I thought this was one of the greatest games i have witnessed live.

Kudos to The whole team. Big game by Davidson. I've been waiting for this to happen and seem to be the only one who thinks it could happen. Green had to play about 30 minted and be a statue. On top of that she made a basket. Anigwe was great till she fouled to. Thomas didn't have a great game but hit a great shot. Crowd was really into the game. Cowling hit some great shots at the end and Range was boss in the beginning.

Interesting reading the line before this. People are so down on the team. They are young and will make mistakes plus their best defender was hurt. Canada didn't start scoring till Green was hurt.

What blew me away was UCLA's offensive rebounding. We couldn't grab a rebound.

Time to celebrate.

I am not going to ruin this one by trying to over-analyze. There were numerous times we could have thrown in the towel due to fatigue, injuries, foul trouble, our own mistakes, and the way the refs were refusing to call anything under the boards. But this team fought through everything. An amazing, gutty performance.

Well--the game ended about 10 minutes before the exact moment of the winter solstice, so there's undoubtedly a mystical vibe here. Or something.

BearBloke and I are very happy that, despite some silly plays, Cal held on, as they did against Nebraska. Given their age and experience (and scarcity), this is a poised team.

I was hurting for those players
I really don't know how some of them finished the game
what a gutty performance
also very relieved they won ... playing 2OT and then losing is so gut wrenching, and Cal had them beat at the end of regulation and OT

I thought the team looked great most of the first half. End of the game and OT's they were really struggling with Anigwe and Davison fouled out, Cowling cramping up, Green with some injury (sprained ankle?) and Range playing with 4 fouls. They really dug deep to gut out the win and hit some clutch free throws late, which was good to see.

Anyone see what happened to Green? What is the status of Waters and Chen? One extra player would have made a big difference. I don't know what they would have done if Range went out.

I have also been expecting Penina to break loose. Last season in limited play she showed skills and poise to be a top all-around contributor. Her game tonight, when Cal needed her, she was there with a terrific effort. That experience should dramatically push her development.

The KC Waters mystery now takes on legendary proportions. They couldn't even give her a few minutes in this one when some of our players were barely able to walk?

oldblue83;842619942 said:

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Anyone see what happened to Green?

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I didn't see it happen but I did see her on the bench with her shoe off getting taped.

I also saw Courtney get hit in the face and spend an entire possession standing under the basket rubbing it. Rough game.

Quote:

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What is the status of Waters and Chen?

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Chen was wearing an orthopedic boot on one foot and walking on crutches. Waters suited up but didn't play. I don't know why but I suspect our coaches wanted the speed of Nina and Mo.

oldblue83;842619942 said:

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Anyone see what happened to Green? What is the status of Waters and Chen? One extra player would have made a big difference. I don't know what they would have done if Range went out.

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We were sitting near the Cal bench; I didn't see what happened to Gabby, but in the first half, she was over at the end of the bench with her leg up. She took off her shoe off & they removed the tape she already had on her ankle and were examining it. I assume they must have re-taped it.

So what is Chen's injury and how long is she expected to be out?

2482 and I saw lots of kids too!!

Thanks All. Looking forward to PAC 12 play (officially). GO BEARS!

There was a few cringe worthy moments in the game, and a few times my heart got a little broken, but that game was AMAZING! To me, I thought UCLA looked like the best team we have played so far, and the bears stepped up.

I think if Gabby hadn't been injured early on we would have beat them before over time easily and had Anigwe not fouled out we could have shut them down in the first OT. Asha had a cold shooting night, but she did have 11 assists, some of which were really incredible passes. Range came out like warrior! Cowling and Davidson were also fierce.

I thought they looked hungrier this time, had more hustle and more grit. It was great to see.

Great game and good crowd noise, worth me coming from Sacramento. Very nice of Coach LG to show her appreciation to the fans after the game for trying to keep the teams spirits up cheering! I have no voice now..and I'm exhausted!-Lol.

I knew this was going to be a tough game (I had to come see this one in person) I've been watching these Bruins play highly ranked teams and barely lose; I told Pat the team is much improved this year, much respect Bruins.

Nice meeting some of the Bear family for the first time tonight! :cheer

This was one of the strangest games I've ever seen. On one hand the Bears played some of the lowest IQ basketball I've seen in some time. On the other hand, they played with grit and heart unlike anything I've seen from this team. Gabby made one of the most gutty baskets I've seen. Obviously hurting with a bad ankle, late in the 2nd OT the Bruins let her move with the ball but cut off the passing lanes daring her to score. Gabby made a couple dribbles toward the basket and made one huge shot.

