California Golden Bears Athletics
California
Washington State
Cal Looks To Continue Momentum Vs Cougars
1/13/2018 5:15 PM | Women's Basketball
No. 24 Cal vs Washington State
Sunday, Jan. 14 | 1 PM PT | Haas Pavilion | Berkeley, CA | Pac-12 Networks
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BERKELEY – After a balanced and energetic outing on Friday night, the Cal women's basketball team looks to complete the weekend sweep on Sunday, hosting Washington State at 1 p.m. PT at Haas Pavilion. The Golden Bears (12-4, 3-2 Pac-12) are looking for their third consecutive win in Pac-12 play, which would be the program's longest conference winning streak in the last three seasons. The Cougars (8-9, 1-4 Pac-12) look to bounce back after back-to-back losses in Pac-12 play, and earn their first road win of the 2017-18 conference campaign.
Cal's inside presence was on display on Friday night, as Kristine Anigwe and Penina Davidson went a combined 20-30 from the floor while powering the Bears to a 69-60 victory over Washington. The two posts combined for 44 points while the Bears finished with 24 assists on 28 made field goals, led by a career-high 11 assists from senior Mikayla Cowling. Anigwe currently leads the conference in rebounding at 8.9 rebounds per game and is tied for the Pac-12 lead with three double-doubles through five conference games.
The Bears will look for similar offensive balance on Sunday, looking to avenge last season's loss to the Cougars in Pullman. Washington State won last year's meeting, 84-79, despite a 32-point performance from Anigwe. Cal has won three of the last five meetings between the teams, all of which have been decided by single-digits.
Washington State is coming off a 70-57 defeat at Stanford on Friday night. Sophomore guard Chanelle Molina led the Cougars with 19 points on 3-6 shooting from deep while reigning Pac-12 Player of the Week Borislava Hristova added 14 points. Hristova, who missed the majority of last season due to injury, leads all scorers in Pac-12 play this season, averaging 26.3 points per game in conference.
FOLLOW THE ACTION
Sunday's game against the Huskies will be broadcast live on Pac-12 Networks with Kate Scott and Maylana Martin Douglas on the call. The matchup can be viewed on the Pac-12 live stream, with live stats also available. Fans can receive additional in-game updates and behind-the-scenes information by following the Bears social media accounts (Twitter: @CalWBBall, Instagram: @CalWBBall).
LAST TIME OUT
Mikayla Cowling's only field goal Friday night gave the No. 24 Cal women's basketball team the lead for good against Washington.But it was her career-high 11 assists that helped the Bears win the game.
Cowling's effort led a team-wide commitment to sharing the basketball, as Cal registered 24 assists in a 69-60 victory over the Huskies at Haas Pavilion.
Cowling anchored the Bears' pressbreak against Washington's full-court pressure defense, and it resulted in a seemingly endless stream of layups by Cal's inside players. Junior Kristine Anigwe had 24 points and 10 rebounds while senior Penina Davidson added 18 points and nine boards.
Washington, which entered the night leading the Pac-12 in turnovers forced per game (19.53), began the game in a full-court press and employed it for much of the night. The Bears (12-4, 3-2 Pac-12) were ready, as Cowling and fellow guards Kianna Smith and Asha Thomas helped pick it apart easily. As a result, Cal made 10 of its first 12 shots and built a 24-15 lead at the end of the first quarter.
The Bears went cold in the second quarter and Washington trimmed their lead to 31-29 at the half. It was tied at 48-48 when Cowling hit a baseline jumper with 30 seconds to go in the third quarter.
Davidson began the fourth quarter with back-to-back layups, one on an assist from Smith and another on an assist by sophomore Jaelyn Brown in transition to make it 54-48. The Huskies never got closer to four points again, and Thomas sealed the game with a 3-pointer to make it 66-58 with 1:27 to play.
SCOUTING THE COUGARS
Washington State enters the game losing streak, looking to pick up its first Pac-12 win of the year on the road. The Cougars are 0-3 on the road to start conference play and are coming off a 70-57 loss at Stanford on Friday night. Chanelle Molina and Borislava Hristova scored in double-figures in the loss, but the Cougars were unable to overcome an early deficit, getting outscored by the Cardinal 22-7 in the opening quarter and trailing 45-17 at the half.
After opening the conference slate with losses at Oregon and Oregon State, the Cougars picked up their first win of Pac-12 play with an 89-75 victory over Colorado. Hristova, who is averaging a conference-high 26.3 points per game in league play and 18.8 points per game on the season, had 36 points in the win over the Buffaloes.
Washington State went 7-5 in non-conference play, closing the preseason slate with six wins in their last seven games. Notable results for the Cougars included a 63-60 win over Rutgers and a five-point loss at home vs No. 25 Kentucky.
Washington State finished tied for seventh in the Pac-12 last season and reached the semifinals of the WNIT. Head coach June Daughterty is in her 11th season in Pullman and returns four starters and 12 players overall from last season. The Cougars were picked to finish seventh in the 2017 Pac-12 Preseason Coaches' Poll.
UP NEXT
The Bears will head back on the road, traveling south for road tilts against UCLA and USC. The Bears will square off against the 14th-ranked Bruins at 6 p.m. PT on Friday before a 1 p.m. Sunday matchup against the Trojans.
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).
