BERKELEY – Head coach Lindsay Gottlieb's message was clear and to the point on Friday night as her Golden Bears knocked off No. 17 Arizona State, 69-60, at Haas Pavilion.

"This is who we are," Gottlieb said. "This is who we can be."

The Cal women's basketball team (15-11, 6-9 Pac-12) proved to be more than up to the task on Friday evening, taking on the hottest team in the Pac-12. The Sun Devils (18-7, 9-5 Pac-12) entered Friday's contest on a five-game winning streak – the longest active streak by any team in the conference – and having won the last seven regular season meetings between the school.

But Cal put that skid to an end with a crucial win on Friday night, erasing a seven-point halftime for its second win of the year over an opponent ranked in the AP Top-20. The victory, which snapped Cal's five-game losing streak, saw the Bears outscore the Sun Devils 44-28 in the second half, getting crucial contributions on both the offensive and defensive ends.

Cal's veteran core of Kristine Anigwe (20 points, 15 rebounds), Recee Caldwell (20 points), and Asha Thomas (18 points) led the way offensively while junior Jaelyn Brown held Arizona State leading scorer Kianna Ibis – who went off for 26 points in the first meeting between the teams this season in Temp – to just three points on 1-for-11 shooting.

Reili Richardson led the Sun Devils with 12 points on 5-10 shooting while Courtney Ekmark added 10 points for the visitors.

After both teams struggled to find an offensive rhythm in the opening minutes of the game, Arizona State took control midway through the first quarter, capitalizing on the offensive glass. The Sun Devils went on an 8-2 run midway through the second quarter to build their largest lead of the night at 30-18. However, Cal was able to cut the deficit to single-digits heading into halftime after a score down low by Anigwe and a three-pointer banked in by Caldwell before the halftime buzzer.

Cal came out of the break energized, starting the third quarter on a 15-2 run. The Bears went 4-for-7 from three in the third quarter, led by a 3-for-5 barrage from Thomas, the program's all-time three-point leader. Defensively, the Bears clamped down as well, holding Arizona State to just nine points in the quarter on 3-of-11 shooting.

Cal entered the fourth quarter with a 47-41 lead, but Arizona remained with striking distance and cut the deficit to three after a free throw by Richardson with 3:49 left in the game. But the Bears responded immediately with a three by Caldwell on the next possession. Caldwell finished the night with 20 points on 4-of-7 shooting from deep - her third 20-point performance of the season – to go along with five assists and just one turnover while playing all 40 minutes.

The Golden Bears have found themselves on the wrong side of several down-to-the wire games this season. But on Friday, it was no surprise for Gottlieb to see her squad close the game out down the stretch.

"We were battling for everything that we want to achieve," said Gottlieb. "We were going to get it done. That's the belief I have in these players and the leadership that they've shown."

Anigwe gave the Bears a 65-55 lead with 51 seconds left to play and Cal was able to put the game away at the foul line. The top rebounder in the nation this season, Anigwe extended her double-double streak to 27 in a row and moved into third on the Pac-12 all-time rebounding list with her 15 rebounds against the Sun Devils, passing former Stanford great Kayla Pedersen.
 

Cal returns to Haas on Sunday for its final home game of the 2018-19 season, hosting Arizona at 2 p.m. matchup against the Wildcats (17-9, 7-8 Pac-12) marks the final game at Haas Pavilion for Anigwe, Caldwell, Thomas and fellow senior Mo Mosley. The four graduating Golden Bears will be recognized with a senior celebration following the game.

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