WACO, Texas – Asha Thomas knew all about Recee Caldwell, but had never played with her before this season.

So when Caldwell spent the first two months of her first and only season with the Cal women's basketball team struggling to live up to her reputation, Thomas knew something was wrong.

"Even though I never really played with her prior to this season, I could tell it wasn't her," Thomas said. "As we grew close, she would tell me that she wasn't feeling like the real Ce. I told her whatever it takes for her to be the real Ce, even if it means me taking less shots, I will do that. I needed her to do that."

Caldwell ultimately got the message – from Thomas, from head coach Lindsay Gottlieb and others – and it's a primary reason the Golden Bears find themselves in the second round of the NCAA Tournament, where they will face Baylor tonight at 6 p.m. PT.

Whether it's because she was asked to do more as an All-Big 12 performer at Texas Tech or it just was a matter of finding her way in a new program, Caldwell overcame a shaky nonconference season to become a prominent force on Cal's journey to March Madness. After averaging just 6.5 points per game and shooting 34 percent from the field in November and December, Caldwell has been the Bears' second-leading scorer over the second half of the season at 11.8 points per game while shooting 45 percent from the floor, including a 40 percent clip from 3-point range.

Caldwell was named the Pac-12 Player of the Week after leading Cal to wins over Arizona and No. 17 Arizona State in late February. In Saturday's 92-72 win over North Carolina in the first round, Caldwell matched a career-high with 12 assists – the most in an NCAA Tournament game in two years.

"I don't know what sparked her, but whatever it was, I'm glad it happened at the time it happened," Thomas said.

Caldwell came to Cal as the first graduate transfer in program history, the culmination of a windy road atypical of an elite prospect. Caldwell was a consensus top-10 recruit nationally coming out of San Antonio and initially attended UCLA. She transferred to Texas Tech after one season in Los Angeles, partly because her father, Ray, was hired as an assistant coach for the Lady Raiders.

Caldwell earned All-Big 12 honorable mention in her first season with Texas Tech and was having another strong year last season before an injury sidelined her after just 13 games. After earning her degree in Business from Texas Tech, she decided to return to California, looking for a program that was the right fit on and off the court and gave her a chance to get to the NCAA Tournament for the first time.

"Everyone who is an elite prospect in high school always thinks they are going to go four years and then go to the (WNBA)," Caldwell said. "You don't ever think about injuries. You don't ever think about having any setbacks, or transferring. I've always been a person that never regrets anything. I'm always just so thankful for all I have. If I didn't go through everything I went through, I wouldn't appreciate it as much."

Caldwell acknowledges it wasn't always easy attempting to find her comfort zone with the Bears. One of the darker moments came after Cal lost to Harvard at home on Dec. 30. Caldwell went home with teammate McKenzie Forbes to Folsom following the game and laid awake virtually the entire night searching for answers.

"I literally got maybe an hour of sleep," Caldwell said. "It was one of the worst feelings ever, losing a game and knowing that you didn't help your team. That's when I started feeling horrible, that something has to change."

Caldwell began her turnaround on Cal's first Pac-12 road trip of the season. She had 13 points and six assists at Arizona on Jan. 11 and shot 50 percent from the field in games against the Wildcats and No. 19 Arizona State. She scored in double-digits in five of her next seven games while boosting her assist-to-turnover ratio and demonstrating a more efficient 3-point shot.

"She was hesitant at first," Forbes said. "I think it had a lot to do with finding her role. She came from a school where she did all the heavy lifting, where she took a lot of shots. But she never felt sorry for herself. That's just the way she was raised."

While it make have taken Caldwell longer than she wanted to make a profound impact on the court, the Bears still benefited the entire time from her mere presence. Caldwell possesses elite leadership skills, something Gottlieb noticed about her when she competed in the USA Basketball program.

"It's really an elite skill," Gottlieb said. "It's not easily taught, and that has allowed her gain the respect of her teammates in a short amount of time and really not only fit in but help elevate this team. She's had it since she was 14 or 15 years old."

That unique skill allowed Caldwell to earn a role as a team leader immediately, despite her newness to the program.

"Above all, she's just an incredible leader," Forbes said. "Not too many people can come into a program as a fifth-year and take that role as being our leader. I think some people are just natural born leaders. She has a great understanding of what everyone needs. That gives her the ability to lead."

It was the Ferrell Center – the site of tonight's game – where Caldwell suffered her season-ending injury in a game against Baylor that ended up being the final time she suited up for Texas Tech. It's about a three-hour drive from her hometown, and she had 40 family members and friends attend Saturday's win over the Tar Heels.

The real Recee Caldwell showed up for that game, and Cal is hoping for more of the same against Baylor.

"The Arizona trip is when I felt like I saw glimpses of myself," Caldwell said. "I stopped overthinking and just started playing basketball. I think that's when the trajectory of my season went upward. I just started being myself."