BERKELEY, Calif. – The California women's basketball team's (12-3, 2-1) full depth was on display as it overcame foul trouble and had several players hit big shots on the way to defeating Washington State (11-5, 0-3), 73-72, in overtime Sunday afternoon at Haas Pavilion. The win gave the Bears their first sweep over the Washington schools since the 2018-19 season, when they did it twice and snapped their six-game skid against the Cougars.
 
At 12-3, Cal is off to its best start under head coach Charmin Smith and the best 15-game start since the 2016-17 season when the team started 13-2.
 
Marta Suárez gave Cal a three-point lead on a deep 3-pointer with 26 seconds left in the game, but Washington State's Charlisse Leger-Walker answered with a 3-pointer of her own with 12 seconds left to force overtime. In the extra period, Michelle Onyiah was the difference as she grabbed three offensive rebounds and converted a layup on each one for six points to lead all scorers in the period.
 
Ioanna Krimili scored 21 points and had four 3-pointers for the second consecutive game. Suárez had her fifth double-double of the season with 17 points and a career-high 12 rebounds while Onyiah scored 14 points to round out the Bears in double figures.
 
Leliani McIntosh dished out six assists to give her sole possession of the fifth spot on Cal's all-time career list, passing Mikayla Cowling and Natasha Vital.
 
In the first quarter Cal ended the period on a 6-0 run while holding Washington State scoreless for the last 5:31 to go up 16-9 heading into the second.
 
Washington State went on a 4-for-5 stretch from the field to get within two points at the 5:22 mark in the second quarter before Krimili answered with a 3-pointer. Cal continued on a 7-0 run capped by a layup from Onyiah to give the Bears a 31-22 lead at the 3:47 mark. A Suárez 3-pointer put the Bears up 10 points with under two minutes to go in the quarter, but the Cougars responded with a 7-0 run to cut the deficit to just three points at the half.
 
The Cougars took a 46-40 lead at the 3:30 mark on a 11-0 run that was finally ended by a Suárez layup.  Washington State's run was aided by Cal foul trouble, which resulted in nine free throw attempts for the Cougars. Washington State went up but as many as eight points in the quarter, but the Bears rallied. Cal hit its last three field goals including a 3-pointer from Krimili at the end of the quarter to cut the deficit to just one point heading into the final frame.
 
After the Bears went down four points at the eight-minute mark of the fourth quarter, Kemery Martín nailed a 3-pointer and followed up with a 3-point play to give Cal a two-point lead. The Cougars converted on back-to-back field goals to re-gain a two-point lead before Suárez hit a jumper to tie the game at 62-62. Suárez and Leger-Walker then exchanged 3-pointers with under 30 seconds left to force overtime.
 
In the extra period, the lead changed eight times, but it was Onyiah's key three offensive rebounds and six second chance points that proved to be the difference maker. The Cougars had a one-point lead with 1:21 left before Onyiah grabbed a Suárez missed layup with eight seconds left and put it back for the eventual game winning shot. Washington State had a chance with the last possession, but Mia Mastrov was able to steal the ball away from Leger-Walker to seal the win.
 
"We showed our growth in this game," Smith said. "I'm really proud of our team. We had a stretch there where we kind of were lulled to sleep a little bit, but then we bounced back and really fought and showed a ton of grit. I'm proud of how we battled. Lots of people stepped up with Leilani in foul trouble and not playing the minutes that she usually plays. From Mia [Mastrov] to Michelle [Onyiah], Lulu [Twidale] and Kemery [Martin], we had a group in there that really hadn't played much together and they really got us back in the game and were tremendous."
 
Washington State was led by Leger-Walker's 20 points.
 
UP NEXT
Cal heads on the road to take on No. 5 Colorado next Friday at 6 p.m.
 
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