SAN FRANCISCO – The Cal women's basketball team pulled away prior to halftime thanks to a stellar defensive effort that saw host USF held to just five points. The Golden Bears got another tremendous scoring performance from freshman Jayda Curry who scored a game-high 27 points in Cal's 70-41 win over the Dons at the Chase Center in San Francisco.
USF (1-1) jumped out to an early 9-2 lead thanks to a 7-0 run and five quick points by redshirt sophomore Ioanna Krimili. But the Bears' defense responded, by holding the Dons to 13 points the remainder of the half. Junior guard Leilani McIntosh provided Cal with the early spark, going 2-for-2 from beyond the arc. Her second triple, coming with 4:41 in the first quarter, put the Bears out front 12-11, a lead they would never give back.
Cal (2-0) finished the night shooting 45.1 percent from the field (23-for-51). They also shot over 45 percent from beyond the arc, going 5-for-11. However, it was Cal's work at the free throw line that helped pave the way for 29-point win. Cal was 19-for-25 from the charity stipe, with Curry going 11-for-13 from the line.
Curry scored 14 of her 27 after the break where she was 4-for-6 from the field and 6-for-7 from the line. McIntosh was the only other Cal player in double figures, she finished with a season-high 10 points, going 3-for-6 from the field. McIntosh also had six rebounds, four assists, no turnovers, and three steals in an al around excellent performance.
Jadyn Bush led the Bears with 11 rebounds, she came up two-points shy of a double-double, scoring eight points. Jazlen Green, Mia Mastrov added five points each. The Bears' bench finished the night with 20 points.
USF was led by Krimili who had 15, Jasmine Gayles was the only other player in double figures with 10 points coming off the bench.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Midway through the second quarter, with the Bears leading 21-17, Cal went on a 17-0 run – their largest run of the night. Cal went into the locker room leading 39-22 and pushed their lead to as much as 29 late in the fourth quarter.
Defensively, Cal held the Dons to just 41 points on the night. The Bears limited USF to five points in the second quarter and just eight in the fourth. The last time Cal held a team to less than 50 came on Nov. 30, 2019 when Cal held Long Beach State to 45.
USF, a team that relies heavily on 3-point shooting, was held to just 1-for-12 from beyond the arc in the second half. Offensively, Cal overpowered the Dons on the inside, scoring 26 of their 70 points in the key and outrebounding the Dons 47-25. USF had just five offensive rebounds and only two second chance points.
NEXT UP
Cal returns home on Tuesday when they host Utah State. The Bears and Aggies are scheduled to tipoff at 7:00 p.m. Tuesday's contest will be streamed on the Cal Live Stream. Cal look to go 3-0 for the first time since the 2018-19 season.
It's been several years since we had a star player. Curry is clearly the next in a long line of great ones (typically great Cal front court stars). I thought Daniels showed flashes of being the next great last year, hope she gets it going. Overall our ballyhooed recruiting class has not performed to expectations...yet.
It's been several years since we had a star player. Curry is clearly the next in a long line of great ones (typically great Cal front court stars). I thought Daniels showed flashes of being the next great last year, hope she gets it going. Overall our ballyhooed recruiting class has not performed to expectations...yet.
we are probably a year away, but absolutely trending up ... Coach Charmin also recruiting well
