Jan. 5, 1998
Cal (5-7) Hosts #14 Stanford (5-4)
Fri. Jan. 9 STANFORD, Kaiser Arena (4,685), Oakland, CA
7:35 p.m. (Sportschannel,Brian Webber and Betty Ann Boeving)
THE BIG GAME:
The California women's basketball team (5-7) wraps up an extended seven-game homestand on Friday night, hosting the 14th-ranked Stanford Cardinal (5-4), in the 42nd playing of the Big Game. The game will be televised live by Sportschannel at 7:35 p.m., with Brian Webber and Betty Ann Boeving calling the action.
ABOUT STANFORD:
The Stanford Cardinal opened the season with an uncharacteristic 2-4 record, before ripping off three straight victories to stand 5-4 entering the Big Game. The Cardinal has played one of the toughest schedules around, suffering losses to #25 Wisconsin, Purdue, and #3 Connecticut on the road, and to #1 Tennessee in San Jose Arena, but rallying to post solid wins over Illinois on the road and at home against #18 Colorado. Stanford opened up Pac-10 play last weekend in convincing fashion, thumping Oregon State (93-66) and Oregon (97-72) at home. Stanford's frontline is strong, with seniors Olympia Scott, Vanessa Nygaard and Heather Owen, not to mention the recent addition of junior Kristin Folkl, who joined the team after leading Stanford to its third NCAA volleyball title in the past four years. Scott is the team's leading scorer (20.1 ppg) and rebounder (8.6 rpg), while Nygaard is right behind with 15.7 points and 7.5 rebounds per game. After just three games, Folkl is putting up impressive numbers, averaging 14.7 points and 8.0 rebounds.
SERIES RECORDS:
The series between Cal and Stanford dates back 25 years to the 1973-74 season, with the Cardinal holding a 26-15 series advantage. Stanford has won 18 of the last 20 games between the teams, but both losses in that string came on Cal's home court. Stanford has won eight straight games over the Bears, with the last Cal victory coming in Harmon Gym on February 12, 1993 (64-59) before the second-largest home crowd in Cal history (4,208). Cal is 11-10 at home against Stanford.
SERIES HIGHLIGHTS:
In one of the most memorable games in Cal history, the Golden Bears knocked off undefeated and second-ranked Stanford, 74-65, on January 10, 1992 before what was then the third-largest crowd in school history. It was one of only three losses for Stanford on the season, as the Cardinal went on to win its second NCAA title, while Cal finished that season with a 20-9 record and earned an NCAA tournament bid. The Bears added another win over the Cardinal the next season, posting a 64-59 victory on Feb. 12, 1993, playing before the second-largest crowd to ever see a women's basketball game in Harmon Gym (4,208). That marks Cal's last victory over Stanford, with the Cardinal sweeping the last eight games in the heated rivalry.
ATTENDANCE RECORDS:
The Golden Bears are expecting their first-ever sellout in Kaiser Arena (4,685) for the Stanford game, following the record-setting attendance (4,908) set in last year's Big Game, which was the final women's basketball game ever played in Harmon Gym. In fact, seven of the 10 largest home crowds in Golden Bear history have come to see the Cal-Stanford game. In the last five Big Games played on Cal's homecourt (1993-97), the average attendance has been 3,816.
CALIFORNIA WOMEN'S BASKETBALL LARGEST HOME CROWDS
Opponent Date Attendance Winner Score
1. Stanford 2/28/97 4,908 Stanford 82-50
2. Stanford 2/12/93 4,208 Cal 64-59
3. Stanford 1/21/94 3,628 Stanford 92-75
4. Stanford 2/2/96 3,282 Stanford 80-55
5. Stanford 2/17/95 3,056 Stanford 91-67
6. Santa Clara 3/18/92 2,858 Santa Clara 73-71
7. USC 1/22/86 2,838 Cal 102-85
8. Stanford 2/3/90 2,536 Stanford 87-60
9. Stanford 1/10/92 2,510 Cal 74-65
10. Arkansas 3/21/82 2,100 Cal 66-62
EARLY SUCCESS:
Since the inception of Pac-10 women's basketball play 12 years ago (1986-87), the Bears have at least split their opening weekend of conference games 11 times, including this season (W-OSU, L-UO). The only blemish on that record is the 1993-94 season, when the Bears opened up 0-3 in the Pac-10, falling on the road to Washington State and Washington, and at home against Arizona.
SECOND TRY IS GOOD:
In each of the past three seasons, the Bears have fallen in their Pac-10 opener, but rallied to win the second game of conference play. Last weekend, Cal lost the opener at home against Oregon (71-54), but rallied to win the second game against Oregon State (77-64). Last season, Cal lost on the road to Arizona in the conference opener (79-59), but came back to defeat Arizona State (88-58) in the second game of the trip. In the 1995-96 season, the Bears also lost to Arizona in the Pac-10 opener (102-66), this time at Harmon Gym, but rallied back to win the second game of the weekend against Arizona State (101-79).
