The California Golden Bears (8-7, 0-4 Pac-12) again fell behind early, but fought to make it a game before falling to No. 5 Stanford, 79-65, Sunday at Haas Pavilion.
After getting embarrassed at Maples of Friday night, Cal acquitted themselves better, getting within six in the third period before Stanford (15-1, 4-0) pulled away for good.
“We wanted to come out and show that we were a better team than we showed on Friday,” said Cal head coach Charmin Smith. “We played with a lot more energy, and the effort level was a lot better and that allows us to be more competitive.”
“I thought Cal came out very aggressive,” said Stanford head coach Tara VanDerveer. “It was a very physical game.”
Jaelyn Brown scored 14 to lead Cal. Fellow senior Sara Anastasieska had 13, and freshman Cailyn Crocker contributed 11. The Bears’ improved effort resulted in 20 free-throws, with Cal hitting 18.
Anastasieska also had a team-high six rebounds as Cal was dominated on the glass, 40-26.
Stanford had four with double-figure scoring. Haley Jones and Kiana Williams each had 21, and Lexie Hull had 15. Ashten Prechtel had 11 points, all in just over two minutes of play in the third.
Cal committed two turnovers to open the game, and Kiana Williams and Haley Jones scored in the paint. Bears kept pace by going inside themselves, earming three free throws.
But the Bears missed their first eight shots, and every miss allowed Stanford to run, and Lexie Hull hit two layups to pull the Cardinal ahead 12-3 halfway through the first period.
Cal’s offense continued to struggle, twice turning the ball over at the initial pass of the possession.
Ca’s reserves helped to steady the ship and keep pace. Evelien Lutje Schipholt used her length to alter shots inside. Chen Yue hit Cal’s first basket, a long jumper from the top of the key. Jazlen Green took her time and hit a nifty reverse, and Cailyn Crocker called for a high screen and hit a pull up.
After one, Cal was down 18-9.
Green knocked down a corner three to open the second. After Jaelyn Brown hit two free throws, Cal’s press earned a turnover, and Crocker converted it into a layup, pulling Cal within 20-16 a minute into the second.
“I’ve been doing some thinking about what’s our identity,” said Smith. “And I think we are much better when we are aggressive defensively.”
“That was the message coming into today: make them feel us when we’re on the court,” said Anastasieska.
“There’s a flow to Stanford basketball when they are in their comfort zone,” said Smith. “For the most part, during the game, I know when Tara is feeling you and she’s concerned, and there was a lot of time in this when when we made them feel us, and that’s very important.”
Green went down in a scary collision, staying on the floor holding her head. There was no update on her status immediately after the game.
Both teams picked up the pace of play, with Stanford finding and exploiting mismatches. Cal went cold again, managing one basket in their next seven attempts. Two consecutive baskets by Haley Jones got Stanford back up, 29-19, halfway through the second.
Cal pushed back, led by some aggressive play by McIntosh and Sara Anastasieska. McIntosh continually harassed the Cardinal ballhandlers on defense; on offense, she attacked and drew fouls. Anastasieska was emblematic of Cal’s assertive mindset; she drove hard to the basket, scoring five points, including a three-point play, drawing Cal within 31-28.
“What we talked about [from last game] was that we settled for a lot of semi-contested threes, instead of shot-faking it and driving by them,” said Smith. “We thought we had some sweeps to the rim when we watched the film. We drilled those actions and we were a lot better today with that.”
The Bear cause was aided by foul trouble for Francesca Belibi and Nadia Fingal--two of Stanford’s main inside players. Still, Stanford dominated the glass, 21-13.
Jones hit a double-clutch three, and Lexie Hull banked in a short jumper, keeping Stanford ahead, 36-29 at the half. Jones had 13 and Hull had 11 at the break.
“Haley had one of her best games of the year,” said VanDerveer.
Kiana Williams skittered around a pick for a layup to open the third.
Cal crashed the offensive glass, earning three chances at the basket, paying off with two Alaysia Styles free-throws. A three by Anastasieska drew Cal within 40-34, 90 seconds into the period.
Cal tried to trap the ball handler, but Stanford made them pay, finding Ashten Prechtel for consecutive threes.
After a three point play by Anastasieska, the 6’5 Prechtel continued her tear, showing her wide skill set. The freshman grabbed a tough rebound in a crowd and hit a putback, followed by another three. Her personal 11-3 run pushed Stanford up 51-37, forcing Cal to call time, with 5:06 in the third.
“We did a real good job--they had zero bench points in the first half,” said Smith. “Then Ashten came in and knocked down those threes. We just lost her, and that really took away our opportunity to keep it close. That turned the tide.”
McIntosh took the ball right at Prechtel, earning the foul. It was Prechtel’s third, and she went to the bench. McIntosh hit both free-throws.
Cal played good defense, but Stanford continued to find a way to convert. Disciplined switching bottled up the Cardinal for 28 seconds, but a broken play became a three for Williams. An emphatic block by Styles soon resulted in a putback by Lexie Hull.
Cal’s aggressive play did continue to pay off at the line, as the Bears hit 10 of 10 in the third.
McIntosh’s scintillating layup--crossover, fake pass, tough finish--got Cal’s fans up on their feet, but two free throws by Belibi stretched it back to 62-48, to end the third.
A three-pointer by Brown gave Cal a positive start to the fourth, but Stanford then blitzed the Bears for a 13-0 run, showing off their many weapons. Williams and Jones each hit two baskets the the stretch, using their quickness, strength, and handle to get to the basket at will. Stanford went up 75-51, halfway through the fourth.
With the game well out of reach, the Bears continued to give fans reason to cheer. A 6-0 run resulted from well-run sets and decisive play. Crocker confidently knocked down a three. Yue grabbed a strong offensive rebound and put in a reverse. And Brown completed the Cal scoring with a three point play. The Bears closed the fourth hitting six of nine shots.
“We’re learning, we’re building, we’re growing it together, and this was a good showing for us,” said Smith.
“We weren’t happy with how we came out on Friday,” said Crocker. “So each day, we’re trying to push and continue to be who we know we can be.”
NOTES:
- Leilani McIntosh had eight points to go with five rebounds and five assists. She also drew a game-high five fouls from Stanford.
- Cal had eight blocks, including four from Evelien Lutje Schipholt.
- 6724 attended the game, including Cal Chancellor Carol Christ, who was on the Cal bench as the honorary coach.
- The game served as a kick off for 150W, the yearlong celebration of 150 years of women at Cal. https://150w.berkeley.edu/
