Bears Stymied by No. 6 Wildcats
TUCSON, Ariz. – The Golden Bears (0-9, 0-6 Pac-12) dropped their second road game of 2021 on Sunday, falling to No. 6 Arizona (8-1, 6-1 Pac-12) 69-33.
Turnovers plagued Cal from the start as the Bears finished the game with 31 overall which led to 26 Wildcat points. Arizona was also relentless in shooting, finishing the first half with a 62 percent field goal percentage (finishing the game at 51 percent). The Bears had a much more productive second half on defense however, holding the Wildcats to 0-for-7 from beyond the arc and they won the offensive rebound battle 6-5. Furthermore, they held Arizona to 33.3 percent shooting (5-for-15) in the fourth quarter. Cal's best quarter came in the fourth when it outscored the Wildcats 13-10 and kept them scoring in the final 3:30 minutes of the game.
Freshman forward/guard Dalayah Daniels has now led the team in scoring in three out of the team's last four games, finishing with 12 points on Sunday, her fourth-consecutive contest in double figures (sixth overall). She also contributed seven rebounds. Meanwhile, sophomore forward Evelien Lutje Schipholt scored eight points and picked up a team-best nine boards. She scored six points in the final period and collected three rebounds during that time.
"We know our weaknesses and where we need to continue to work really hard in practice every day to get better," head coach Charmin Smith said. "But I am proud of our team that we continue to play until the final buzzer regardless of the score or circumstance."
The Golden Bears will now return home for their first games at Haas Pavilion of 2021. They will face Oregon State and Oregon on Jan. 8 and 10 respectively. Both contests will be televised on Pac-12 Network.
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