Bears Host Exhibition Against Vanguard On Thursday
Kelley L Cox/KLC fotos
Marta Suarez returns as the team's leading rebounder.

WBB10/30/2024 12:13 PM | By: Cal Athletics

Bears Host Exhibition Against Vanguard On Thursday

Tipoff Is Set For 7 P.M. In Haas Pavilion; Game Is Free To The Public

BERKELEY – The California women's basketball team will play its lone exhibition game prior to the start of the 2024-25 regular season when it hosts Vanguard on Thursday night at Haas Pavilion at 7 p.m. PT.
 
The Golden Bears last played Vanguard on Nov. 3, 2019, in a 79-55 exhibition win.
 
The regular season gets underway Monday when the Bears host Saint Mary's at 6 p.m. PT The season opener is part of a doubleheader with the Cal men's basketball team, which hosts Cal State Bakersfield at 8:30 p.m.
 
QUICK HITS
  • The Bears are coming off their best season under head coach Charmin Smith in which they:
    • Won their most overall (19) and conference (seven) games since 2018-19
    • Had home and road sweeps of Pac-12 schools (Washington and Washington State) for the first time since 2018-19
    • Played in the postseason for the first time since 2018-19
    • Advanced to the quarterfinals of the Pac-12 Tournament for the first time since 2019-20.
    • Swept three different Pac-12 schools (Oregon, Washington and Washington State) for the first time since 2017-18.
  • Last year, Cal set a single-season program record with 282 made 3-pointers
  • Graduate guard Ioanna Krimili enters the 2024-25 season as the nation's leader in both career triples (337) and most career games with at least five made 3-pointers (24).
  • This year's roster features the No. 22-ranked freshman class, which includes two rookies who are part of ESPN HoopGurlz Top 100 - Kamryn Mafua (No. 54) and Zahra King (No. 76) along with last year's Gatorade and MaxPreps Hawaii State Player of the Year Lola Donez and Gabby Abigor.
  • The Bears welcome four transfers in graduate forward Natalia Ackerman (Cal Poly), sophomore guard Gisella Maul (Texas), graduate guard Jayda Noble (Washington) and graduate guard Kayla Williams (USC).
  • New to this year's coaching staff is assistant coach Jenny Huth, who brings over 15 years experience coaching women's basketball at the Division I level.
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