Upset In Bear Territory

BERKELEY – "We stuck with it and just refused to lose."

Head coach Charmin Smith and the Cal women's basketball team made a statement on Sunday, upsetting No. 20 Arkansas, 84-80, in a thriller at Haas Pavilion. The Golden Bears (3-2, 0-0 Pac-12) extended their winning streak to three in a row, led by a stellar showing on both ends of the floor from senior Jaelyn Brown. The 6'1" guard/forward went off for a career-high 30 points and added a career-best 12 rebounds to power the Golden Bears to their first Top-25 victory of the year.
 
Brown – who surpassed her season-high with 19 points at the half and had an eye-popping 15 points in the second quarter alone – becomes just the 23rd player in program history to score 30 or more points in a game, and joins All-Americans Ashley Walker, Reshanda Gray, and Kristine Anigwe as the only Golden Bears in the last 20 seasons to post at least 30 points and 12 rebounds in a single game.

Cal also saw CJ West (14 points, 12 rebounds) and Eveliene Lutje Schipholt (11 points, 10 rebounds) record double-doubles, as the Bears outrebounded Arkansas, 49-32. Cal held a 19-8 advantage on the offensive glass, led by 10 offensive rebounds from Brown.

"Charmin is always on us to box out and crash hard," said West, whose 14 points marked a season-high. "We had inspiration and help from all our teammates. Everyone was crashing hard and brought a lot of energy. That just inspires you to work hard every possession."

Four different players scored in double-figures for Arkansas, led by 24 points from guard Chelsea Dungee, a preseason candidate for the Ann Meyers Drysdale Award.

Dungee and the Razorbacks got off to a strong start, jumping out to a 7-2 lead. However, Cal quickly found its scoring touch and trailed by only five after the first quarter.


The second quarter proved pivotal, as Cal outscored Arkansas in the frame, 27-14, to take a 47-39 lead into halftime. The Bears closed the quarter on a 7-0 run and outscored the Razorbacks 15-4 over the final 3:47 of the half. Brown and West powered the Golden Bears' second quarter surge, scoring or assisting on 24 of Cal's 27 points. Brown – who entered the day averaging 10.5 points per game on the season – scored 15 points in the second quarter on 6-10 shooting from the floor and knocked down a pair of free throws with 0.1 left of the clock to give the Bears an eight-point lead at the break.

Cal withstood a 13-4 Arkansas run to open the second half and extended their lead to back to eight late in the third quarter after a finish in the paint by Lutje Schipholt off an assist from junior Alaysia Styles. The Bears dished out a season-high 20 assists in the win, led by a career-high seven assists from freshman point guard Leilani McIntosh.

The back-and-forth battle continued into the fourth quarter and Arkansas reclaimed the lead after a score inside by Alexis Tolefree put the Hogs up 78-77. However, Cal responded right away with a basket inside by West and Brown drilled her fourth three-pointer of the night shortly after to make it a two-possession game. Arkansas got back within two after another score by Tolefree but Cal freshman Cailyn Crocker sunk a pair of free throws with two seconds left to ice the game.

Croker finished with nine points and a career-high seven rebounds, as Cal's bench outscored the Razorbacks' reserves, 25-6. The Bears' also held an 18-8 advantage on second-chance points and picked up the program's first win over a ranked opponent since knocking off No. 22 Arizona State on February 22, 2019.

"This was a great win for the program," said Smith, in the midst of her first season as head coach. "I think this is a big confidence booster for us moving forward."

Cal continues its nine-game homestand after Thanksgiving, hosting the semi-annual Cal Classic. The 2019 edition of the tournament features North Carolina Central, Penn State, and Long Beach State. Cal and NC Central (1-3, 0-0 MEAC) will meet in the opening game, a 1 p.m. PT tip-off on Friday, November 29, followed by Long Beach State (1-4, 0-0 Big West) vs Penn State (3-3, 0-0 Big Ten) at 3:15 p.m. The consolation game of the Cal Classic will be held at 1:00 p.m. PT on Saturday, November 30, with the championship game to follow at 3:15 p.m. PT.

Friday's opening game between the Golden Bears and Eagles marks the return of a familiar face to Haas Pavilion. North Carolina Central head coach Trisha Stafford-Odom graduated from Cal in 1992 after an All-American playing career for the Golden Bears. Stafford-Odom led the Golden Bears to their first two NCAA Tournament appearances in 1990 and 1992 and was inducted into the Cal Athletics Hall of Fame in 2013.