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Bears Begin Conference Play In The Palouse

by calbears.com
Dec 29, 2021

BERKELEY – The Cal women's basketball begins conference play on Friday when the Bears travel to Pullman to take on Washington State. Friday's game will be televised on Pac-12 Bay Area with Greg Heister and Angela Taylor handling the play-by-play duties. Live stats for Friday's game are also available at Statbroadcast.com.
 
Cal (9-2) wrapped up non-conference play last Tuesday with a 73-55 win over visiting Saint Mary's. Evelien Lutje Schipholt notched her fifth double-double of the season with 20 points and 10 rebounds. For her effort she earned Pac-12 Player of the Week honors. Washington State (8-3) is riding a two-game loosing streak, but enters conference play with the most wins since the 2015-16 season.

GAME 12 INFORMATION
Date/Time: Dec. 31, 2021 – 7:00 p.m. PT   
Opponent: Washington State Cougars (8-3, 0-0 Pac-12)
Site: Beasley Coliseum (Pullman, WA)
TV:  Pac-12 Bay Area
Talent: Greg Heister (play-by-play), Angela Taylor (analyst)
Live Stats: Statbroadcast.com
 
AT A GLANCE

  • The 9-2 start is the best start under third year head coach Charmin Smith. It is tied for the third-best start in program history. Cal has started 9-2 or better 12 times, they've started 11-0 once and 10-1 once.
  • A win on Friday would see the Bears improve to 10-2 - Cal has started 10-2 just seven times in program history. A loss would see the Bears fall to 9-3, Cal has started 9-3 12 times in program history.
  • As a team, the Bears are averaging 76.0 points per game which ranks 41st in the nation. They are allowing 63.3 points per game. Their scoring margin of +12.7 is 74th best in the nation.
  • Cal is 2-1 on the road this year. They are averaging 67.0 points per game away from Haas Pavilion. They are allowing 59.7 ppg on the road. From the field, Cal is shooting 39.2 percent and from beyond the arc they are connecting on 32.7 percent of their attempts.
  • Get to 70: Cal has scored 70 or more points eight times this year, they are 8-0 in those contests. In the Charmin Smith era, Cal is 16-3 when scoring 70 or more points. When scoring 69 or fewer, Cal is 1-2 this season and 6-36 under Smith. 
  • Up at the half: Following the win over Saint Mary's last Tuesday, Cal is 9-0 this season when leading at the half. In the Charmin Smith era, Cal is 19-5 when they lead at the intermission.
  • Player of the Week: On Monday, forward Evelien Lutje Schipholt was named the Pac-12 Player of the Week after recording her fifth double-double of the year following the win over Saint Mary's. It is the second career weekly award for Lutje Schipholt, she earned Freshman of the Week honors her freshman year. The last Cal player to earn Pac-12 Player of the Week honors for Cal was Jaelyn Brown on Nov. 25, 2019.

 
 
Series Versus Washington State
After a one-year hiatus in the series due to COVID, the Bears and Cougars will square off on Friday for the 73rd time. The series dates back to January 22, 1983 when Cal defeated Washington State 72-62 in Pullman. All-time, the Bears own a 48-25 advantage in the series. In Pullman, Cal is 16-18 but are 3-2 in over the last five trips. Washington State is currently enjoying a one-sided two-game winning streak against the Bears, sweeping the season series in 2019-20. Last time out, Washington State defeated Cal 92-66 at Beasley Coliseum.
 
Last Time Out Versus Washington State
Despite a career-high 18 points from Jazlen Green, the Bears fell to Washington State, 92-66, at Beasley Coliseum. Green scored 15 of her points in the second half, but it was not enough for the Bears to hold off a key fourth-quarter surge by the Cougars.
 
Washington State outscored Cal, 25-14, in the fourth quarter, keyed by a 15-0 run to put the game out of reach after Cal cut the deficit to 11 points after a three-pointer by redshirt senior Sara Anastasieska. Anastasieska added 11 points.
 
Washington State's Borislava Hristova led all scorers with 32 points, going 14-for -18 from the floor.
 
UP NEXT
Sunday's game at Washington has been postponed. Cal's next contest will take place on Friday, January 7 when the Bears host Oregon State at 7:00 p.m. That game will be televised on the Pac-12 Network.

STAY CONNECTED
For complete coverage of Cal women's basketball, please follow the Bears on Twitter (@CalWBball), Instagram (@CalWBball) and Facebook (/CalWBball/).
 
 
 
 
 

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