TEMPE, Ariz.. - A Top-25 matchup between No. 24 Cal and  No. 19 Arizona State lived up to the expectation, in a down-to-the wire battle on Sunday evening at Wells Fargo Arena that saw 18 lead changes and 13 ties. However, it was the Sun Devils who came out on top, winning 62-61. The Golden Bears (10-5, 1-3 Pac-12) had two looks in the final seconds of the game, but neither Kristine Anigwe nor Asha Thomas was able to convert at the buzzer. The Sun Devils (12-4, 3-2 Pac-12) secured the weekend split after a Friday night split against Stanford, while Cal suffered its second consecutive loss on the road.

Anigwe led the Bears with 21 points and 16 rebounds for her 16th consecutive double-double while Jaelyn Brown added 11 points off the bench, connecting on her first four attempts from the field.

Arizona State Senior Kianna Ibis had a game-high 26 points, going 9-12 from the field and 4-4 from three-point range.

Looking to snap a three-game losing streak in Tempe, the Golden Bears came out strong, connecting on three of their first four attempts from three-point range to take a 23-20 lead after the first quarter of action. Brown, who came off the bench for the first time this season, scored 8 of her 11 points in the opening quarter, going 3-3 from the field. The junior from Murrieta, California, finished with 11 points for her third outing in double-figures this season and her first of the year in Pac-12 play.

Arizona State made up ground in the second quarter, scoring five points off of six Golden Bear turnovers. However, Cal regained the lead heading into halftime when Kristine Anigwe grabbed an offensive rebound and was fouled on her put-back attempt. The Phoenix, Arizona product hit both free throws to give Cal a 33-32 advantage heading into halftime.

Arizona State opened the second half with back-to-back three-pointers by Ibis and guard Robbi Ryan to regain the lead. The Sun Devils outscored the Bears, 20-15, in the third quarter, during which they held an 11-2 advantage on the glass. Cal finished the game with a 32-31 edge in rebounds while the Sun Devils shot 46.9 percent (23-29) from the field, compared to a 39.2 percent (20-51) performance from the Bears.

Arizona State took its largest lead of the game at the start of the fourth quarter when a layup by Ibis extended the Sun Devils advantage to six. However, Cal quickly responded with a three-pointer by McKenzie Forbes and from there Anigwe took over on offense. The senior standout scored 10 of her 21 points in the fourth quarter, while also adding nine of her 16 rebounds in the final frame. Anigwe  gave the Bears a two-point lead with 1:26 left to play, knocking down a pair of free throws. The three-time All-Pac-12 Selection finished the game 11-12 from the foul line, while also adding two blocked shots, but went 5-17 from the field. 

Ibis responded with two free throws of her own to tie the game at 61-61 with 57 seconds left in regulation. Cal was unable to score in the ensuing offensive possession and Arizona State guard  Reili Richardson face the Sun Devils the lead for good with five seconds remaining, hitting the first of two attempts from the foul line. Cal corralled the rebound and got a look for Anigwe out of the ensuing timeout, but her shot in traffic was off the mark. Thomas got the offensive rebound but could not get her shot to fall at the buzzer.

The Bears return to action on Friday, hosting Washington State at 11:30 a.m. PT in the fifth annual School Haas Rock game. School Haas Rock brings youth from across the Bay Area to Haas Pavilion, incorporating educational and motivational lessons into the game day experience. The Cougars (7-9, 2-3 Pac-12) is coming off a 74-48 win over Colorado on Sunday afternoon.
 
For updates and information on the Bears throughout the season, follow the team on Twitter (@CalWBBall), Instagram (@CalWBBall), and Facebook (Facebook.com/CalWBBall), and visit the team's unique multi-media site ThisIsCalBasketball.com.