Sunday, March 1
Tucson, AZ
11:00 AM
California
at
Arizona
2/29/2020 11:06 AM | Women's Basketball
Cal Takes On No. 13 Arizona To Close Out Regular Season Slate
TUCSON, Ariz - After four months of fierce competition, the Cal women's basketball team wraps up the regular season on Sunday, taking on No. 13 Arizona at 12 p.m. MT/11 a.m. PT at the McKale Center. The Golden Bears (10-18, 2-15 Pac-12) look to respond after a 77-54 loss at No. 24 Arizona State on Friday night, which same the sharpshooting Sun Devils connect on 10 three-pointers. Freshmen Cailyn Crocker (11 points) and Evelien Lutje Schipholt (10 points, 7 rebounds) led the way offensively for the Bears, who squared off against a Top-25 opponent for the 11th time this season.
Cal will have another shot at a ranked team on Sunday, going up against the 13th-ranked Wildcats (23-5, 12-5 Pac-12). Arizona is coming off a thrilling 73-72 overtime win over No. 4 Stanford on Friday night, the program's first victory over a Top-5 team.
Cal and Arizona split both meetings last season, with each team winning on its home court. The Wildcats opened the series with a 60-55 victory in Tucson before the Bears responded in Berkeley, coming through with an 82-76 overtime win at Haas Pavilion on Senior Day.
Senior Jaelyn Brown is Cal's lone starter returning from last season's squad, and leads the Bears in scoring this season with 14.7 points per game. Ranked 12th in the conference in scoring this season, Brown has moved into 29th on Cal's all-time scoring list with 1,034 career points. The senior from Murrieta, California had nine points and three steals on Friday at Arizona State, snapping her streak of seven consecutive games scoring in double-figures.
Classmate CJ West leads the Bears and ranks 11th in the conference in rebounding (6.4 rebounds per game). West went a perfect 3-3 from the floor on Friday night, but saw limited minutes due to foul trouble.
As they have done all season, Cal's freshman quartet of Crocker, Lutje Schipholt, Jazlen Green, and Leilani McIntosh made valuable contributions on both ends of the floor against the Sun Devils. McIntosh – who grew up in the Phoenix area – post a game-high four steals while Green added seven points off the bench. Overall, Cal's freshmen scored 34 of the Bears' 54 total points on Friday night.
FOLLOW THE ACTION
Sunday's game against the Wildcats will be broadcast on Pac-12 Networks with Daron Sutton and Joan Bonvicini on the call. The matchup will be live streamed on the Pac-12 app with live stats also 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 WILDCATS
Arizona is coming off an historic performance Friday night in which the Wildcats knocked off No. 4 Stanford, 73-72, in overtime for the programs first win ever over a Top-5 opponent. Coming off a 50-38 road loss at Colorado their last time out, Arizona responded on its homecourt, handing the Cardinal their second consecutive loss.
Standout guard Aari McDonald, who missed the previous two games due to injury, led Arizona with 20 points, 13 of which came in the fourth quarter and overtime. McDonald went 7-20 from the floor in her return from injury, but hit the game-winning bucket with eight seconds remaining in overtime. Dominique McBryde (13 points, 10 rebounds) added a double-double for the Wildcats while Sam Thomas (17 points) and Helena Pueyo (11 points) also finished in double-figures. Stanford's Kiana Williams led all players with 27 points, but Arizona forced Stanford into 22 turnovers on the night and held a 19-9 advantage over the Cardinal on second chance points.
A redshirt junior, McDonald leads the Pac-12 and ranks 10th in the nation in scoring, averaging 20.5 points per game on the season. An elite defender as well, McDonald leads the Pac-12 in steals, averaging 2.5 per game this season.
Overall, Arizona is the top defensive team in the conference this season, holding opponents to 55.0 points per game this season. The Wildcats also lead the conference in steals (10.5 steals per game) and rank second in the Pac-12 in turnover margin at +4.9.
Head coach Adia Barnes is in her fourth season at the helm of the Wildcat program and returns eight letterwinners from last season's squad that won the WNIT. Arizona was picked sixth in the 2019-20 Pac-12 Preseason Coaches Poll, but has secured a Top-4 finish and first round bye in the upcoming Pac-12 Tournament.
