Cal Women Finish Strong to Win Home Opener

Cal played well for the final 5:33 of its home opener on Sunday, and that was enough to give the Bears a 69-52 victory over Sacramento State in a women’s basketball game.

It was certainly not a masterpiece for Cal (1-1), which was expected to roll past Sac State (2-1) after the Hornets were picked to finish fifth in the preseason Big Sky Conference poll.

The Bears went 16-1 at home last season, and they posted 12th straight home victory against nonconference opponents on Sunday, but not before they experienced some shaky moments.

The Hornets were within three points at 48-45 with 5:50 to go in the fourth quarter. Cal then scored on 10 straight possessions to pull away and provide a deceptive final margin.

Two issues were drawbacks for the Bears.

First was the injury to Mjracle Sheppard, who was Cal’s best player Sunday. She led the Bears in scoring with 16 points and in assists with six and also tied for the team high in rebounds with seven.

But with 1:36 left in the game, she turned her ankle and had to be helped off the court. Sunday began a four-games-in-eight-days stretch, so Cal needs healthy players, especially one with the Sheppard’s two-way skills as a defender and offensive threat.

The other concerning aspect of Sunday’s game was the continued shooting problems of Lulu Twidale, the Bears only returning starter from last year.

Last season, Twidale made 94 three-pointers, the second-most in the ACC behind only teammate Ioanna Krimili. But she missed all five of her three-point attempts on Sunday and is 1-for-16 from behind the arc in Cal’s first two games.

She missed her first seven shots overall against Sac State, and finished 2-for-9 with six points after being Cal’s second-leading scorer last season.

Cal freshman Taylor Barnes again showed her all-around skills with 12 points, three rebounds, three assists and three steals. Coach Charmin Smith will be looking for ways to give Barnes more scoring opportunities with ability to create off the dribble.

Cal ended up going 5-for-21 on three-point shots are leading the ACC in three-pointers made a year ago, when the Bears went 25-9 and earned a berth in the NCAA tournament.

The Bears ended up shooting a respectable 43% from the field, primarily because they were 12-for-19 from the floor in the fourth quarter.

On the bright side, Cal committed just two turnovers in the second half and none in the fourth quarters. Turnovers were a major problem for Cal last season.

Recent articles:

How significant was Cal's win over No. 15 Louisville?

Sagapolutele: 'Did we just win?'

Game summary of Cal's 29-26 win at No. 15 Louisville

Game thread of Call-Louisville

Preview of Cal's Saturday game at Louisville

Cal basketball holds off Wright State