No. 23 Cal at Arizona
Sunday, January 7, 2018 | 12 PM MT/ 11 AM PT | McKale Center | Tucson, AZ | Pac-12 Network
GAME NOTES | LIVE STREAM | LIVE STATS | TWITTER | INSTAGRAM | FACEBOOK 

TUCSON, Arizona – After dropping back-to-back games for the first time this season, the Cal  women's basketball team will look to respond on Sunday when the Bears square off against Arizona at 12 p.m. MT/ 11 a.m. MT at the McKale Center in Tucson. The Golden Bears (10-4, 1-2 Pac-12) are coming off an 80-71 loss to No. 25 Arizona State on Friday night while the Wildcats (4-10, 0-3 Pac-12) fell to Stanford earlier in the weekend.

While Cal holds a slim 34-30 lead in the overall series, the Bears have had edge in the  rivalry as of late,  winning 21 of the last 23 games against the Wildcats. Cal swept the season series last year with Arizona, including a 74-64 victory last season in Tucson to open Pac-12 play. Four different players scored in double-figures for the Bears, including a pair of double-doubles from Kristine Anigwe (16 points and 11 rebounds) and Penina Davidson (12 points and14 rebounds). The Bears completed the sweep of the Wildcats in Berkeley, winning 71-60 on January 22, 2017.

After a slow start Friday in Tempe, the Bears battled back in the second half but were unable to overcome an 11-point deficit in the first half. Juniors Asha Thomas and Anigwe led the Bears with 25 and 24 points, respectively, as Cal fell to a ranked opponent for the second time in as many games. After eight turnovers in the first half, the Bears committed just three turnovers in the seconds half and finished the game shooting 53 percent from the field.

Arizona enters the matchup on a four-game losing streak and suffered its first home loss in Pac-12 play on Friday night, falling to No. 24 Stanford, 61-46. Sophomore guard Lucia Alonso had a game-high 15 points for the Wildcats while Sam Thomas added 10 points in the loss.

FOLLOW THE ACTION
Sunday's game against the Sun Devils will be broadcast list on Pac-12 Networks with Krista Blunk and Joan Bonvicini 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
Cal's comeback attempt came up short on Friday night, as the Golden Bears fell to No. 25 Arizona State,  80-71, on Friday night at the Wells Fargo Arena. The loss snaps the Bears' (10-4, 1-2 Pac-12)  four-game winning  streak and marks Cal's  second consecutive loss in conference  play, both coming against ranked opponents. The Sun Devils (12-3, 3-0 Pac-12) remain perfect in conference play and  extend their home winning streak to eight in a row.

Junior guard Asha Thomas led the Bears with 25 points while classmate Kristine Anigwe added 24 points and seven rebounds, going 10-14 from the floor. Sun Devils forward Kianna Ibis led all scorers with 26 points on the night.

One of the most tightly contested rivalries in the conference, Arizona State opened the game on a 6-2 run before the Bears were able to knot the game up at 8 apiece. However turnovers, foul trouble, and cold shooting plagued the Bears throughout the first half. Cal shot just 38.5 percent (10-26) from the field through the opening two quarters and went 0-5 from beyond the arc. Facing an Arizona State defense that ranks among the top in the conference, the  Bears committed eight turnovers in the first, which the Sun  Devils converted into 15 points, taking a 33-25 lead into the locker room.

Trailing at half for just the fourth time all season, the Bears' offense came alive in the second half, led by a   dominant performance in the post from Anigwe. The 6'4" Phoenix product scored 10 points in the third quarter alone and connected eight of ten field goal attempts in the second half, including a streak of eight in a row. As a team, the Bears shot 67 percent from the field in the second half (20-30), while committing just three turnovers.

SCOUTING THE WILDCATS
Arizona is winless to open the conference slate and looking to snap an overall four-game losing streak. The Wildcats are coming off a 61-46 loss to No 24 Stanford on Friday night. After Stanford outscored Arizona 23-11 in the first quarter, the Wildcats were outscored by just three points the remainder of the game. Sophomore guard Lucia Alonso had a game-high 15 points for the Wildcats while Sam Thomas added 10  points in the loss

Arizona won its first two games to start the season, but has since lost 10 of its last 12 contests. The Wildcats' most recent victory came at home on December 20, a 76-74 victory over Southern Utah in double overtime. 

Senior JaLea Bennett leads the team in scoring this season, averaging 16.1 points per game. Sam Thomas leads the team with 8.1 rebounds per game and is also adding 10.0 points per game. Arizona is one of the top free-throw shooting team in the conference this season, connecting on 74.1 percent of attempts from the charity stripe

Adia Barnes is in her second season as head coach of the Wildcats, after spending five seasons as an assistant at Washington. Barnes is the all-time leading scorer in Arizona history. Arizona was picked to finish 11th in the Preseason Pac-12 Coaches' Poll.

UP NEXT
Following Sunday's game the Bears will return to Berkeley for a pair of home contests against Washington and Washington State. Cal will take on Washington at 8 PT on Friday, January 12, before taking on Washington State at 1 PT on Sunday, January 14, both games part of the Bears' Alumnae Weekend. Both games with be broadcast live on Pac-12 Networks.

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).