However, had the Bears rebounded worth a darn all the heroics would have been unnecessary. In fact, Cal would have won easily. How do you allow 28 offensive rebounds? It's not like we had inferior size or athletes. Due to our crappy rebounding, Ucla ended up with 106 shot attempts to Cal's 77!!! Think about that for a minute. That is crazy. Then there was the self-destruct at the end of regulation. Between throwing the ball away and acting like their hair was on fire, chucking up early shots instead of eating the clock, the Bears almost gave the game away. Then came either one of the biggest bone head plays or worst coaching decisions ever. With 3 seconds remaining in regulation and Cal up by 3, Cal chose not to foul and then failed to double Canada, who promptly hit the 3 for a tie at the buzzer. How does this happen? There were plenty more bone head plays and coaching decisions to sink the Cal ship many times over. In all honesty, the Bears played bravely but were their own worst enemy and were very fortunate to win.

I appreciate the win and the grit and determination the Bears showed, but they got to play smarter. And, Anigwe has to keep herself out of foul problems.

The offensive rebounding stat is more an indictment on what the refs were letting UCLA get away with underneath. They were crashing the boards hard (great hustle) but often right through Cal players and shoving, jumping over the back and none of it called a foul, while Canada would throw herself to the floor and get a call.

I liked how the game was being called, or rather not called, initially, because it kept Anigwe out of early foul trouble also. But then it really took its toll on us as UCLA could keep running fresh athletes out there to crash the boards without fear of fouling. How we overcame that and still kept our poise is part of the amazing story.

I also loved how we handled their press. Courtney Range turned out to be a very underrated ball handler and dribbler.

A few more comments on the rebounding: 1) We were about tied in total rebounding, so the disparity was really on the offensive end; 2) We have a real fall-off in rebounding when Anigwe is in foul trouble or on the bench; 3) In this one, we had to play a lot with 4 1/2 players when Gabby was out there limping around. And this forced Range into more of a ball-handling role, which took her away from the boards; 4) Davidson does need to learn to box out. She really got bounced out of the way given how the game was being called. The real question is how can the UCLA coach not find a way to win given her athletes and that advantage in this game?

annarborbear;842619984 said:

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The real question is how can the UCLA coach not find a way to win given her athletes and that advantage in this game?

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Cal was on its home court. Cal's legs were fresher as Cal was coming off much more rest than were the Bruins. Cal's length and athleticism was exposing the defensive deficiencies of UCLA's few shooters-- Korver and Hersler-- making it difficult to keep 'em on the floor for extended lengths, which meant that Cal could play that sagging zone almost the entire game. Finally, the Bruins simply had no answer for Anigwe. She played a superlative game.

The Massey Index projected a 3-point win for Cal last night. That ended up being a pretty accurate projection.

It was a fun game. Congrats on the win. See you in Pauley.

I agree with Moraga. First , GoCal, you did not want to play the game because UCLA was probably going to win. But when we win, Are you happy. No you are not.

Two things1. As far as not fouling before the three point shot, the Warriors debate about this all the time and don't foul a lot of the time. So if the best coaching staff in NBA doesn't do it , why is it dumb for Lindsey to not do it. Someone should write the Warriors and tell them what a pathetic staff they have.

2. I watched a rerun of the game and the reason they threw the ball over the press was Gabby was at the tail end of the press and just couldn't get back. She couldn't run and barely could walk but I won't blame her for not getting back.

3. UCLA holds their opponents to 36% fg shooting. We shot over 50 %, so we must have been doing something right.

Pat, they may have started out fresher, but they didn't end up fresher with one player on a sprained ankle and another with leg cramps. UCLA has a deeper bench than Cal , so I would say they were fresher. Also, UCLA played Sac State two days ago and it was no contest so they could rest their starters. On TV, they said they spent the night inn Saqcto, then spent the night down here. Went to Alcatraz, had a relaxed shoot around and played the game.

wvitbear;842619994 said:

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Pat, they may have started out fresher, but they didn't end up fresher with one player on a sprained ankle and another with leg cramps. UCLA has a deeper bench than Cal , so I would say they were fresher. Also, UCLA played Sac State two days ago and it was no contest so they could rest their starters. On TV, they said they spent the night inn Saqcto, then spent the night down here. Went to Alcatraz, had a relaxed shoot around and played the game.