UP NEXT
Following Sunday's regular season finale, the Bears will head to Las Vegas for the 2020 Pac-12 Women's Basketball Tournament. Cal is the 12 seed and will take on five seed Arizona State at 11:30 a.m. PT on Thursday in the opening game of the Tournament. The winner of that game will play the four seed on Friday at 11:30 a.m. PT for a spot in the semifinals. Cal and Arizona State have played six times previously in the Pac-12 Tournament, with the Bears holding a 5-1 advantage in the postseason series.
The 2020 Pac-12 Tournament will be held at the Mandalay Bay Events Center. Information on the tournament field, tickets, and travel information can be found here.
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).
Cal will have another shot at a ranked team on Sunday, going up against the 13th-ranked Wildcats (23-5, 12-5 Pac-12). Arizona is coming off a thrilling 73-72 overtime win over No. 4 Stanford on Friday night, the program's first victory over a Top-5 team.
Cal and Arizona split both meetings last season, with each team winning on its home court. The Wildcats opened the series with a 60-55 victory in Tucson before the Bears responded in Berkeley, coming through with an 82-76 overtime win at Haas Pavilion on Senior Day.
Senior Jaelyn Brown is Cal's lone starter returning from last season's squad, and leads the Bears in scoring this season with 14.7 points per game. Ranked 12th in the conference in scoring this season, Brown has moved into 29th on Cal's all-time scoring list with 1,034 career points. The senior from Murrieta, California had nine points and three steals on Friday at Arizona State, snapping her streak of seven consecutive games scoring in double-figures.
Classmate CJ West leads the Bears and ranks 11th in the conference in rebounding (6.4 rebounds per game). West went a perfect 3-3 from the floor on Friday night, but saw limited minutes due to foul trouble.
As they have done all season, Cal's freshman quartet of Crocker, Lutje Schipholt, Jazlen Green, and Leilani McIntosh made valuable contributions on both ends of the floor against the Sun Devils. McIntosh – who grew up in the Phoenix area – post a game-high four steals while Green added seven points off the bench. Overall, Cal's freshmen scored 34 of the Bears' 54 total points on Friday night.
FOLLOW THE ACTION
Sunday's game against the Wildcats will be broadcast on Pac-12 Networks with Daron Sutton and Joan Bonvicini on the call. The matchup will be live streamed on the Pac-12 app with live stats also 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 WILDCATS
Arizona is coming off an historic performance Friday night in which the Wildcats knocked off No. 4 Stanford, 73-72, in overtime for the programs first win ever over a Top-5 opponent. Coming off a 50-38 road loss at Colorado their last time out, Arizona responded on its homecourt, handing the Cardinal their second consecutive loss.
Standout guard Aari McDonald, who missed the previous two games due to injury, led Arizona with 20 points, 13 of which came in the fourth quarter and overtime. McDonald went 7-20 from the floor in her return from injury, but hit the game-winning bucket with eight seconds remaining in overtime. Dominique McBryde (13 points, 10 rebounds) added a double-double for the Wildcats while Sam Thomas (17 points) and Helena Pueyo (11 points) also finished in double-figures. Stanford's Kiana Williams led all players with 27 points, but Arizona forced Stanford into 22 turnovers on the night and held a 19-9 advantage over the Cardinal on second chance points.
A redshirt junior, McDonald leads the Pac-12 and ranks 10th in the nation in scoring, averaging 20.5 points per game on the season. An elite defender as well, McDonald leads the Pac-12 in steals, averaging 2.5 per game this season.
Overall, Arizona is the top defensive team in the conference this season, holding opponents to 55.0 points per game this season. The Wildcats also lead the conference in steals (10.5 steals per game) and rank second in the Pac-12 in turnover margin at +4.9.
Head coach Adia Barnes is in her fourth season at the helm of the Wildcat program and returns eight letterwinners from last season's squad that won the WNIT. Arizona was picked sixth in the 2019-20 Pac-12 Preseason Coaches Poll, but has secured a Top-4 finish and first round bye in the upcoming Pac-12 Tournament.
UP NEXT
Following Sunday's regular season finale, the Bears will head to Las Vegas for the 2020 Pac-12 Women's Basketball Tournament. Cal is the 12 seed and will take on five seed Arizona State at 11:30 a.m. PT on Thursday in the opening game of the Tournament. The winner of that game will play the four seed on Friday at 11:30 a.m. PT for a spot in the semifinals. Cal and Arizona State have played six times previously in the Pac-12 Tournament, with the Bears holding a 5-1 advantage in the postseason series.
The 2020 Pac-12 Tournament will be held at the Mandalay Bay Events Center. Information on the tournament field, tickets, and travel information can be found here.
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).
Players Mentioned
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