Tag: NCAA WBB

Louisville Defends Cal Women Early, And Holds On Late in 70-63 Win

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By Morris Phillips

Offensive droughts and foul trouble made the Cal Bears women’s visit to Louisville an unsuccessful one on Thursday night.

The visitors quest for a significant Quad 1 win on the road fell apart in a stretch spanning the first and second quarters in which they were outscored 17-2 and fell behind by 13. While Louisville surged, the Bears missed 12 consecutive shots. Cal still trailed 64-48 midway through the fourth quarter before finishing with a run that made the final margin a respectable, but still unsatisfying seven points.

The matchup of a significantly more experienced Cal team and a youthful Louisville squad was decided by turnovers as well as Cal committed 23 which led to 22 points for the hosts.

Olivia Cochran led the Cardinals with 18 points and nine rebounds before fouling out in the final minutes. Highly touted freshman Imari Berry added 14 points off the bench in one of her best games to date, while former Cal standout Jayda Curry had eight points on 3 of 11 shooting in her first meeting against her former team and coach.

Cal (19-5, 7-4) was led by Michelle Onyiah with 15 points and 11 rebounds. Cal’s other four starters also scored in double figures, but their bench managed just four points on the evening, all four from guard Gisella Maul.

The Bears will need to regroup quickly for their next game at No. 3 Notre Dame on Sunday. The Fighting Irish maintained their unblemished record in ACC play on Thursday by routing Stanford 96-47.

Cal Bears podcast with Morris Phillips: Cal takes on Louisville Thursday in bid for 21st win

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Martz Suarez forward (7) of the Cal Bears takes a jump shot against the Pittsburgh Panthers at Haas Pavilion in Berkeley on Sun Feb 2, 2025. (Cal Bears X photo)

#1 In the Cal Bears (20-4) last game Marta Suarez and Ioanna Krimili scored 16 points a piece and Lulu Twidale had 15 points as Cal picked up fourth win in their last six games against the Pittsburgh Panthers (9-15) 84-53 last Sunday.

#2 For Cal they reached a season high for scoring with 84 points and won by a season high 31 point gap with their win over Pittsburgh.

#3 The Bears had control over the Panthers early outscoring them 28-9 in the second quarter and taking an 18-11 lead after the first quarter. Cal had runs of 13-0 and 10-0 leads during the second quarter to hold a 46-20 lead at the half.

#4 Cal had all 12 of their players score against Pit and for head coach Charmin Smith she now chalks up her 19th win and seventh conference win tying the most she had last season.

#5 Cal heads to Louisville to take on the Cardinals. The Cardinals are sixth in the ACC at 15-7 over all and 6-3 at home. Tip off Thursday night 5:00pm PST.

Morris Phillips does the Cal Bears podcasts Thursdays at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Cal Women Rebound, Beat Wake Forest 67-55 To Improve To 17-3

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By Morris Phillips

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C.–The only women’s basketball coach in the Atlantic Coast Conference with a career losing record left Lawrence Joel Coliseum a winner on Sunday afternoon, another sign that things are changing quickly for Charmin Smith.

Smith’s Golden Bears racked up a tidy 67-55 win over Wake Forest that solidifies their position among the ACC’s elite, a small group of teams that have multiple weekend aspirations for the upcoming NCAA Tournament. A lopsided loss on Thursday to Duke didn’t help Cal’s hopes, but the quick bounce back against the Demon Deacons did. The team’s play at both ends was exactly what was needed to right the ship.

“I feel like we all knew we got our butts kicked, and we were all eager to have a chance to do it better,” Smith said. “I don’t think you have to say much when you when you get beat the way that we did (at Duke). Everybody knew that it wasn’t our best performance and we had to clean up a lot.”

Cal’s defensive hiccups came early when they struggled to cover Wake Forest in the paint. That kept the game close until the second quarter when Cal pulled away with a mix of starters and reserves. Ioanna Krimili and Lulu Twidale combined for five threes in the second quarter, and Cal led comfortably at halftime, 32-24.

“When we shoot the three-ball well, we’re really hard team to beat, and Ioanna did a great job of knocking down shots when we really needed it,” Smith said.

Wake Forest, desperate to get their initial conference win, played well initially but saw their energy drained by missed shots. The hosts shot 32 percent from the floor and missed 16 3-point attempts. The rebounding disparity was a bigger issue for Wake as Cal controlled the glass, 45-26.

