Bears Rain 3's on Grambling State, Win 86-63
BERKELEY - It wasn’t always pretty but in the end, the 5-0 Bears did what they needed to do, bringing home an 86-63 win over a scrappy Grambling State team who forced 26 Cal turnovers but struggled to score against a tough Cal defense that held the Tigers to just 33% from the field and 1-for-8 from 3.
The Bears were led in scoring by guard Lulu Twidale with 19 along with forward Marta Suarez with 16 and guard Ionna Krimili with 15. On defense, the Bears forced 22 turnovers and were led by Jayda Noble in rebounds with 6.
“We were a little sloppy, a little messy in the first half but I thought our starters really responded and came out in the second half and set the tone to start the third quarter,” head coach Charmin Smith said after the game.
“I thought we got great efforts from Gabi (11 points) and Jayda (6 rebounds) off the bench in the moments we needed them so we’re happy to move on with the W and get ready for Auburn on Friday.”
The Bears came into the game riding high with an undefeated record and a big road win over Gonzaga, who rarely loses at home much less by large margins.
Grambling’s pesky defense gave the Bears trouble early in the game with the Tigers holding the lead from the first bucket till two minutes left in the first quarter when a Marta Suarez 3 gave the Bears their first lead at 16-15.
A Kayla Williams buzzer-beating bucket on a runner in the lane - her third buzzer-beater of the young season put the Bears up 24-17 at the quarter break with a 14-2 run with 8 coming from guard Lulu Twidale.
The Bears extended their lead to 15 at the half with a Suarez 3 closing out the scoring giving the Bears a 43-28 lead at the break.
The Bears started raining 3’s to start the 2nd half with Ioanna Krimili and Marta Suarez each hitting from deep followed by back-to-back treys by Twidale and additional 3s by Krimili and frosh Lola Donez to give the Bears a 20-point lead just five minutes into the quarter at 61-41. Two more treys from Krimili and Suarez in the next two possessions further extended the lead to 67-41.
With the Bears having a chance to give the bench significant minutes, Grambling was able to narrow the gap to 72-50 to close out the third quarter.
The Tigers were able to trim the Cal lead to 16 with 3:13 left but with several starters returning to the floor, the Bears gradually widened their lead to the final score of 86-63 the final bucket coming on a Kayla Williams layup.
The Bears will next face Auburn Friday night at 6 at Haas Pavilion. Grambling State falls to 2-3 after the defeat.