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This was UCLA's 3rd game in 6 days. During that same period of time, Cal had an 8-day break. It's a factor. I'm not saying it's *the* factor, but it is one.

annarborbear;842619978 said:

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I liked how the game was being called, or rather not called, initially, because it kept Anigwe out of early foul trouble also. But then it really took its toll on us as UCLA could keep running fresh athletes out there to crash the boards without fear of fouling. How we overcame that and still kept our poise is part of the amazing story.

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I like the let them play reffing best too, but then you can't call the touch and non-touch fouls on Bruin putbacks and Canada flops if you're going to let a brawl underneath not be called. Swain was brutal down there.

I am wondering if UCLA is really better off longer-term playing nine-deep. There is a point at which "over-substituting" does come into play, with a loss of continuity and some role confusion. In contrast, though, we are going to burn out our team with our starters playing all of these minutes. The KC mystery must be solved.

wvitbear;842619993 said:

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I agree with Moraga. First , GoCal, you did not want to play the game because UCLA was probably going to win. But when we win, Are you happy. No you are not.

Two things1. As far as not fouling before the three point shot, the Warriors debate about this all the time and don't foul a lot of the time. So if the best coaching staff in NBA doesn't do it , why is it dumb for Lindsey to not do it. Someone should write the Warriors and tell them what a pathetic staff they have.

2. I watched a rerun of the game and the reason they threw the ball over the press was Gabby was at the tail end of the press and just couldn't get back. She couldn't run and barely could walk but I won't blame her for not getting back.

3. UCLA holds their opponents to 36% fg shooting. We shot over 50 %, so we must have been doing something right.

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You can disagree with me about how we played the last 3 seconds of regulation, but Canada made the shot. Right? To compare what the Warriors might do with Cal WBB is a strange comparison indeed. The NBA game is totally different and 3 seconds is a lot of time at that level and players are so much stronger and quicker and much more likely to turn a foul into a 3 point opportunity. Not the same with last night's situation. Even if Cal chose not to foul, there should have been at least a double team on Canada. After watching the replay, it can be confirmed that only Cowling defended the on-fire Canada and the results were predictable in that situation. The only thing that stopped Canada int he end was 5 fouls.

As for the plays at the end of regulation, even LG alluded to them in her press conference pointing to herself and the team. I sit by some of the biggest LG supporters known to mankind, and even they were scratching their heads in wonderment last night. As I say in my post, this was a strange game. Also, I thought Gabby played a brave game, as I said. Yes. Ucla is a good team. I hold them in the highest regard, as I said before the game. I would have preferred playing someone else. I'm glad Cal won. Thought I made that clear.

And to Pat, the Bruins were not the tired team. That's not why they lost. Also, had Anigwe not fouled out, this would have been over in Cal's favor much sooner. The Bruins had no answer for her defensively. If she doesn't foul out, the Bears will give your Bruins all they can handle at Pauley.

As for the refs, they are rarely good in women's basketball. At one point, Range got elbowed in the face twice on the same play with no call. However, Cal did a poor job of blocking out last night and that had more to do with the 28 offensive rebounds for the Bruins.

patsweetpat;842619990 said:

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The Massey Index projected a 3-point win for Cal last night. That ended up being a pretty accurate projection.

It was a fun game. Congrats on the win. See you in Pauley.

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Pat, Massey projected a 58% chance of a 3-point win for UCLA, not Cal:

http://www.masseyratings.com/pred.php?s=cbw&dt=20151221

In any case, it was a fine, even battle, with advantages and dis- for both teams. I don't take my alma mater lightly when it comes to women's basketball; they are real warriors.

Anyway, happy 2016 to you and yours. I appreciate your courtesy and thoughtful posts.

BearBint;842620008 said:

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Pat, Massey projected a 58% chance of a 3-point win for UCLA, not Cal:

http://www.masseyratings.com/pred.php?s=cbw&dt=20151221

In any case, it was a fine, even battle, with advantages and dis- for both teams. I don't take my alma mater lightly when it comes to women's basketball; they are real warriors.

Anyway, happy 2016 to you and yours. I appreciate your courtesy and thoughtful posts.

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D'oh, you're right about Massey. My bad. In either event, Massey predicted a close game, and that's what we got. It was super fun to watch! Yeah, I wasn't feeling too happy at the end of it all, and y'all were, but that's sports. That's part of the beauty of it. I'm already looking forward to seeing these two teams play again.

Have an awesome holiday season, you guys.