Marta Suarez came up with a personal bounce back performance after she was plagued by turnovers against Duke. The senior led Cal with 16 points, nine rebounds and five assists.

Cal returns to the Bay for Thursday’s rematch with Stanford in Palo Alto. The Cardinal fell to 10-7 with an uneventful loss at Duke.

Cal Bears WBB podcast with Morris Phillips: Cal tips off ACC schedule at Clemson Thursday

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Raise your hand if you want a win, the Cal Bears defeated the Temple Owls at Temple University on Sun Dec 22, 2024 for Cal’s seventh straight win in a row. The Bears face the Clemson Tigers on Thu Jan 2, 2025 at Clemson. (Cal Bears photo)

On the Cal Bears podcast with Morris Phillips:

#1 Morris, the Cal Bears have moved up in the AP to number 25 and in the USA Today coaches’ poll at number 20. The way their playing it’s not too surprising?

#2 The Bears (13-1, ACC 1-0) are on a seven game winning streak. This is the best start for Cal since the 2016-17 season.

#3 Cal resumes their ACC docket when they battle the Clemson Tigers on Thu Jan 2 a 4:00pm PST. The Tigers have won three of their last five games. If Cal were to win this game it would give them their best start in school history.

#4 This will be the first time Cal and Clemson have hooked up since the 1990-91 season. Both teams have played twice previously with Cal winning both games.

#5 In Cal’s last game against the Temple Owls on Sun Dec 22 had 50 rebounds which was the most for the Golden Bears since Dec 16, 2022 against UC San Diego when they pulled down 52.

Join Morris for the Cal Bears podcasts each Thursday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Cal Bears WBB podcast with Morris Phillips: Cal battles Clemson Thursday night Jan 2 at Littlejohn Coliseum

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Cal Bears guard Ioanna Krimili (21) and guard Lulu Twidale (10) has been making it happen in leading Cal in score such as they did against the Temple Owls on Sun Dec 22, 2024 (Cal Bears X photo)

On the Cal Bears WBB podcast with Morris Phillips:

#1 The Cal Bears (13-1) continue to roll with a decisive 89-63 win over the Temple (6-6) Owls last Sunday at Cal Berkeley.

#2 Cal now 13-1 is steamrolling and Sunday was no exception outscoring Temple is ever quarter of the game.

#3 Cal’s top scorer’s from Sunday’s contest guard Ioanna Kimilli and guard Lulu Twidale both finishing with 20 points they’ve both been having great seasons.

#4 “Just really proud of where we are as we wrap up non conference, being 13-1,” Cal head coach Charmin Smith said. “This is a good spot for us to be in as we get to go home and get some rest.”

#5 Cal gets set for another contest Thursday night Jan 2 at 4:00pm PST against the Clemson Tigers (8-4). The Tigers have won two of their last three games and have a 5-2 home record and Cal has won seven straight games and are second in the ACC. How do you see this match up between the Bears and Tigers?

Cal Bears podcast with Morris Phllips is heard Thursdays at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Cal Bears WBB podcast with Morris Phillips: Cal hopes to continue undefeated home record against Stanford Friday

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Cal Bears forward Marta Suarez (7) drives on the Alabama Crimson Tide on Thu Dec 5, 2024 at Haas Pavilion. Suarez finished with 21 points against the Stockton Tigers on Sat Dec 7, 2024 at Alex Spanos Center in Stockton (Cal Bears X photo)

Cal Bears WBB podcast with Morris Phillips:

#1 Cal Bears (9-1) guard Ioanna Krimili and Marta Suarez led the way with 22 points and 21 points respectively as they defeated the Pacific Tigers (5-5) 74-66 last Sat Dec 7th at the Alex Spanos Center in Stockton.

#2 Cal is rolling and they pick up another road win. Cal shut down Pacific’s offense in the second quarter allowing them only seven points and coming away with a 17-7 second quarter establishing their defense to hold off the Tigers.

#3 Cal chalked up their eighth straight win with the win over the Tigers and it matches the Bears best start since the 2018-19 season when they went 9-1.

#4 The Tigers tried to keep it close edging Cal in the third quarter 19-18 and Cal won the fourth quarter 20-19 for a 74-66 win for Cal.

