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bearterritory · 8 years ago

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GOLDEN BEARS BEAT BRUINS

Maintain Home Streak Against UCLA

BERKELEY – Last year, Cal saw its season end with an overtime loss to UCLA in the semifinals of the Pac-12 Tournament. On Friday night, the Golden Bears got revenge, knocking off the 13th-ranked Bruins, 80-77, at Haas Pavilion in a balanced effort that saw all five starters score in double-figures. With the win, Cal (16-7, 4-7 Pac-12) snaps UCLA's six-game winning streak and earns its first win of the season over a Top-15 opponent. The Bruins (17-5, 8-3 Pac-12) fall to 3-5 this season on the road, and have lost in six straight trips to Haas Pavilion.

For just the third time this season and the first in conference play, Cal had five different players score double-digits, led by 18 points apiece from junior Mikayla Cowling, sophomore Kristine Anigwe, and freshman Mi'Cole Cayton. Senior Courtney Range added 15 points and 12 rebounds for her second double-double of the season while sophomore point guard Asha Thomas had 11 points and eight assists.

The Golden Bears brought energy right out of the gate. Cal opened the game on a 16-0 run, holding the 13th-ranked Bruins scoreless until the 4:13 mark in the first quarter. Cayton, making just her second career start, made her presence felt from the get-go, scoring 11 of her career-high 18 points in the first quarter. Defensively, Cal held UCLA to just six points in the opening period on 2-15 shooting, tied for the fewest points the Bears have allowed in any quarter all season.

The Bruins offense started to come alive in the second quarter, but the Bears maintained their advantage with aggressive play on the boards, outrebounding UCLA, 25-16, in the first half and scoring 10 second-chance points. Range grabbed nine of her season-high 12 rebounds in the opening half as the Bears took a 37-24 advantage into the locker room.

However, UCLA got off to a fast start in the second half, opening the third quarter on a 14-0 run before Cowling got the Bears back on the board with a mid-range jumper. Cowling, who scored just 10 points in the Bears' last two games, matched her season high with 18 points, 14 of which she scored in the second half.

But UCLA's offense proved difficult to contain, as the Bruins took their first lead of the game with 4:43 left in the third quarter on a Kennedy Burke connected jumper from the corner. Yet the Bears battled back, responding with an 8-2 run to close the quarter, taking a seven-point lead into the final period.

"We knew that they weren't going to go away," said Range. "But we knew if we stayed composed and continued playing how we did in the first quarter we could be successful."

The Bears carried that composure into the final period, weathering the storm as the Bruins drew with two points with 46 seconds left to play. However Cal would not be denied, as Thomas found Anigwe in the paint on the ensuing possession and the 6'4" center converted on the three-point play to build the Bears' lead back to five. Nicole Kornet connected on a pair free throws with two seconds left to close UCLA's deficit to three, but Canada's three-point attempt at the buzzer fell short as the Bears earned their first home win over a Top-15 opponent since beating No. 15 Arizona State, 74-63, on February 16, 2014. This is Cal’s second win against a ranked opponent this season, after previously beating No. 20 Oklahoma in December.

#Cal #Go Bears #UC Berkeley #Cal Basketball #Bear Territory #Mikayla Cowling #Cal Berkeley #Golden Bears #Haas Pavilion #Kristine Anigwe #Cal Bears #Mi'Cole Cayton #Courtney Range

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