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Bears Fall to Stanford, 79-65

January 12, 2020
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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/

 

 

Tags: WBB
Discussion from...

Bears Fall to Stanford, 79-65

12,479 Views | 18 Replies | Last: 4 yr ago by wvitbear
Schroeder71
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Cal played much harder today than Friday night. As Charmin stated (to paraphrase): the team played watchable basketball.

Leilani McIntosh, Sara Anastasieska & Evelien Schipholt deserve special mention for outstanding effort/performances today. Schipholt should be named the starting center because she is the only post with any athleticism that can block shots. She blocked 5 shots today while Stanford guards [Haley Jones, Kiana Williams & one of the twins] made at least a dozen layups. Most blew right by CJ West & Chen Yue. In conference, every opponent has guards that are doing that: Washington (Amber Melgoza) & Washington State (Chanelle Molina).
Oregon and Oregon State have star guards, too. Stanford also got layups on three inbound plays. Cal also did not get back on defense on a couple of occasions. CJ West made a single basket over the two games vs Stanford. The majority of turnovers are made attempting to get the entry pass into our senior post. Chen Yue has played better than CJ, too.

Cal often played tough defense *when* they were in position. The problem is that if one adds up all of the times when Stanford was making layups-it was easily the difference in the game. Also, the Cal posts did not defend the Stanford frosh center Prechtel. She scored 11 points in 8 minutes and blew open a tight game. She was unguarded on three consecutive three point baskets.

Senior Anastasieska & the four freshmen played extremely hard today and should be proud. The other upperclassmen should attempt to match their intensity. If they don't want to put out the effort, bench them.
GO BEARS!
annarborbear
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It's a roster full of limitations. And that's why we were picked for 11th. But the effort and the hard work within those limitations couldn't be better. The fans were cheering until the end, and no one went home early. These players deserve that during this period of transition. Even the players you mentioned negatively seem to be doing what they are capable of doing.

Stanford is also basically an all-star roster. Adding Haley Jones with her size, instincts and technique, and now putting her in the starting line-up, makes them a much better team. They have shooters, speed and size and seem to complement each other very well. Will have to rise to their level through our improved recruiting.
Schroeder71
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You're correct that Stanford has a 15 player roster of 4 & 5 star recruits. Heck-they just brought in the #1 recruit class in the nation. It really makes it hard for Cal to matchup and not to be intimidated. I noticed that Schipholt (6-2) got several of her shots blocked and stopped aggressively posting up for offense. She should drive to the basket from the free throw line more often.

Unfortunately, both Oregon & Oregon State have similar talent and height advantage. GO BEARS!
CalFanatic
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We always knew this was going to be a rebuilding year. I am just enjoying the journey and loving the growth of our Freshman.

I see big things happening next year.
stu
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CalFanatic said:

We always knew this was going to be a rebuilding year. I am just enjoying the journey and loving the growth of our Freshman.

I see big things happening next year.
Next year, depending on the status of Mi'Cole Cayton and Naje Murray, we might have only one player with more than a year of experience. The sophs will have learned a lot and the incoming freshies are highly rated but the team will be VERY young. Should be fun to watch that talent develop but I think it might take another year for them to really take off.
GATC
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annarborbear said:

It's a roster full of limitations. And that's why we were picked for 11th. But the effort and the hard work within those limitations couldn't be better. The fans were cheering until the end, and no one went home early. These players deserve that during this period of transition. Even the players you mentioned negatively seem to be doing what they are capable of doing.

Stanford is also basically an all-star roster. Adding Haley Jones with her size, instincts and technique, and now putting her in the starting line-up, makes them a much better team. They have shooters, speed and size and seem to complement each other very well. Will have to rise to their level through our improved recruiting.
I missed the game (and the Beyond the Lair with Charmin and Tara) since I had to be somewhere (sad event) and could only a few sneak peeks at the action. From what I saw it looks like the team played hard and did a lot of good things. Hope Green is okay.
3Cats4CAL
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Schroeder71 said:

Cal played much harder today than Friday night. As Charmin stated (to paraphrase): the team played watchable basketball.
Yes besides only scoring 3 pts in the last 2 games CJ isn't able to get back on defense as quick as each of the 3 Stanford bigs she was supposed to be matched up. I distinctly noticed 3 different times she was heading back to the other end of the court and each of Stanford's bigs is Fingall, Prechtel, and ? who were each following CJ proceeded to pass by her down the court. As in another post someone noted she isn't performing as well this year. She still is missing layups close up to the basket. Even Chen has improved and hustles faster down the court. Evelyn definitely needs to start even though she isn't a senior. Still rooting for CJ to do better since she is a Bear and chose Cal.


Leilani McIntosh, Sara Anastasieska & Evelien Schipholt deserve special mention for outstanding effort/performances today. Schipholt should be named the starting center because she is the only post with any athleticism that can block shots. She blocked 5 shots today while Stanford guards [Haley Jones, Kiana Williams & one of the twins] made at least a dozen layups. Most blew right by CJ West & Chen Yue. In conference, every opponent has guards that are doing that: Washington (Amber Melgoza) & Washington State (Chanelle Molina).
Oregon and Oregon State have star guards, too. Stanford also got layups on three inbound plays. Cal also did not get back on defense on a couple of occasions. CJ West made a single basket over the two games vs Stanford. The majority of turnovers are made attempting to get the entry pass into our senior post. Chen Yue has played better than CJ, too.