THIRD TIME'S THE CHARM:
In a season already full of last-minute cliffhangers, sophomore Paige Bowie has developed into the Bears go-to player. In the Bears two one-point losses, Bowie came up short on game-winning shots. But given a third chance, Bowie came up big, hitting a three-point basket with three seconds remaining in double overtime to give Cal a thrilling 70-69 victory over George Mason Dec. 19 in theOakland Tribune Classic.
CLOSE CALLS:
The Golden Bears struggled to stay competitive last season, playing in only two games that were decided by three points or less. This season, however, Cal has battled to the end in nearly every game, with five contests decided by a three-point margin or less (2-3 record in those games). The Bears have suffered three of their losses by a grand total of five points: 64-63 loss to UOP, 59-58 loss to Wisconsin-Green Bay, and 62-59 loss to Saint Mary's. The Bears one-point victories came at USF (62-61) and at home against George Mason in double overtime (70-69).
ROAD WARRIORS:
After going 0-13 away from home last year, and winless in the last 17 games on the road, Cal has won two consecutive games away from home. The Bears 62-61 victory at USF Dec. 3 was the first true road win (on an opponents home court) since Feb. 24, 1996, when Cal defeated Washington State in Pullman, 91-83. The Bears 66-59 victory over Marshall University at the Rainbow Wahine Classic technically counts as a neutral victory, rather than a road win. Cal does not go on the road again this season until a Jan. 16-18 trip to UCLA and USC.
DEFENSE WINS GAMES:
The Bears are showing a marked improvement in several statistical areas this season, particularly on defense. Last year, Cal ranked at or near the bottom of every Pac-10 defensive category, but this year they are among the best in the league. The Bears have improved from last in rebounding margin (-4.6) to third, outrebounding their opponents by 4.4 rebounds per game this year. Head coach Marianne Stanley's squad has limited the opponents to just 40.7 percent field goal shooting, which ranks second in the Pac-10, and the Bears are allowing just 66.8 points per game, a considerable improvement over last season's 72.3 points per game yield.
BACK-TO-BACK:
With consecutive wins over Marshall Nov. 30 and USF Dec. 3, the Bears won back-to-back games for the first time since winning three consecutive games early last season (Dec. 7-20, 1996), all at home. Cal won back-to-back games only once last year, once during the 1995-96 season and just twice in the 1994-95 season. In addition, the wins over USF and Marshall are the first back-to-back wins away from home for the Bears since March, 1993.
PAC-10 STATS:
In Pac-10 Conference stats through games of Jan. 5, senior forward Amber Lacey ranks 19th in scoring (10.8 ppg) and 9th in rebounding (7.1 rpg). Junior center Jennie Leander ranks 11th in the Pac-10 in rebounding (6.7 prg), while freshman point guard Masa Radovic ranks 9th in assists (3.8 apg). Sophomore forward Paige Bowie ranks fifth in the conference in free throw percentage (.781) and 10th in blocked shots (0.7 bpg). As a team, the Bears ranks second in field goal percentage (.407), third in rebounding margin (+4.4) and fifth in scoring defense (66.8 ppg) and turnover margin (+1.25).
THE THREE IS GONE:
When the Bears went 0-for-4 from three-point range against Wisconsin-Green Bay Nov. 29, it snapped a streak of 53 consecutive games with at least one three-pointer made. The streak spanned nearly two years, beginning Dec. 8, 1995. In the Pac-10 opener Friday against Oregon, the Bears were again shut out from long distance, going 0-for-6 from three-point range. The Bears are just 18-for-107 from three-point land (.168) in 12 games this season, after averaging five three-pointers made per game and shooting 29 percent from long range last season.
DOUBLE FUN:
Senior forward Amber Lacey, a transfer from Alabama, has two double-doubles this season, putting up 19 points and 13 rebounds in the win over Cal Poly SLO in her first game at Cal, and scoring 11 points and grabbing 11 rebounds in the loss at Hawaii. A starer in every game for the Bears thus far, Lacey recorded just one double-double at Alabama in 32 games, all off the bench. Junior Jennie Leander posted her first double-double of the year with a 13-point, 15-rebound performance in the double OT win against George Mason Dec. 19. Freshman guard Masa Radovic joined the double-double club with 16 points and a career-high 10 assists in the Pac-10 victory over Oregon State Jan. 4.
STARTING LINEUPS:
The Bears started the same lineup for the first nine games of the season: sophomore Paige Bowie and senior Amber Lacey at forward, junior Jennie Leander at center, and freshmen Masa Radovic and Courtney Johnson at guard. Starting with the Bears game against Virginia Dec. 28, junior Sherrise Smith moved into the starting lineup at point guard for the past three games, with Radovic moving to shooting guard.
