WBB2/8/2018 9:54 AM | By: Cal Athletics
Bears Look To Snap Skid Vs Buffaloes
BERKELEY – The Cal women's basketball team looks to return to its winning ways and snap a three-game losing streak when the Golden Bears (15-8, 6-6 Pac-12) host Colorado on Friday night at 7 p.m. PT. After dropping three consecutive games, all vs Top 25 opponents, the Bears look tip off their final Bay Area homestand of the 2017-18 regular season at Haas Pavilion against the Buffaloes (12-11, 3-9 Pac-12).
Friday night's matchup marks the start of Cal's annual Breast Health Awareness Weekend, with a silent auction and collection running throughout the weekend to benefit Play4Kay and Bay Area Young Survivors (BAYS). Fans can receive $3 admission all weekend by wearing pink.
Friday's game will be the only meeting between the Bears and Buffaloes during the regular season. Cal has won eight of the last ten head-to-head meetings between the schools, though the teams split both meetings last year, each earning a victory away from home. The Golden Bears beat the Buffaloes in Boulder on January 13, 2017, as Kristine Anigwe scored 25 of her game-high 29 points in the second half to spur a Cal comeback. However in the rematch in Berkeley, the Bears were unable to complete the comeback once again, narrowing a 13-point deficit to two points before coming up short. Colorado's Zoe Correal led the Buffaloes with 16 points and 15 rebounds in the win.
Both teams will be looking to return to their winning ways this weekend. The Bears have dropped three straight, their longest losing streak of the season, and are coming off road losses at No. 6 Oregon and No. 16 Oregon State. Colorado has lost seven of its last eight games, though picked up a critical conference win last weekend, beating Utah, 69-65, last Thursday in Salt Lake City.
Cal is led in scoring this season by junior forward/center Kristine Anigwe, who ranks in the top-six in the conference in scoring (16.7 points per game), rebounding (8.9 rebounds per game), and field goal percentage (56.2 percent). Recently named to the John R. Wooden Award Late Season Top 20, Anigwe recently became just the fifth player in Cal women's basketball history to amass 800 career rebounds and 1,700 career points. While Anigwe anchors the interior game, the Bears will look to get back on track from beyond the arc, going 0-11 from three-point range in last Sunday's loss at Oregon State.
FOLLOW THE ACTION
Friday's game against the Ducks will be broadcast live on Pac-12 Networks with Kate Scott. The game can also 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 struggles in Corvallis continued, as the 25th-ranked Golden Bears fell to No. 16 Oregon State, 68-48, last Sunday afternoon at Gill Coliseum. The Golden Bears suffered their third consecutive loss, all coming to ranked opponents. The Beavers notched their seven win in a row against the Bears, Cal's longest active losing streak to any Pac-12 opponent.
Kristine Anigwe led Cal with 13 points, six rebounds, and a season-high three blocked shots. Classmate Asha Thomas added eight points while senior Penina Davidson added six rebounds of her own. Oregon State's Marie Gulich led all scorers with 20 points and added 10 rebounds while Katie McWilliams had 19 points, 14 of which came in the first quarter.
The Beavers outrebounded Cal, 46-28, on the afternoon and held a 17-8 edge on the offensive glass.
After a tightly contested start to the game, Cal's offense stalled in the second quarter, shooting just 14 percent (2-14) from the floor. Oregon State gained separation as the Bears struggled from the field, taking a 36-17 lead into the locker room. The Bears 17 points are tied for their fewest in any half this season. McWilliams spearheaded the Bears offense in the opening half, going 5-7 from the floor and 2-3 from beyond the arc.
Oregon State shot 30.4 percent (7-23) from three-point range on the afternoon while the Bears went 0-11 from beyond the arc, the first time in the last two seasons that Cal has not made a three-pointer in a game.
SCOUTING THE BUFFALOES
After going 9-2 in the non-conference campaign, Colorado has falter in Pac-12 play, going 3-9 to start the conference slate. The Buffaloes have just one win in their last eight games, though earned an important road victory last weekend, beating Utah, 69-65, on Thursday at the Huntsman Center. Junior guard Kennedy Leonard matched her career high with 31 points in the win, going 12-24 from the floor and adding eight assists. However in the rematch in Boulder, it was the Utes who came out on top, coming back in the fourth quarter to win, 78-74. Leonard once again led all scorers with 23 points while Mya Hollingshed added 16 points, nine rebounds, and four blocked shots off the bench.
One of the top guards in the conference, Leonard leads the Buffaloes in scoring this season, averaging 15.0 points per game. The junior ranks second in the Pac-12 with 6.6 assists per game and is fourth in steals (1.8 steals per game). Classmate Alexis Robinson is the only other player averaging double-figures for the Buffs this season, scoring 11.5 points per game while shooting 36.0 percent from the beyond the arc. Freshman Annika Jank leads the team in rebounding, averaging 7.4 rebounds per game to go with 9.8 points per game.
As a team, Colorado ranks fifth in the conference in scoring at 71.6 points per game and is active on both the offensive glass (14.8 offensive rebounds per game) and steals (8.7 steals per game), ranking among the conference leaders in both categories.
Head coach JR Rayne is in her second season in Boulder and returns three starters from last season's squad that went 17-16 and reached the third round of the WNIT Postseason Tournament. The Pac-12 Preseason Coaches Poll had the Buffaloes picked to finish 10th.
UP NEXT
The Bears continue their homestand and Breast Health Awareness Weekend on Sunday, hosting Utah (15-8, 6-6 Pac-12) at 2 p.m. PT. The Utes and Bears enter the weekend tied for sixth in the Pac-12 standings. Utah kicks off the Bay Area road trip on Friday night, taking on Stanford at 7 p.m. PT before Sunday's showdown in Berkeley. The Utes have won the last four regular season meetings with the Bears, including sweeping both matchups last season.
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).
