Cal vs No. 17 Arizona State
Friday, Feb. 22  | 7 PM PT | Haas Pavilion | Berkeley, CA | Pac-12 Networks
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BERKELEY – The Cal women's basketball team will play its final two home games of the 2018-19 season this weekend, with No. 17 Arizona State and Arizona coming to Berkeley. The Golden Bears (14-11, 5-9 Pac-12) and Sun Devils (18-6, 9-4 Pac-12) will square off at Haas Pavilion at 7 p.m. PT on Friday night in Cal's annual Play4Kay game, raising awareness and funds for breast cancer research. Cal will then take on the Wildcats (17-8, 7-7 Pac-12) on Sunday at 2 p.m. PT for Senior Day.

The Bears return to Berkeley after a pair of narrow losses last weekend on the road, including an 80-74 loss at UCLA on Sunday evening. Kristine Anigwe (27 points, 15 rebounds), Asha Thomas (18 points), and Jaelyn Brown (13 points) help Cal fight back from a 10-point halftime deficit to take a late lead on the road, but the Bruins battled back to hand the Bears their fifth consecutive loss of the season.

Cal looks to end that skid on Friday night, taking on a Sun Devils team that has won five straight. Cal and Arizona State met earlier this season in Tempe in a thrilling back-and-forth affair that saw 18 lead changes and 13 ties. The Sun Devils ultimately prevailed, 62-61, as the Bears could not convert on a look in the final seconds of regulation. Arizona State has won the last five matchups between the between the teams, though four of the last five games have been decided by 10 points or fewer.

Friday's game features two of the top interior players in the Pac-12 in Anigwe and Arizona State's Kianna Ibis. Ibis led all scorers with 26 points in the first meeting, going 9-12 from the floor and 4-4 from beyond the arc. An All-Pac-12 selection last season, Ibis leads Arizona State in scoring this season at 14.8 points per game. Anigwe had a strong outing of her own in Tempe, finishing with 21 points, 16 rebounds, and two blocked shots The 6'4" senior continues to lead the nation in both rebounding (15.7 rebounds per game) and double-doubles (25), while also ranking seventh overall in Division I in scoring at 23.3 points per game.

A Phoenix, Arizona product herself, Anigwe is coming off a 27-point, 15-rebound performance on Sunday in which she continued her climb through the record books. Anigwe passed USC and WNBA great Lisa Leslie for fifth on the Pac-12 career scoring list and jumped both Washington's Chantel Osahor and Stanford's Jayne Appel for fourth on the conference career rebounding charts. Anigwe also set a Cal single-season rebounding record with 393 rebounds this season, breaking the previous mark of 389 set by Gennifer Brandon during the 2012-13 campaign.


FOLLOW THE ACTION
Friday's game against the Sun Devils will be broadcast live on Pac-12 Networks with Kate Scott and Layshia Clarendon on the call. Live stats will also be available. Fans can receive additional in-game updates and behind-the-scenes information by following the Bears social media accounts (Twitter: @CalWBBall, Instagram: @CalWBBall).

SCOUTING THE SUN DEVILS
Arizona State heads to Berkeley on a five-game winning streak, the longest active win streak in the Pac-12. The Sun Devils picked up their most recent win in thrilling fashion, beating Utah, 60-58, on Sunday afternoon. Arizona State erased an 18-point deficit by closing the game on a 20-0 run. Robbi Ryan hit a three-pointer with 13 seconds left to tie the game a 58-58 and redshirt senior Courtney Ekmark hit two of three from the foul line in the final second, after drawing the foul on a three-point attempt. Ekmark led the Sun Devils with 15 points, while Ryan (11 points) and Kianna Ibis (10 points) also scored in double-figures. Arizona State forced Utah into nine turnovers in the fourth quarter, which they converted into 12 points off turnovers.

Ibis, a 6'1" senior from Omaha, Nebraska, leads Arizona State in scoring this season at 14.8 points per game. Ibis had a game-high 26 points against the Bears earlier this season in Berkeley, going 9-12 from the floor and 4-4 from beyond the arc. Ekmark is second on the team in scoring at 10.3 points per game, but is averaging 13.0 points per game during the current win streak.

Arizona State leads the Pac-12 in scoring defense, holding opponents to 56.8 points per game on the season. The Sun Devils also rank fourth in the conference in both rebounding (40.2 rebounds per game) and assists (16.0 assists per game).

Head coach Charli Turner Thorne is in her 22^nd season at the helm of the Arizona State program and returns all 10 letterwinners from last season's squad that reached the Second Round of the NCAA Tournament.

UP NEXT
Cal will play its final home game of the 2018-19 season on Sunday, hosting Arizona at 2 p.m. PT at Haas Pavilion. Sunday's game marks the final game at Haas Pavilion for seniors Kristine Anigwe, Recee Caldwell, Mo Mosley, and Asha Thomas, who will be recognized with a senior celebration following the game. The postgame senior celebration is free and open to the public.

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).