MAKING A POINT:
Before arriving at Cal this season, 6-1 freshman Masa Radovic had never played point guard in her career. A member of the Yugoslavian Junior National Team, Radovic was primarily a wing and shooting guard, but once the Cal coaching staff saw her ball-handling skills and court awareness, they quickly moved her to the point. Radovic has started all 12 games for the Bears, nine at point guard, and the past three at shooting guard. She leads the team in scoring (11.0 ppg) and ranks ninth in the Pac-10 in assists (3.8 apg).
NEXT UP:
The Bears head out on the road for the first time in almost six weeks, as they travel to UCLA on Friday, Jan. 16 and USC on Sunday, Jan. 18.
1997-98 CALIFORNIA GAME RECAPS
GAME 11:
After trailing by as many as 24 points in the first half, the Bears battled back to within seven points midway through the second half and trailed just 61-54 with 2:06 left in the game when Jennie Leander hit a driving layup. But Oregon held the Bears scoreless for the remainder of the game to seal the victory. Oregon won the game at the free throw line, sinking 24-of-26 attempts, while Cal converted on six-of-seven free throws. Oregon shot an impressive 46.8 percent from the field (22-of-47), while the Bears managed just 36.9 percent field goal shooting (36.9). Amber Lacey and junior center Jennie Leander scored 12 points each, and Masa Radovic added 11 points.
GAME 10:
Cal got its first taste of nationally-ranked competition on Dec. 28, as they lost at home to #10 Virginia, 81-66. Cal was down by just one point, 38-37, with 15:07 left in the game, but Virginia went on a 16-2 run over the next five minutes to take a commanding 53-40 lead and coasted to the win. Amber Lacey was the only Bear in double figures, scoring 10 points and grabbing five rebounds.
GAMES 8-9:
The Bears finished second at their own Oakland Tribune Classic Dec. 19-20. Paige Bowie nailed a three-pointer with three seconds left in double overtime to give Cal a 70-69 victory over George Mason in the first round. Bowie scored a season-high 16 points, while freshman Lauren Ashbaugh came off the bench to grab a career-high 13 rebounds. The Bears opened up the title game against Ohio State with a 10-0 run, before the Buckeyes rallied back to take a one-point halftime lead. Ohio State pulled away with a 14-4 run in the game's final three minutes to post an 85-72 win. Jennie Leander was named to the All-Tournament team for the second straight year, as she scored 33 points and grabbed 21 rebounds in the two games. She was joined on the all-tourney team by Amber Lacey, who scored a season-high 19 points and grabbed eight rebounds in the championship game.
GAME 6:
The Bears defense denied USF in the final 21 seconds to hold on for a 62-61 victory Dec. 3 at USF. Masa Radovic erased a one-point USF lead by driving uncontested to the basket for a layin with 0:21 remaining to give Cal a 62-61 lead. USF brought the ball up the court, called timeout with 0:05 left , but couldn't get off a shot after the inbounds play, as Jennie Leander knocked away the entry pass in the key and Amber Lacey grabbed the ball as time expired. Radovic scored a career-high 20 points, while Lacey added 12 points and 7 rebounds.
GAMES 3-5:
Cal posted a 1-2 record at the Rainbow Wahine Classic in Honolulu, HI, Nov. 28-30. The Bears lost in the first round to host Hawaii, 69-40, and missed a potential game-winner at the buzzer against Wisconsin-Green Bay to fall 59-58. The Bears roared back on the final day to claim a 66-59 win over Marshall, marking Cal's first road win in nearly two seasons. Paige Bowie led the Bears with 19 points against UWGB and 16 points against Marshall, while Jennie Leander added 16 points and 8 rebounds against UWGB and 14 points against Marshall. Amber Lacey posted her second double-double of the season with 11 points and 11 rebounds against Hawaii.
GAME 2:
Cal lost a heartbreaker at UOP Nov. 24, as Martha Yarbrough sank a short jumper with 2.3 seconds remaining to give UOP a 64-63 victory in Stockton. Freshman Masa Radovic's pair of free throws had given the Bears a 63-62 lead with 11 seconds left, but UOP was able to move the ball up the court and get Yarbrough open for the game-winner. The Bears inbounded the ball and called timeout, but a desperation 3-point attempt by Radovic at the buzzer bounced off the rim. Radovic led the Bears with a career-high 19 points while senior Amber Lacey added 16 points and five rebounds.
GAME 1:
Cal posted a solid 94-58 victory over Cal Poly SLO in the season and home opener Nov. 20. It was the Bears 18th consecutive victory in home openers, dating back to the 1980-81 season. Senior Amber Lacey led the Bears with a career-high 19 points and 13 rebounds, while freshman Kenya Corley came off the bench to contribute 18 points and eight rebounds in just 18 minutes. The Bears shot an outstanding 50 percent from the field for the game (36-for-72), and outrebounded Cal Poly SLO, 51-33.
