All-Pac-12 selection -  leads the Trojans in both scoring (14.5 PPG) and rebounding (8.8 RPG) and has 10 double-doubles on the season. Pac-12 All-Freshman selection Minyon Moore is second on the team in scoring, averaging 11.8 points per game off the bench. Senior guard Courtney Jaco is also averaging double-digits (10.8 PPG) and is the team's top three-point shooter, shooting 41 percent from beyond the arc this season.

This is the third consecutive season that USC has opened the Pac-12 tournament playing in the eight-vs-nine game. In 2015, the Trojans fell to nine-seed Colorado in the opening round while last year USC played as the eight-seed and beat Washington State to open the tournament before falling to Oregon State in the quarterfinals.

Head coach Cynthia Cooper-Dyke is in her fourth season at the helm in USC, leading the Trojans to a 19-13 record and eighth-place finish in the Pac-12 last season. The first WNBA player enshrined in the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame, Cooper-Dyke starred for the Trojans on the 1983 and 1984 NCAA Championship teams.

LAST TIME OUT
Cal battled with league-leading Oregon State for 40 minutes, but it was the 10th-ranked Beavers who prevailed 71-56 in the regular season finale at Gill Coliseum. The loss was Cal's fifth consecutive to the Beavers and gave Oregon State sole ownership of the Pac-12 regular season title, the third consecutive season the Beavers have claimed at least as share of the conference crown.

Freshman Jaelyn Brown had a career-high 21 points to lead the Bears, going a perfect 3-3 from beyond the arc, highlighted by a buzzer-beater from just inside mid-court to end the third quarter. Brown, who scored just 16 points in her previous four games combined, went 7-9 from the floor and a perfect 4-4 from the foul line to lead all scorers. Sophomore center Kristine Anigwe added 15 points, eight rebounds, and two blocked shots in the loss.

Senior guard Sydney Wiese, the Pac-12 career leader in three-point field goals, led the Beavers with 19 points, going 4-8 from beyond the arc. Oregon State also got double-digit performances Marie Gulich and Kolbie Orum, who added 14 points and 11 points, respectively. 

Trailing 24-12 after the first ten minutes of play, Golden Bears stormed back in the second quarter, outscoring Oregon State 22-17 in the second period and holding a 10-6 advantage on the glass. Brown, who had eight points off the bench in Friday's win at Oregon, scored 10 of her game-high 21 in the second quarter, draining a three at the buzzer to cut the halftime deficit to seven. However, the Beavers outscored the Bears 18-9 in the third quarter to secure the victory.

NEXT UP
The winner of Thursday's game will face Oregon State, the top overall seed, at 11:30 am Friday in the tournament quarterfinals.

Cal and Oregon State met in the final game of the regular season, a 71-56 victory for the 10th-ranked Beavers. Oregon State has won five straight against the Golden Bears, though the teams have never met in the Pac-12 Tournament.
 
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).