Kudos to Puff for really stepping up in the 2nd half.

Live stats shows we made only 14 of 25 layups, or 56%.

Idaho looked quicker but we shot better and they had no answer for Sakima or Naya.

Hope Mjracle is OK. She didn't look like herself tonight.

Mjaricle didn't play the end of the game. felt she was under water. Puff played her best game the second half.

Only 900 plus at the game. i thought we were suppose to draw more people if we had a good yeaar the year before. I guess that is a myth.

Mjracle struggled a bit and Barnes did not play well...and Puff was not good until the 2nd half.

On the other hand, Gisella was very good and Naya was pretty good...Lulu made some winning plays down the stretch (of course, she did step out of bounds at the end...when the Bears had a timeout left).

I liked how Sakima passed to cutters today - 5 assists, leading the team. Got the better of Idaho's post.

Lulu will not get many clean looks in the half court. She does her damage in transition and off of O-boards. We may have to live with that this season...unless the Bears can break the paint often. Too often, the Bears break the paint but look to finish rather than kick. Hopefully this will evolve as the season progresses. That being said, I'll take 7/18 on 3s.

One glaring weakness is point of attack defense. The Bears are inconsistent in this area and if they can improve in this area, more stops. Duh. When the Bears have been able to funnel the player to Sakima, it's usually a missed or blocked shot. Plus, Bear defenders have been screened and I guess this is communication and KYP (as to whether to go under, over or switch). At least this is what I've seen...

The Vandals play at a hectic pace, always pushing the ball. If they could have made some shots, Cal would have been in trouble. Even then, this was a competitive game and turned into a gritty game and the Bears had earn the win.

So far I think this team is a good team, a solid team and will compete against the better teams...but things will have to fall in place for them to make the NCAAs.

wvitbear said:

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Mjaricle didn't play the end of the game. felt she was under water. Puff played her best game the second half.

Only 900 plus at the game. i thought we were suppose to draw more people if we had a good yeaar the year before. I guess that is a myth.

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I'd like to think it has to do with the time of the year. Two weeks until Christmas. People are going to Christmas parties, other holiday events, shopping, studying for finals, weren't inspired by an Idaho team.

Speaking of which, they had quite a few fans in attendance (more than San Jose State) likely because some of their players have local ties.

Wait until the ACC portion of the schedule starts. Lots of familiar teams will be coming to Haas.

I wonder if they included the teddy bears in their count. Lol.

wvitbear said:

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Mjaricle didn't play the end of the game. felt she was under water. Puff played her best game the second half.

Only 900 plus at the game. i thought we were suppose to draw more people if we had a good yeaar the year before. I guess that is a myth.

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RE: Attendance - The men's team only has just one loss and has an upset win over Ucla, but their attendance has declined in each of the last 3 games. It seems like team performance just isn't impacting attendance for some reason.

Recently signed 2026 Cal recruit, Anna Lagonikaki, a 6'3 forward from Greece, was at the game last night sitting in the student section with her mother.

SFCALBear72 said:

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Recently signed 2026 Cal recruit, Anna Lagonikaki, a 6'3 forward from Greece, was at the game last night sitting in the student section with her mother.

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Saw her downstairs before the game: an imposing figure.

gljone said:

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Mjracle struggled a bit and Barnes did not play well...and Puff was not good until the 2nd half.

On the other hand, Gisella was very good and Naya was pretty good...Lulu made some winning plays down the stretch (of course, she did step out of bounds at the end...when the Bears had a timeout left).

I liked how Sakima passed to cutters today - 5 assists, leading the team. Got the better of Idaho's post.

Lulu will not get many clean looks in the half court. She does her damage in transition and off of O-boards. We may have to live with that this season...unless the Bears can break the paint often. Too often, the Bears break the paint but look to finish rather than kick. Hopefully this will evolve as the season progresses. That being said, I'll take 7/18 on 3s.

One glaring weakness is point of attack defense. The Bears are inconsistent in this area and if they can improve in this area, more stops. Duh. When the Bears have been able to funnel the player to Sakima, it's usually a missed or blocked shot. Plus, Bear defenders have been screened and I guess this is communication and KYP (as to whether to go under, over or switch). At least this is what I've seen...

The Vandals play at a hectic pace, always pushing the ball. If they could have made some shots, Cal would have been in trouble. Even then, this was a competitive game and turned into a gritty game and the Bears had earn the win.

So far I think this team is a good team, a solid team and will compete against the better teams...but things will have to fall in place for them to make the NCAAs.

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I agree with virtually everything in this post. To be honest, this feels like a WNIT team...one that can actually make a deep run.

Considering how young we are (I think we forget just how young this team is!), if we can keep the core together for next year, I see a tournament team that could genuinely make some noise at the top of the ACC. The only caveat is that we'll need to land a high-level post in the portal.

I thought it was more than just up-tempo. A lot of players of very average athletic ability had been taught a variety of fakes and dribble drive moves that led to quick passes to others who were open, and later to drives to the basket after they faked those passes. Usually only a very good player on another team might have those types of moves. But they had instilled them in everybody as part of an overall system.

How many students were there?

For me, that's the foundation of attendance. Students bring energy and passion, but they've never supported women's basketball at Cal.

ClayK said:

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How many students were there?

For me, that's the foundation of attendance. Students bring energy and passion, but they've never supported women's basketball at Cal.

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Finals are next week.

I'm guessing quite a few who normally would have attended stayed home to study.

When I was leaving Sunday's game I saw an athlete sitting in the stands by herself studying.

Reminded me of what I'd sometimes do. I also would sometimes grab a sandwich and watch a few innings of baseball

SFCALBear72 said:

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ClayK said:

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How many students were there?

For me, that's the foundation of attendance. Students bring energy and passion, but they've never supported women's basketball at Cal.

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Finals are next week.

I'm guessing quite a few who normally would have attended stayed home to study.

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