#5 The Cal women get after once again as they host the Stanford Cardinal at Haas Pavilion for a 7:00pm PST tip this Fri Dec 13th. The Cardinal have struggled on the road losing two road games and this will be their third road game against Cal. Cal are 5-0 at home. Morris how do you see this match up this Friday night in Berkeley?

Cal Bears podcasts with Morris Phillips can be hear Thursdays at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Cal Bears WBB podcast with Morris Phillips: Can Cal stop undefeated Alabama tonight at Haas?

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Cal Bears center Michelle Onyiah goes for the shot against the Arizona Wildcats guard Jada Williams (2) at the McHale Memorial Center in Tucson AZ on Tue Dec 3, 2024 (Cal Bears photo)

Cal Bears podcast with Morris Phillips:

#1 This Cal Bears (7-1) team is up for the challenge as take on the undefeated Alabama Crimson Tide (9-0) as they head into Haas Pavilion Thursday night for a 6:00pm PST tip. At first a lot of people didn’t like the idea of the break up of the Pac 12 but getting a chance to see the various different teams in the ACC does add an interesting aspect for Cal to play different teams for the first time?

#2 How impressive was it for Cal to be down by nine points in the first quarter against the Arizona Wildcats but came back in the second quarter and never looked back in a contest they won 74-62 at the Acrisure Classic in Palm Springs Tuesday .

#3 Michelle Onyiah had a career night on Tuesday in Arizona with a team leading 25 points talk about her success in offense and how important a role she will have in tonight’s game against the Crimson Tide?

#4 Onyiah also picked up a second game in a row double double, also with 13 rebounds tops for the season so far. Morris the win also snaps Cal’s seven game losing streak against Arizona.

#5 Cal is competitor and they will take on their toughest task of the season against the Crimson Tide of Alabama. Some of the players the Bears have to look out for are Alabama leading scorers Zaay Green, Essence Cody and Sara Ashlee Barker. How do you seen Cal’s chances of handing Alabama their first loss of the season?

Morris Phillips is a Cal Bears beat writer at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Cal Women Capture Acrisure Classic Consolation Game 74-62 Over Arizona

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By Morris Phillips

This time, the Cal women looked composed and focused… when they weren’t turning the ball over.

Clearly a sign of improvement, the Bears displayed their version of Bear Down, by methodically leaning on Arizona in a 74-62 win in the Acrisure Classic Consolation Game in Palm Springs that featured 25 points from Michelle Onyiah.

“Our biggest strength was getting the ball into Michelle and the way that she finished around the rim,” said Charmin Smith, who rode off into the sunset on Onyiah’s back after both were interviewed on television after the game. “We didn’t have that yesterday. I’m really proud to see her get a career high and do what she needed.”

In contrast to the jumbled manner in which the Bears concluded their loss to Michigan State, this was a walk in the park with the Cal perimeter players getting the ball to their 6’3″ center repeatedly where she converted a high rate of success.

Onyiah finished 11 of 14 from the floor, and 3 of 4 from the foul line. With Arizona missing post defender Breya Cunningham, Onyiah’s efficiency kept Cal in front from midway in the second quarter to the game’s conclusion.

“We just got murdered by the post players this weekend, and some of that was because we’re missing size and Breya’s presence inside,” Arizona coach Adia Barnes said.

Cal stacked up 13 offensive rebounds and made 20 of 26 foul shots. They conducted their offense patiently despite the Wildcats’ pressure defense. Cal’s 21 turnovers aided Arizona’s ability to hang around to the final minutes. Cunningham missed both games in Palm Springs when a family member was hospitalized, and she returned home immediately.

“Arizona is a really aggressive defensive team” Smith said. “They have some really active and athletic players on offense who can get to the basket, but we wanted to be the tougher team on both ends of the floor. And I think we did that, and I think that allowed us to get the win.”

Lulu Twidale added 18 points for Cal, and Gisella Maul played 20 minutes and scored 10 points in the absence of Jayda Noble, who was present but unable to participate.

Leading scorer Jada Williams led Arizona with 18 points, but she needed 17 shots to get there, and she missed a key, second half stretch due to foul trouble.

The Bears (7-1) are off for an entire week before hosting No. 20 Alabama and traveling to Pacific next weekend.