BERKELEY – The Cal women's basketball team's win streak came to a close on Saturday, falling to No. 14 Kentucky  63-61 at Haas Pavilion. The Golden Bears (7-3, 0-0 Pac-12) suffered their first home loss since mid-February as the Wildcats (11-1, 0-0 SEC)  prevailed on a game-winner by sophomore standout Rhyne Howard with three seconds left on the game clock. Jaelyn Brown's attempt at the buzzer did not fall for the Bears, who saw their seven-game winning streak come to a close after clawing back from an 11-point fourth-quarter deficit. Senior center CJ West tied the game with 9.7 second left in regulation, finishing through contact in the paint.

Brown led the Bears with 18 points, her seventh game this season in double-figures. Freshman point guard Leilani McIntosh added nine points and three assists while Brown, West, and Evelien Lutje Schipholt led Cal's rebounding effort with seven boards each.

Howard, the reigning National Freshman of the Year, led all players with 29 points, 19 of which came in the fourth quarter.

Cal falls to 7-3 on the season, with two of its three losses coming to Top-15 opponents.

"We're disappointed not to be able to come away with the win," said Cal head coach Charmin Smith. "We dug ourselves into some holes throughout the game, not being able to knock down shots and not being able to take care of the ball. But, I was really proud of our fight to be able to battle back and have a chance to win the game. We're fighters. This was a game where things weren't going our way, and it would have been really easy to fold and have the margin of victory be a lot wider than two points. I was proud of our fight and I think it's good to have a gauge like this against a Top-20 team."
 
Cold shooting and turnovers plagued the Bears in the early stages of the first quarter, shooting just 18 percent (3-17) from the floor in the first quarter and committing seven turnovers. The Wildcats capitalized with a 10-2 run, but the Bears responded with six unanswered points of their own and trailed 12-10 after the first quarter of action.

Both squads continued to battle for every bucket in the second quarter, with both teams proving disruptive on the defensive end. But once again, Cal found its offensive touch in timely moments, closing the quarter on a 6-0 run to tie the game at 22-22 at the half. The Bears' run was punctuated by a defensive stop in the final six seconds of the half. Junior forward Alaysia Styles grabbed the rebound and found a streaking Sara Anastasieska, who finished with the lay-in just before time expired.

Ranked as high as No. 13 in the nation this season, the Wildcats gained some separation early in the third quarter, outscoring the Bears, 10-4, through the first five minutes of the second half. However, the Bears were able to carry momentum into the fourth quarter after a three-pointer by freshman Cailyn Crocker and a lay-up by Anastasieska cut the deficit to five entering the final period of play. Cal went 0-10 from three-point range in the first half, but found its shooting touch after the break, shooting 62 percent (13-21) from the floor and 50 percent (4-8) from deep in the second half.

Kentucky benefited from timely shooting of its own and built its lead back up to 11 with 4:57 left to play after five consecutive points by Howard. However, the Bears would not be deterred and steadily chipped away at the margin both in the paint and at foul line. The Bears made it a one-possession game after freshman Jazlen Green sunk a three-pointer from the wing with 1:01 on the clock, making the score 61-58. It was the second three-pointer of the night for Green, who finished the game with eight points and leads the Bears in three-point percentage (41.4 percent) this season.

Green got the Bears within two after she drew a foul with 29 seconds left and hit the first of two free throws. Cal came up with the loose ball off the rebound and executed down low, finding West for an emphatic finish in the paint which tied the game at 61-61. The senior from Bakersfield, California, had a chance to put the Bears ahead with 9.7 seconds left to play but could not get the roll on her free throw.

Howard knocked down a mid-range jumper with three seconds left after the ensuing Kentucky timeout to give the Wildcats their 11^th victory of the season.

Cal finished the game 15-for-25 (60 percent) from the foul line, while Kentucky shot 13-for-19 (68 percent) from the stripe. The Bears out-rebounded the Wildcats, 42-36, while Knetucky held a 23-12 advantage on points off turnovers.

Following a brief break for the holidays, the Bears will play their final game of the non-conference slate on Saturday, December 29, hosting Grand Canyon University (3-5, 0-0 WAC) at 7 p.m. PT. The matchup against the Lopes will be the first meeting ever between the programs and is a doubleheader with the Cal men's basketball team, who host Harvard at 3 p.m. PT at Haas Pavilion. Following the matchup against Grand Canyon, the Bears will begin Pac-12 play, hosting Washington (8-3, 0-0 Pac-12) at 7 p.m. PT on January 3.

For more information and updates throughout the season, follow the Bears on Twitter (@CalWBball), Instagram (@CalWBball) and Facebook (Facebook.com/CalWBball).