Cal often played tough defense *when* they were in position. The problem is that if one adds up all of the times when Stanford was making layups-it was easily the difference in the game. Also, the Cal posts did not defend the Stanford frosh center Prechtel. She scored 11 points in 8 minutes and blew open a tight game. She was unguarded on three consecutive three point baskets.

Senior Anastasieska & the four freshmen played extremely hard today and should be proud. The other upperclassmen should attempt to match their intensity. If they don't want to put out the effort, bench them.
GO BEARS!

CalFanatic
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stu said:

CalFanatic said:

We always knew this was going to be a rebuilding year. I am just enjoying the journey and loving the growth of our Freshman.

I see big things happening next year.
Next year, depending on the status of Mi'Cole Cayton and Naje Murray, we might have only one player with more than a year of experience. The sophs will have learned a lot and the incoming freshies are highly rated but the team will be VERY young. Should be fun to watch that talent develop but I think it might take another year for them to really take off.
True. However, I do think that returning Lei, Jazlen, Alaysia and Cailyn... along with Naje and 2 freshman who would start on any Pac-12 teams (Onyiah and Daniels)... should put us in the post season. Maybe that is just wishful thinking on my end!
Schroeder71
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stu-you're likely correct! If a team is going to click the prerequisite is strong guard play. When Ionescu went to Oregon, the Ducks began their growth spurt to a top five team. Stanford has Kiana Williams & Haley Jones directing their offense. The Cardinal is #3 in the nation. Haley Jones never played PG in high school so imagine how good she is going to become...

Oregon will no longer be nearly unbeatable next season without their leader, Ionescu. Charmin Smith needs to bring a floor general and a couple of outside shooters. Naje Murray may be one as a junior transfer in 2020-2021.
The guard from Greece may also be an improvement over this season's roster.

Cal Fanatic is correct in that the young Bears should be fun to watch develop next season into a upper division Pac 12 team (probably top 25). It will be a process, however, to grow into excellence. GO BEARS!
annarborbear
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I am not yet expecting next year to be all that wonderful either. Will be surprised if more than one of our incoming posts will be truly PAC-12 ready, although our interior defense should no doubt be improved. What we really will need now is two back-to-back solid recruiting classes.
stu
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CalFanatic said:

True. However, I do think that returning Lei, Jazlen, Alaysia and Cailyn... along with Naje and 2 freshman who would start on any Pac-12 teams (Onyiah and Daniels)... should put us in the post season. Maybe that is just wishful thinking on my end!
Don't forget Evelien. I'm also hoping Mi'Cole and Naje will be able to provide experience in the backcourt. And nothing wrong with wishful thinking, you could be correct!
SFCALBear72
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I attended the women's hoops party on Sunday before the Stanford game. This event is sponsored by the Alumni Association and had Coach Smith as the featured speaker.

Our #6 rated 2020 recruiting class was one of the topics she addressed. Apparently, we are not done yet.

Coach Smith said that the coaches have been out on the road looking to add a player (or players). The actual number wasn't specified. Coach Smith did say that Stanford has the #5 recruiting class and she would love to overtake them. LOL Maybe a grad transfer?? We'll see.

Go Bears!!
annarborbear
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Not saying that it's the way that we should go, but Arizona now has four transfers and six international players on their roster. In addition to a possible grad transfer, there is sometimes an undergraduate transfer who can qualify for immediate eligibility, for example when a coach has been let go or there is some problem on a team. I am sure that we are looking at all possibilities. However, I would still have no problem with a three-year plan that takes one more year of finding and recruiting the right people. And then you have to expect at least one more development year after that. We have learned in the past that some players look good on paper, but don't fit the school, the culture or the system. Our Final Four team also took a few years to reach its potential.
wvitbear
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I don't think we can contact a player who is currently playing on another team. Ncaa rules.
annarborbear
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Do you know how the transfer portal works?
wvitbear
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Just red it. Can't be recruited till the NCAA puts you in the transfer portal. Player has t notify the school she is playing at that she will not be returning and is leaving for another school. The School has 2 days to put erin The NCAA transfer portal. The other schools can contact her.

So we can't go out and recruit players if they haven't left the school. This usually happens in March ad April.
annarborbear
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wvitbear said:

Just red it. Can't be recruited till the NCAA puts you in the transfer portal. Player has t notify the school she is playing at that she will not be returning and is leaving for another school. The School has 2 days to put erin The NCAA transfer portal. The other schools can contact her.

So we can't go out and recruit players if they haven't left the school. This usually happens in March ad April.
Thanks. I have been wondering if someone drops off a team during the season, can they then enter the portal before the season is over. Looks like they cannot if they are still enrolled.
wvitbear
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I think they can if enrolled but must declare that they are leaving. Obviously they are not leaving if they are still playing.
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