BERKELEY – The California women's basketball team will conclude its three-game season-opening homestand by taking on Cal Poly at Haas Pavilion at 3 p.m. PT on Monday. The Golden Bears are 2-0 after taking down Cal State Bakersfield and Santa Clara to open the season.
 
This game marks the eighth meeting between the two programs with Cal owning a perfect 7-0 record in the series, which dates back to the 1998-99 season. The last matchup took place on Dec. 18, 2021, at Haas Pavilion with the Bears running away with an 89-73 win.
 
Cal Poly is in its second season under head coach Shanele Stires and is coming off a 10-18 season that included wins over UCSB, Fresno State and San Jose State. The Mustangs are led by returners Annika Shah, who led the team in points (9.8) and 3-pointers (44), and Natalie Ackerman, who led the team in rebounding (6.1) last season.  
 
Monday's game will air on Pac-12 Network with Kevin Danna and Mary Murphy on the call.
 
GAME INFORMATION
Date & Time: Monday, Nov. 13 | 3 p.m. PT
Live Stats: StatBroadcast
Live Stream: Pac-12 Network
 
QUICK HITS

• In Wednesday's 71-56 win over Santa Clara:
  • McKayla Williams paced the team with 16 points (three off her career-high) while also leading the team in rebounds for the second straight game with eight.
  • Marta Suarez had a career-high five steals while Leilani McIntosh swiped four. Suarez also had a career high in points with 15.
  • The five steals were the most in a game by a Bear since McIntosh nabbed seven against Washington on Feb. 24, 2022.
  • McIntosh handed out a game-high eight assists, putting her just two away from passing alum and current WNBA player Layshia Clarendon and moving into the eighth spot on Cal's all-time career assists list.
  • McIntosh has now had 10 career games with at least seven assists.
  • The Bears' defense was crucial in securing the win as it forced 18 Bronco turnovers resulting in 14 points.
• Over the first two games of the season, Cal's offense has come from multiple players. In both games, four different players scored in double figures, a significant improvement from last season in which four players scored in double figures in just four games all year.
• Already through the first two games of the season, the Bears have had 10 or more steals in each game, matching the total from all of last year.
• Returners McIntosh and Kemery Martín received 2023-24 Pac-12 preseason All-Conference honorable mention honors.
• The Bears welcome six newcomers to the team: freshmen guards Anastasia Drosouni (Greece) and Lulu Twidale (Australia), junior forward Marta Suárez from Tennessee, senior forward McKayla Williams from Gonzaga and graduate transfers Ila Lane from UCSB and Ioanna Krimili from the University of San Francisco.
• Martín ended the 2022-23 season tied for the team lead with 59 made 3-pointers, which ranked eighth in the Pac-12 and were good for seventh on Cal's all-time single-season list.
• Lane was named to this year's Lisa Leslie Award preseason watch list for the third time in her career. The award is given to the country's top center every year.
• Krimili joins the Bears as one of the top 3-point shooters in the country. Last year she ranked 30th in the nation with 84 made 3-pointers while shooting at a 39.4 percent clip.
• The Bears are coming off an incredibly competitive 13-17 season in which they played the second most ranked opponents (16) in the country. In nine of the 16 ranked games, Cal had a lead or was within single digits with under five minutes left in the game.

 
NEXT UP
Cal heads east on the road to take on Auburn on Nov. 17 and Florida A&M on Nov. 20.
 
STAY POSTED
For further coverage of Cal women's basketball, follow the Bears on Twitter (@CalWBBall), Instagram (@CalWBBball) and Facebook (/CalWBBall/).