SALT LAKE CITY - The Cal women's basketball team came up short in the opening game of its Rocky Mountain road trip, falling to No. 21 Utah, 87-74 on Friday night at the Jon M. Huntsman Center. The Golden Bears (12-6, 3-4 Pac-12) got off to a strong start offensively, but couldn't sustain the lead against a surging Utes squad (17-1, 6-1 Pac-12) that is back on the rankings for the first time in over a decade.

Kristine Anigwe led the Bears with 24 points and 15 rebounds for her 19th double-double in a row, also adding three blocked shots, three steals and two assists. CJ West (12 points) and Asha Thomas (11 points) added double-figure production as well, but it was not enough as the Bears dropped their third consecutive on the road. Kianna Smith added a season-high six assists to go with seven points.

Senior forward Megan Huff led Utah's offense with a 24-point effort of her own, while Kiana Moore (18 points), Dre'Una Edwards (15 points), and Dru Gylten (11 points) also reached double-figures for the hosts.

Looking for its first win of the season over a Top 25 opponent, Cal opened the game on a 10-2 run, connecting on five of its first six attempts from the floor. However, Utah quickly responded with a run of its own and took a 23-18 lead after the first quarter of play.

The Utes added to their advantage in the second quarter, as they continued their hot shooting form beyond the arc. Utah opened the game 5-of-9 from three-point range and shot 42 percent (5-12) in the first half and 36 percent (8-22) from deep on the afternoon. Cal shot just 26 percent (5-19) from three-point range on the evening.

Cal tried to close the deficit throughout the second half and cut Utah's lead to eight points on several occasions throughout the third and fourth quarters, but could not get any closer. Anigwe scored 14 of her team-high 24 points in the second half going 10-12 from the foul line in the second half and finished 12-14 overall from the stripe on the night.

The Bears will be back in action on Sunday, taking on Colorado at 12 p.m. PT in Boulder. The Buffaloes (10-8, 0-7 Pac-12) opened the weekend with an 80-69 loss on Friday night against No. 6 Stanford.

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