Cal wasted no time putting College of Charleston in a hole Thursday at Haas Pavilion, racing to a 25-4 first-quarter lead and cruising to a 78-64 win in a matinee that drew 4,915 fans, including a big contingent of grammar school children for the annual School Haas Rock game.
The Bears are now 4-0 and have stretched their home winning streak against non-conference opponents to 22 straight. Charleston, meanwhile, ran into a second consecutive Power Four opponent after getting hammered 105-44 by No.
3 USC on Tuesday, and the opening quarter looked painfully familiar. The Cougars had two of their top scorers and coach Robin Harmony, now at Pitt, gone from last season’s 27-6 team that won the Colonial Athletic Association title and reached the NCAA Tournament for the first time.
Cal’s start was all pressure and precision. The Bears held Charleston to 1-for-12 shooting and forced seven turnovers on 19 possessions in the opening period. Taylor Barnes put Cal ahead 11-0 with a layup at the 6:15 mark, and after Anilys Rolon finally broke the drought with a 3-pointer, the Bears answered with a 14-1 burst to finish the quarter.
From there, Charleston settled in and made things uncomfortable. The Cougars outscored Cal 21-11 in the second quarter and 60-53 over the final three periods, trimming the margin with a 12-0 run that helped spark a 14-2 start to the second.
Cal’s offense went cold in that stretch, shooting 3 for 12 and turning it over five times, while sophomore forward Isla Juffermans piled up 12 points in the quarter with five layups. Charleston got within eight before Cal closed the half with a 6-3 push and a 36-25 lead.
The Bears had another rough patch in the third, when Charleston kept pressing and the lead dropped to 49-41. Then Lulu Twidale finally snapped out of a deep shooting slump.
The senior guard, Cal’s career leader in 3-pointers, had missed her first eight attempts from long range in the game and was 0 for 15 over the previous two outings. With 2:07 left in the third, she buried one from Barnes, then hit another on the Bears’ closing run to help push the lead back to 60-43 entering the fourth.
Twidale finished 2 for 13 from 3-point range.
Shannon Dowell led Cal with 20 points and six rebounds, and she was perfect at the line, going 9 for 9. Twidale added 19 points and four steals, while Barnes and Gisela Maul each scored 10. Cal struggled from deep overall, making just 5 of 29 3-point tries, but it was spotless at the free-throw line over the first three quarters, going 19 for 19.
Charleston kept battling into the final period and got as close as 49-41 before Cal steadied itself. The Bears led by as many as 21 points midway through the fourth quarter.
Juffermans led Charleston with 22 points.
Cal is back in action Saturday afternoon on the road against UC Santa Barbara (3-0).
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Cal Let A Huge Opportunity Slip Against Ranked USC
Cal had a real chance to make a statement at Haas Pavilion, but the opening against 21st-ranked USC slipped away in a 77-65 loss. Sammie Yeanay led the Bears with 14 points, Nojus Indrusaitis added 13, and the home crowd saw enough stretches of resistance to believe this one could turn. USC, though, had too much scoring balance, with Alijah Arenas finishing with 19 points, Rodney Rice with 18 and KJ Lewis with 16.
The Bears also had to navigate the absence of center Lee Dort, who was out with an ankle injury, leaving another hole in a rotation that could have used his presence against a physical opponent. Cal kept hanging around long enough to keep the pressure on, but the Trojans found the answers when it mattered most, turning a winnable night into another missed opportunity in a game the Bears needed to seize. [Read more 🡒]
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For Cal, it is the kind of test that can reveal a lot before the schedule gets deeper. USC arrives with the confidence that comes from a strong start, and the Bears will get an immediate read on how they stack up against a ranked opponent in a game that could help shape the tone of their season. [Read more 🡒]
Cal Recruiting Just Took Another Hit Fans Can't Ignore
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For a program trying to build momentum on the recruiting trail, the churn is the part that stands out most. The Bears still have work to do to stabilize the class and keep its foundation intact, but the ranking shows there is still enough talent on board to keep Cal in the conversation while the staff tries to stop the slide. [Read more 🡒]