Cal Women Win; Bears’ Jayda Curry Takes Over Pac-12 Scoring Lead

Cal freshman Jayda Curry now leads the Pac-12 in scoring after collecting 27 points in the Bears’ 89-73 women's basketball victory over Cal Poly Saturday afternoon at Berkeley’s Haas Pavilion.

Curry began the day averaging 19.56 points, leaving her .01 of a point behind UCLA’s Charsima Osborne, who is averaging 19.57 points. But Curry raised her average to 20.3 points with her output against Cal Poly (1-7), while UCLA has postponed its next two games because of COVID protocols within the Bruins’ program.

Jazlen Green added 20 points for the Bears (8-2), but she left the game in the third quarter with an apparent leg injury and did not return.

Cal took control of the game in the second quarter. The Bears held a 29-25 lead before scoring 15 consecutive points to take command. The Bears led by as many as 28 points late in the third quarter and by 27 in the fourth, before Cal got a little ragged in the closing minutes.

Despite its 8-2 record, Cal entered Saturday’s play ranked last among Pac-12 teams in the NET rankings. The Bears are 91st nationally in this NCAA Evaluation Tool (NET) rankings, which are used to determine berths and seedings in the NCAA tournament.

Cal Poly, which was picked to finish ninth in the Big West in a preseason poll, has lost five games in a row.

The Bears wrap up nonconference play with a home game on Tuesday against Saint Mary's. Cal opens Pac-12 plays at Washington State on Dec. 31.

Cover photo of Jayda Curry by Kelley L Cox, KLC Fotos

Follow Jake Curtis of Cal Sports Report on Twitter: @jakecurtis53

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