Lulu Twidale wasted no time reminding everybody what kind of threat she is from the perimeter.
The Cal star, who owns the program’s single-season and career records for three-pointers made, went 6-for-9 from deep and finished with 26 points Monday as the Bears opened the season with an 80-58 win over Washington State at Haas Pavilion. Twidale kept answering every Cougars push with another long ball, and Cal never let the game slip away.
Shannon Dowell gave the Bears a big lift off the bench with 17 points, while Eleanora Villa led Washington State with 20.
Cal’s outside shooting was mostly a one-woman show. Outside of Twidale, the rest of the Bears combined to go just 2-for-10 from three-point range.
The Bears were in control by halftime, taking a 37-24 lead on Twidale’s three-pointer with two seconds left in the second quarter. She had 13 points in the opening half, hitting 5 of 6 shots overall and all three of her attempts from long range.
Cal also set the tone defensively early, holding Washington State to 27.8% shooting in the first half. The Bears fell behind 7-4 at the start, then rattled off eight straight points to seize the lead and keep it for the rest of the half.
Dowell scored eight first-half points off the bench, while Villa’s 11 points helped keep the Cougars within reach before the break.
Washington State trimmed a 13-point halftime deficit to eight midway through the third quarter, but Cal answered with a burst that shut the door. Gisella Maul knocked down four free throws, then Twidale and freshman Zara Russell hit threes on back-to-back possessions to stretch the lead to 18 late in the period. The Bears carried a 60-45 advantage into the fourth.
Russell was one of three Cal freshmen to see meaningful minutes in the opener, along with Jovana Jevtovic and Ruby Perkins. Perkins started, while Russell and Perkins are from Australia and Jevtovic is from Serbia.
Washington State entered the season after going 9-25 last year, following three straight seasons with more than 20 wins. The Cougars were picked to finish sixth in the nine-team Pac-12 in the preseason poll.
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The first look at Cals revamped offense came fast and loud at Haas Pavilion, where the Bears rolled past Adams State in their season opener and did it with a half that immediately got people talking. Cal shot 60.6% from the field, knocked down 11 of 23 from deep and got major scoring help from Michael Cooper, Sammie Yeanay and Nojus Indrusaitis as the points piled up in a 115-86 win.
What made the night even more encouraging for the Bears was the way the attack flowed without center Lee Dort in the lineup. Cal still found plenty of production and pace, and now the question shifts to whether that same balance travels into the next test against Radford, where the early optimism will get a little more scrutiny. [Read more 🡒]
Cals New-Look Offense Just Delivered A Reason To Believe
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Michael Cooper was at the center of it, giving Cal a dynamic scoring presence and a perimeter threat the Bears will be eager to lean on as the schedule stiffens. For a program looking for signs that its new-look attack can travel beyond one night against an overmatched opponent, the opener was a useful first answer, even if the bigger questions about how sustainable this pace can be are still waiting down the road. [Read more 🡒]
Cal Has One Standout Fans Cant Ignore Right Now
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Lopas impact stands out even more because the offense has not had the same kind of consistency, with quarterback Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele still sitting at a 71.7 season grade despite a modest step forward in passer rating from a year ago. For Cal, that makes Lopa the player fans can point to when looking for a clear bright spot, and it also raises the question of just how high his production can climb if the Bears keep leaning on him in coverage. [Read more 🡒]