BERKELEY – The California women's basketball team's defense once again played a key role in helping the Golden Bears extend their win streak to start the season to six games and defeat San Jose State (3-3), 74-51, on the first day of the Raising The B.A.R. Invitational at Haas Pavilion Friday afternoon. The 6-0 record marks the best start to a season for the Bears under head coach Charmin Smith. Cal forced the Spartans into 28 turnovers resulting in 29 points.
 
"I thought it was a really good team effort and we wanted to limit our minutes because anticipating this championship matchup tomorrow, I wanted to have fresh legs for starters, so credit to the bench," Smith said. "We had 30 bench points. So we're really proud of what Ila and Mia were able to do and the whole bench just coming in and allowing us to sit Leilani. When has that ever happened? So I'm really excited about that and how we played as a team."
 
Several Bears had career efforts in the win: Marta Suárez posted her first-ever double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds, McKayla Williams grabbed a game-high 12 rebounds, Michelle Onyiah nabbed five steals and Lulu Twidale knocked down four 3-pointers.
 
"I challenged the guards before the game and said I need a guard to get 10 rebounds," Smith said. "She's [McKayla] been on the boards already having like eight and nine a game, but she can do it all and she's just really efficient in what she does, both defensively and offensively for us."
 
Onyiah scored the first six points of the game for the Bears to open the game. After both teams went through a two-minute scoring drought, Kemery Martín hit a 3-pointer at the end of the shot clock with 5:22 to go to give the Bears a two-point lead. Back-to-back steals and scores from Leilani McIntosh and Suárez fueled a 16-2 run that gave Cal a 24-11 lead at the end of the quarter. The Bears forced seven turnovers turning them into 11 points.
 
The Bears continued to extend their lead in the second quarter using a 9-0 run capped by an Onyiah layup to give Cal a 19-point lead with 4:04 remaining in the half. Cal was able to pull down 10 offensive rebounds in the half.
 
Cal went scoreless to start the third quarter until Martín hit a jumper at the 6:42 mark. The Bears never let the Spartans back into the game in the second half. Mia Mastrov grabbed an offensive rebound and scored on a reverse layup with less than a minute to go in the third quarter to give Cal a 27-point lead, its biggest of the game.
 
The Bears finished the game with a season-high 23 offensive rebounds while holding San Jose State to just six. Onyiah paced the Bears' offense with 13 points while McIntosh had a game-high six assists.
 
San Jose State was led by Jyah LoVett's 19 points and Sabrina Ma's eight rebounds.
 
NEXT UP
Cal faces Texas A&M in the championship game of the Raising The B.A.R. Invitational Saturday at 2:30 p.m. PT.
 
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