Cal Women Come Close Again, But Lose to Oregon
Again the Cal women nearly pulled off a win that might have turned their season around. Again they failed to get it.
The Golden Bears led by three points with less than three minutes left and by a point with less than two minutes remaining, but they failed to score a point thereafter in a 78-73 loss to Oregon on Friday night at Haas Pavilion.
Cal (10-10, 1-8 Pac-12) lost its sixth game in a row and lost to the Ducks (14-6, 5-4) for the eighth straight time.
And even though the Ducks slipped out of the AP top-25 this week, they entered the game ranked No. 14 in the NET rankings. So this would have been a big win for the Bears.
But we've seen this before. The Bears had a three-point lead on then-No. 2 Stanford with four minutes left and lost by four. They were tied with then-No. 18 Arizonba with 6:20 remaining and lost by seven. They held a three-point, fourth-quarter lead on No. 24 Colorado, and lost by seven.
And now this one to Oregon.
Cal coach Charmin Smith could not pinpoint the missing ingredient in the closing minutes of games.
"If I had the answer I wouldn't keep it a secret," she said.
She concludes, based on the words of Steph Curry, that it's the little things that add up to big things.
"When we had the Stanford game, Steph came and talked to us: What was the difference in your team being able to win those games and get to where you want," Smith said, "and he just mentioned that the margin of error is just so small. It's focusing on the little things and being extremely consistent. I think we struggle with consistency."
A lapse at the worst possible time combined with a debatable officiating call doomed Cal this time.
The game was extremely close throughout, with Oregon's final five-point margin being the biggest lead by either team in a game that featured 30 lead changes.
Cal held a three-point lead at 71-68 when Leilani McIntosh sank a three-pointer with 2:53 left, and the Bears took a one-point lead at 73-72 when McIntosh, who finished with 11 points, made a pair of free throws with 1:53 to go.
Te-Hina Paopao but the Ducks back in front 74-73 with a 15-footer with 1:27 left, and Jayda Curry, who finished with 13 points, committed a turnover when she lost the ball out of bounds while trying to drive the lane.
Oregon's Phillipina Kyei made the second of two free throws with 34.8 seconds left tp make it 75-73.
Cal called for a high screen Curry, but she was called for traveling with 22.3 seconds remaining.
"I didn't see a travel," Smith said. "I think that's a tough call at that time of the game, when I thought Oregon had quick feet, Flintstone feet all evening."
When Oregon's Chance Gray hit two free throws to make the margin four points with 20.9 seconds left, the issue was settled.
Curry did make one three-point shot to extend her streak to 42 consecutive games in which she has made at least one three-pointer, leaving her three games shy of the Pac-12 record (since 1999-2000).
Statistics were similar for the two teams, the one difference being the free throws. Oregon made 15 free throws (in 21 attempts) and Cal was just 5-for-9.
Oregon freshman Grace VanSlooten led all scorers with 20 points, while Kemery Martin matched Curry for Cal high-scoring honors with 13 points.
"As a team we just want to get over this hump," Martin said.
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