By Morris Phillips
One after another, accomplished players and talented teams cross paths with the Cal Bears, starting Thursday night at Gonzaga.
Canadian Olympian Yvonne Ejim and the Zags are up first, on the occasion of their first game following a lopsided loss at Stanford that dropped Gonzaga out of the Top 25 national rankings after one week of the season. The Zags scored four points in the first quarter, and lost by 31 to Stanford, who essentially switched places with their non-conference rival in the national polls.
Two seasons ago, Gonzaga registered an 18-point win over Stanford that stands as their best in program history, with the Cardinal then ranked 3rd nationally. Now the Zags are looking for a quick rebound and a return to grace, and Ejim, on track to become the leading scorer in Gonzaga history later this season, is the barometer for that effort. Once again, Cal occupies the unenviable spot as the team that must face a quality team one game after they were knocked around by Stanford.
Coach Charmin Smith knows her Bears need to be ready, especially early in the game on Thursday in a loud environment in Spokane. But the themes and motivations aren’t Smith’s concerns, better defense and offensive consistency from her group are. But after three, easy wins by an average of 37 points, Smith and Cal sense the urgency of their first road trip.
“We need to make a statement of our own,” she said.
Last season in Berkeley, the Bears let Gonzaga escape with a 78-70 win in overtime, after the hosts led most of the first half, and regained several leads in the fourth quarter. That Cal team needed bench support that was lacking with Ioanna Krimili out injured, and Michelle Onyiah limited by foul trouble. Marta Suarez and Cal’s departed backcourt of Leilani McIntosh and McKayla Williams all played at least 43 of the 45 minutes that day, and the Bears wilted late and were outscored 13-5 in the overtime period.
Cal has Krimili, in her 5th year, this time, along with experienced, transfer guards, Kayla Williams (USC), Jayda Noble (Washington) and capable freshman Lola Donez and Zahra King. The Zags are trying to find their hyper pace in the absence of graduated twins Kaylynne and Kayleigh Truong. New starters Claire O’Connor and UConn transfer Ines Bettencourt aren’t as swift as the Truong twins and that in turn limits Ejim’s effectiveness in transition, where she excels.
“We have to stop her in transition,” Smith said of limiting Ejim. “We can’t let her get easy baskets. And at the other end, we have to make her guard.”
The Bears will play as many as 13 teams this season that currently have a place in the Top 25 or in the next group of 10 to 15 that are getting votes. Stanford is the only one of the 13 that Cal will play twice, so scouting and preparedness will be crucial in all of these meetings. Cal may have an idea what to expect from Ejim, who was limited to 12 points against Stanford, a point total she’s exceeded in 36 of her last 39 games. But they need to be up to speed on O’Connor and Bettencourt, along with Maud Huijbens, who played just 19 minutes against Cal last season, but will likely play more than 30 on Thursday.
Natalia Ackerman, who decided to continue her college basketball career only a month before school started, is Cal’s secret weapon. In her first three games at Cal, after four, injury-plagued years at Cal Poly, Ackerman has 22 points, 18 rebounds, five steals and three blocks in just 33 minutes on the floor. Matched against inexperienced reserves, she’s thrived, doing a little of everything for Cal as their biggest threat outside their starting five. Smith said, she’s not surprised as Ackerman’s return to form followed her health returning in the off-season when she debated whether she wanted to play for a fifth season.
Smith said she’s reluctant to restrict any of her shooters outside of Krimili and Lulu Twidale, who have combined to start the season a scorching 23 of 45 shooting from 3-point distance. The rest of the Bears are 11 of 38, 29 percent, but have provided the Bears with the desired spacing on offense that creates driving lanes to the basket. It’s Smith’s belief that the other shooters will become more efficient as the season progresses.
“The more threes,’ the merrier,” Smith said.
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