LOS ANGELES – A Sunday afternoon thriller at the Galen Center went to the Golden Bears, as the Cal women's basketball team secured the road split with a 62-59 victory over USC. Following a narrow loss on Friday night at UCLA, the Bears (14-5, 5-3 Pac-12) bounced back against the Trojans (13-6, 3-5 Pac-12), prevailing in a back-and-forth affair that saw 16 ties and  14 lead changes. Cal outscored USC, 27-24, in the second half, overcoming a 37-35 halftime deficit.

Junior center/forward Kristine Anigwe led the Bears with 20 points in only 20 minutes of action while senior Mikayla Cowling added 12 points on 5-11 shooting. Freshman guard Kianna Smith added 10 points and six assists while  junior Asha Thomas finished with 10 points, including a crucial five-point stretch in the fourth quarter.

Trojans' forward Kristen Simon led all scorers with 21 points while Minyon Moore (19 points) and Aliyah Mazyck (13 points) also reached double-figures in the loss.

After a poor shooting performance in Friday's loss at No. 13 UCLA, Cal opened Sunday's game on a 10-2 run and shot over 60 percent (8-13) from the floor in the opening quarter. Anigwe scored 13 of her 20 points in the first quarter, going 4-4 from the field. The unanimous preseason All-Pac-12 selection put together her eight 20-point performance of the season and went 2-2 from beyond the arc, her second game this season with multiple threes. Anigwe added four rebounds in 20 minutes of action, picking up her fifth foul with 5:01 left to play.

After weathering the intial surge by the Bears, the Trojans displayed some hot shooting of their own, shooting 57 percent from the floor and 45 percent from three-point range in the first half to take a two-point lead into the locker room.

However Cal proved ready for the challenge, erasing an halftime deficit away from home for the second time this season. The Golden Bears outscored USC, 17-13, in the third quarter, taking a 52-50 lead into the fourth quarter. After the Trojans regained the lead with a 7-0 run, the teams  continued to trade baskets until a crucial three-point play  by Thomas with 1:29 remaining in the game. With the Bears trailing  by one and time winding down on the shot clock, the 5'4" guard drove through the lane and finished with contact. One of the top free throw shooters in the conference, Thomas converted the ensuing free throw, giving Cal a 61-59 advantage. Sophomore CJ West added to the Bears lead, sinking a free throw with 18 seconds remaining to make it a three-point game and the Bears defense held off  numerous three-point attempts by the Trojans in the dying seconds to secure the  win.

The Bears out-rebounded USC, 35-26, led by 10 rebounds apiece from forwards Penina Davidson and West.

Cal will be back in action on Friday, squaring off against Arizona at 7 p.m. PT on Friday. The Bears  will be looking to complete the season sweep of the Wildcats, having beaten  Arizona, 53-51, in Tucson on January 7.

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