GOCAL73;842620006 said:

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And to Pat, the Bruins were not the tired team. That's not why they lost. Also, had Anigwe not fouled out, this would have been over in Cal's favor much sooner. The Bruins had no answer for her defensively. If she doesn't foul out, the Bears will give your Bruins all they can handle at Pauley.

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While I disagree with the first sentence (it strikes me as standing to obvious, logical reason that if Team A is playing its 3rd game in 6 days while Team B is coming off an 8-day break, Team B is likely to be fresher than Team A), I don't necessarily disagree with the second sentence, and I *certainly* don't disagree the third or fourth or fifth. In fact, I already posted that fourth sentence, pretty much verbatim. Anigwe was amazing. If UCLA doesn't figure out some better way to defend her going forward, the Bruins are gonna have a whole heap of trouble with Cal in Pauley. Or pretty much anywhere else they play. For the next 3 and a half years. Sigh.

blungld;842619999 said:

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I like the let them play reffing best too, but then you can't call the touch and non-touch fouls on Bruin putbacks and Canada flops if you're going to let a brawl underneath not be called. Swain was brutal down there.

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refs, just because Canada falls doesn't mean it is a foul. It was frustration watching her chucking up the ball arkwardly , falling and then getting the call. Game shouldn't even had gone into overtimes, if we had managed the clock towards the end of the game. I blame it on the coaches for not telling the players to use up some time.

annarborbear;842619978 said:

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I liked how the game was being called, or rather not called, initially, because it kept Anigwe out of early foul trouble also. But then it really took its toll on us as UCLA could keep running fresh athletes out there to crash the boards without fear of fouling. How we overcame that and still kept our poise is part of the amazing story.

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Cal was injured and thin, so I get this strategy by UCLA - good coaching. Some of the reboundng discrepancy likely reflects our players played big minutes and were tired. Good victory over a good team, especially w/o depth due to injuries. Gottlieb is a good coach, but young, and still learning on the job. Hopefully this is a good learning experience for her on game ending coaching.

Watching last nights gas me, i thought there are oodles of talent. we may be seeing the best point guard in america or maybe next year and the best center in the same game. And there should be some great games in the future assuming everyone stays healthy. Both teams are young with their core here for years.

oldblue83;842619942 said:

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I thought the team looked great most of the first half. End of the game and OT's they were really struggling with Anigwe and Davison fouled out, Cowling cramping up, Green with some injury (sprained ankle?) and Range playing with 4 fouls. They really dug deep to gut out the win and hit some clutch free throws late, which was good to see.

Anyone see what happened to Green? What is the status of Waters and Chen? One extra player would have made a big difference. I don't know what they would have done if Range went out.

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first 2hr rebroadcast starts on pacnet at 1pm today/tues, plus surely more later. somehow or other they'll squeeze in OTs and commercial breaks. [live 2 1/2 tivo recording captured all but the last minute of play and postgame chatter]

during pregame chalk talk we heard Chen's injury 'splained as no big deal, fwiw.

re gocal's posts: sure, lotta times he tends towards a darker point of view. but give the bear some credit for *always* being there / supportive in haas. [tipped hat icon goes here]

ucla coach close has a mouth on her, intended as a compliment. during the first timeout, maan, she wasn't shy about rousing her team. easily overheard many rows up in the stands in spite of adverts playing.

pickups from stats (also linked below):

o not just asha thomas [literally carried off the court by charmin smith] but also mikayla cowling never came out of the game; 50 minute warriors. most given by ucla was canada's 43m. seemed to me (unconfirmed) range played thru sniffles,, "just" a cold?

o 2482 was the official attendence, with more than a few ghost spectators. an usher confided ~900 warm bodies were expected. the one and only food / beverage annex opened had trouble keeping up.

o certain bears can't hardly buy a freethrow this year / mosdef needs more work. got to wondering why other teams don't intentionally whack 'em any time they receive the ball.

calbears game stats:
http://www.calbears.com//ViewContent.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=30100&CONTENT_ID=1586362

90sec courtney's postgame interview by ros gold-onwude
http://www.calbears.com/mediaPortal/player.dbml?id=4841804

10min coaches postgame interview (thomas / range present) from calbears:
http://www.calbears.com/mediaPortal/player.dbml?id=4841804

booster / chalk talk booster club members are invited to ride a chartered bus to tues feb 2nd (a mon) evening game on the farm. "better than last year" seating is promised. dunno the price.

i forget the rest.

got to admit I was a doubting Thomas when UCLA hit the 3 to tie the game.....great basketball game

So proud of this team!
Did not realize this was our eighth straight win over UCLA.