BERKELEY –  Record-setting shooting from three-point range  led the  Cal women's basketball team to victory in the opening game of the 2017 Cal Classic, topping Manhattan 87-66  on Friday afternoon at Haas Pavilion. The Golden Bears  (3-1, 0-0 Pac-12) connected on a  program-record 17 three-pointers against the Jaspers  (1-3, 0-0 MAAC), led by a 9-14 performance from beyond the arc by junior point guard Asha Thomas.  Thomas' nine three-pointers  set a program record for three-pointers made in a single game, besting the  mark set by  Paige  Bowie on December 17, 1998. Thomas' nine three-pointers are tied for the most in a single game by any player in Division I this season.

Thomas led all scorers with a career-high 29 points – the most by any Cal player this season – while freshman Kianna Smith registered her first career double-double with 17 points  and 12 assists, putting together and impressive 4-5 performance from three-point range. Sophomore center CJ West also reached double-figures, chipping in a career-high 12 points in 16 minutes off the bench.

With Friday's win, the Golden Bears  won their 13^th consecutive home game  and advanced to the Cal Classic championship game, set to tip off at 2 p.m. PT. Cal will face the winner of No. 23 Missouri and Coppin State. The consolation game will begin at Noon PT. The Golden Bears have won the Cal Classic five of the last six years it's been held, including an 86-66 victory over  Duquesne in the title game last season.

Thomas and the Bears came out blazing from beyond the arc, going 7-10 from three-point range in the opening quarter. Cal, who entered the game with just 14 made threes on the season (14-51, 27.5%), connected on 17 of its  27 three-point attempts  (63.0%) while shattering the single-game team record of 14 made three-pointers set on November 22, 2015 against Cal Poly.

A three-year starter for the Bears,  Thomas hit her ninth  three-pointer with 1:11 left in the game. The  East Oakland native, who tied the program's NCAA  record  with six three-pointers last season against LSU, credited her team and coaches for the performance.


"Coach put me in the position to shoot the ball and my teammates got it to me," said Thomas. "I didn't know I was close to the record."

Thomas had help in the backcourt from Smith,  who added a career-high 17 points on 4-5 shooting from beyond the arc. The freshman from Moreno Valley, California picked up her first career double-double with 12 assists, the most by any Cal player in the last two  seasons. 


"The heat was emanating from those two," head coach  Lindsay Gottlieb  said about Thomas and Smith in the postgame press  conference.. "Each game has a different story and this one was unique. Throughout the course of our looks on offense, our shooters were wide open. I thought Kianna and  [Asha] took them in rhythm and took the right looks and did an unbelievable job in knocking them down."
 
Cal sophomore CJ West contributed a career-high 12 points, while senior Penina Davidson led Cal with nine rebounds, to tie the game high. Jaelyn Brown, a sophomore guard, went 2-2 from deep, while guards Sara Anastasieska from Sydney, Australia, and Bay Area native Mo Mosley each contributed a 3-pointer.
 
The Bears controlled the tempo from the initial whistle, leading off with a bucket in each quarter to set an aggressive tone. Cal went on a 10-4 run to open the fourth and move ahead 78-58, its largest lead of the night, before putting things away with a 21-point win, its largest win margin so far this season.
 
The Jaspers came within seven late in the third quarter after Bears' turnovers and miscues allowed their opponents to pick up 11 steals. The visitors from the east coast were led by senior center Kayla Grimme's 16 points and nine rebounds, however Cal slowed things down and bookended the period with Smith's third three-pointer and a lay-in from All-American junior forward/center Kristine Anigwe, who was limited to just three points on the night on 1-3  shooting.
 
"It was pretty clear that the Manhattan coaching staff said 'anyone, but Kristine' and they kept two people on her at all times," said Gottlieb. "I thought our players did a good job of still working things inside out. We still got touches that made sense and we were able to knock down shots. It was simple basketball and our players embraced that."
 
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