BOULDER, Colo. – The Cal women's basketball team responded from Friday's loss at Utah in emphatic fashion, downing Colorado, 80-60, on Sunday afternoon at the CU Events Center. The Golden Bears (13-6, 4-4 Pac-12) matched their season-high with 11 made three-pointers, including a streak of eight in a row spanning the second and third quarters, to earn their first Pac-12 road win of the season. Cal outscored Colorado (10-9, 0-8 Pac-12), 48-26, over the second and third quarters and shot a season-high 78.6 percent (11-14) from beyond the arc on the afternoon, the team's highest three-point field goal percentage in the last three seasons.
Four different players scored in double-figures for the Bears, led by 16 points and 11 rebounds in just 20 minutes of action for
Kristine Anigwe, who extended her double-double streak to 20 in a row. Fellow senior
Asha Thomas added 15 points for the Bears, going 3-3 from beyond the arc and 5-7 from the floor on the day.
Kianna Smith matched her career high with four threes for the Bears, going 4-5 from three-point range while also dishing out four assists. Junior forward/guard
Jaelyn Brown added 14 points of her own for the Bears and also added two steals. Grad transfer Recee Caldwell rounded out Cal's three-point contingent, going 3-4 from beyond the arc.
Mya Hollingshed scored 10 of her game-high 20 points in the fourth quarter for Colorado, who led Stanford by eight points at halftime on Friday.
Looking to bounce back from its most lopsided defeat of the season on Friday at Utah, Cal jumped out to a 22-18 lead after the opening quarter, despite two early fouls by Anigwe. A balanced offensive effort saw five different players get on the scoresheet in the first quarter of play, as the Bears shot 60 percent from the floor.
Cal steadily added to its advantage in the second quarter with a three-point barrage. The Bears went a perfect 7-for-7 from beyond the arc in the second quarter, led by three treys apiece from Caldwell and Smith. Cal opened the quarter on a 15-3 run and maintained its double-digit lead for the remained of the game.
All 12 of the Bears' active players saw action against the Buffs, including redshirt junior
Chen Yue, who scored four points off the bench. Cal also received significant contributions from sophomore forward
Alaysia Styles, who scored six points and grabbed seven rebounds in 20 minutes of action.
The Bears now return to Berkeley, hosting rival Stanford at 8 p.m. PT on Thursday night in the annual "Battle of the Bay". The Bears and Cardinal will play twice in a three-day span, beginning with Thursday's midweek matchup at Haas Pavilion before taking the series to the Farm on Saturday (4 p.m. PT at Maples Pavilion). Cal knocked off Stanford last season at Haas Pavilion, winning 78-66 on Senior Day for the Bears' first home win in the series since 2009. The Cardinal (17-2, 7-1 Pac-12) are currently ranked No. 6 in the nation, but fell at No. 21 Utah, 75-68, their last time out.
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