Bears Set To Open Big Dance Vs Cavaliers

NCAA Tournament: First Round
(7) Cal vs (10) Virginia
Friday, March 11 | 5 PM ET/2 PM PT | Colonial Life Arena | Columbia, SC | ESPN2
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COLUMBIA, South Carolina – The Golden Bears are going dancing for the second consecutive season! The Cal women's basketball team will be making it's sixth NCAA Tournament appearance in the last seven seasons when the Bears take on the Virginia Cavaliers at 5 p.m. ET/2 p.m. PT on Friday at Colonial Life Arena in Columbia, South Carolina. The seven seed in the Albany region, the Bears will be taking on the 10-seed Cavaliers in the fifth meeting all-time between the schools and their second meeting ever in the NCAA Tournament.

The Bears and Cavaliers met in the Second Round of the 2009 NCAA Tournament, a win for Cal and then-head coach Joanne Boyle that sent the Bears to the program's first Sweet Sixteen. Nine years later, Boyle is now in her seventh season at Virginia and will be coaching her former assistant in current Cal head coach Lindsay Gottlieb. Gottlieb, who spent six seasons as an assistant under Boyle at both Richmond and Cal, has led the Bears back to the NCAA Tournament for the second consecutive season. This will be her second time coaching against Boyle, as Gottlieb earned her first career top-25 upset when the Bears beat Boyle and the No. 22 Cavaliers in November 2011.

One of six teams from the Pac-12 to make the 2018 NCAA Tournament, Cal will be looking to reach the Second Round for the eighth time in as many NCAA Tournament appearances. The Golden Bears reached the Second Round last season as a nine-seed, upsetting LSU in the opening round before falling to one-seed Baylor in Waco, Texas. Cal is seeking its first Sweet 16 appearance since 2013, when Gottlieb and the Bears went on to make the program's first trip to the Final Four. The 2018 tournament mark's Cal's 13th appearance all-time in the NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament.

Virginia is making its 25th NCAA Tournament appearance and its first since 2010. The Cavaliers earned a 10-seed after going 18-13 on the season and finishing in a tie for sixth in the ACC regular season standings. Boyle is in her seventh season in Charlottesville after spending six seasons at Cal, where she guided the Golden Bears to four NCAA Tournament appearances.

The winner of Friday's matchup will take on the winner of South Carolina vs North Carolina A&T on Sunday for a chance to reach the Sweet Sixteen. The two-seed Gamecocks are the reigning NCAA Champions, beating SEC rival Mississippi State in the title game last year, and are coming off their fourth consecutive SEC Tournament title. North Carolina A&T earned a 15-seed after winning the MEAC Tournament.

FOLLOW THE ACTION
Friday's game against Virginia will be broadcast live on ESPN2 and the ESPN App with Paul Sunderland and Steffi Sorensen. The entire 2018 Women's NCAA Basketball Championship will be carried on the ESPN Family of Networks and can be viewed at WatchESPN.com. 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
Friday's NCAA Tournament opener will be the Bears' first action since dropping a heartbreaker in the Pac-12 Tournament quarterfinals against No. 10 UCLA. The Bruins edged the Bears, 77-74, at Seattle's KeyArena to advance to the semifinals of the Pac-12 Tournament.

The Golden Bears trailed by as many as 11 points midway through the third quarter before going on a 19-7 run to take a two-point lead into the fourth quarter. Cal led by as many as seven points early in the fourth r before UCLA came back to earn its third win of the season against their in-state rival.

Senior Mikayla Cowling led Cal with 16 points, adding 7 rebounds and 4 assists while juniors Asha Thomas and Kristine Anigwe added 15 points apiece. Anigwe scored 10 of her 15 points in the third quarter alone and adding 11 rebounds before fouling out with three minutes to play. Thomas also chipped in three steals for the Bears while freshman Kianna Smith had 12 points going 2-4 from beyond the arc.

Cal outshot UCLA from both the floor (44.6% vs 35.8%) and three-point range (35.7% vs 29.4%), yet the Bruins attempted 34 free-throws on the afternoon, compared to just 16 for the Golden Bears.

SCOUTING THE CAVALIERS
Virginia is making its first NCAAA Tournament since 2010 and their 25th overall in program history. The Cavaliers earned a 10-seed after going 18-13 on the season and finishing in a tie for sixth in the ACC regular season standings. Head coach Joanne Boyle is in her seventh season in Charlottesville after spending six seasons at Cal, where she guided the Golden Bears to four NCAA Tournament appearances.

Virginia is led in scoring this season by sophomore guard Dominique Toussaint, who is averaging 11.3 points per game this season. An Honorable Mention All-ACC Selection, Toussaint ranks 10th in the conference with 3.7 assists per game. Sophomore center Felicia Aiyeotan leads the Cavaliers in rebounding at 7.0 rebounds per game and was named to the ACC All-Defensive team after leading the conference with 2.1 blocked shots per game. A 6-9 center, Aiyeotan has seven double-doubles on the season and is averaging 7.3 points per game. Senior guard Aliyah Huland El is second on the team in scoring at 10.3 points per game and averaged 16.0 points per game in Virginia's two games in the ACC Tournament.

After going 7-6 during the non-conference slate, Virginia won eight of its first nine games to start ACC play, the lone loss a seven-point defeat at No. 16 Duke. However, the Hoos won just two of their final seven games in the regular season.

UP NEXT
The winner of Friday's First Round matchup will advance to the Second Round to take on the winner of the late game between South Carolina and North Carolina A&T. The defending NCAA Champions, South Carolina earned a two-seed and is ranked No. 7 in the final AP poll of the regular season. The Gamecocks are led by ESPNW National Player of the Year A'ja Wilson and are making their seventh consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance under head coach Dawn Staley. North Carolina A&T earned a 15 seed and automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament after winning their fourth MEAC Championship.

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).