BERKELEY – Win the weekend.
The message has been a point of emphasis for the Golden Bears since offseason workouts began back in the summer.
On Sunday, the No. 24 California women's basketball team did just that, beating Washington State, 66-60, to complete the weekend sweep at Haas Pavilion. The Golden Bears (13-4, 4-2 Pac-12) have now three straight in Pac-12 play, their longest conference winning streak in the last three seasons.
Cal center/forward Kristine Anigwe led all scorers with a season-high 30 points and added 17 rebounds for her second double-double in as many games. Borislava Hristova paced the visiting Cougars (8-10, 1-5 Pac-12) with 25 points.
A two-time Honorable Mention All-American and midseason candidate for the John R. Wooden Award, Anigwe was dominant from the opening whistle in putting together her first 30-point performance of the season and the ninth of her career. The Bears needed every point in a game that featured 16 lead changes and 12 ties, with neither team leading by more than six points at any time.
After a dominant performance in the paint in Friday's win over Washington, Cal's post contingent of Anigwe, Penina Davidson, and CJ West got to work early, scoring Cal's first nine points of the game and combining for 15 of the Bears' 19 points in the opening quarter. Â
However, Washington State soon regained the lead, opening the second quarter on a 6-0 run. Hristova, the reigning Pac-12 Player of the Week, entered Sunday's game averaging over 26 points per game in conference play and scored 16 of her 25 points in the opening half as the Cougars went 4-8 from beyond the arc. The Bears meanwhile, finished the game 1-8 from three-point range and didn't connect on their first three-pointer until freshman Kianna Smith sunk a triple from the left wing with 5:42 left in the game.
Yet despite the cold shooting, the Bears battled back closed the second half on a 7-0 run to take a 32-31 lead into the locker room.
Washington State gained some separation, taking a 48-45 lead entering the fourth quarter. However the Bears clawed back, outscoring the Cougars, 21-12, in the final frame to secure the victory. Tied at 60 with less than a minute left to play, Anigwe hit the game-winning basket with 28 seconds left to play, finishing off a feed from Smith.
Junior Asha Thomas then put the game out of reach, making a crucial steal on the ensuing Cougars possession and going 4-4 from the foul line in the final seconds to secure the Golden Bear victory. Thomas ended the game with eight points and three assists, going 6-6 from the charity stripe. Smith added nine points and four assists, and matched her career-high with seven rebounds. Senior guard Mikayla Cowling added a game-high seven assists and three steals in the win.
Cal will now head back on the road, traveling south for road tilts against UCLA and USC next weekend. The Bears will square off against the 14th-ranked Bruins at 6 p.m. PT on Friday before a 1 p.m matchup against the Trojans on Sunday, January 21.
For more information and updates on the team throughout the season, follow the Bears on Twitter (@CalWBball), Instagram (@CalWBball) and Facebook (Facebook.com/CalWBball).
