Freshman Jovana Jevtovic Boosts Cal Women in Victory over USF

Freshman Jovana Jevtovic is making quite an impact for the Cal women’s basketball team.

The 6-foot-4 center from Serbia delivered her second straight double-digit scoring performance, posting 18 points on 8-for-9 shooting as the Bears ran their record to 3-0 with an 87-65 victory over San Francisco at the Caesars Lake Tahoe Classic at Stateline, Nevada on Sunday.

The Bears missed their first eight shots from beyond the 3-point arc and connected on just 4 of 18 for the half, but defense paved the way to a 45-28 lead at the break.

Cal held USF to 35.5-percent shooting (11 for 31) in the opening 20 minutes and led by as many as 19 points.

The Dons (1-1) trailed by 20 or more most of the second half.

“I think USF is a good team and they play hard and with toughness, so I think this is a good win for us,” Cal coach Charmin Smith said. “We did some things well defensively to force them into tough shots, and then we were able to get what we wanted offensively for the most part.

"We had too many turnovers, but it was a good performance. Overall, I think the grittiness was on display to start the game. Just really crashing the boards, putting them in tough spots.”

The Bears return to action Thursday at home against Charleston (2-0) in an 11 a.m. tipoff. The Cougars make a visit to No. 3 USC on Tuesday before arriving in Berkeley.

Jovana Jevtovic goes up for a shot vs. USF | Photo courtesy of Cal Athletics

Jevtovic was a difference-maker off the bench. She had a team-high nine points at halftime, then scored nine straight Cal points early in the fourth quarter before sitting down after a productive 13-minute contribution.

Including her 14-point effort earlier in the week against Long Beach State, Jevtovic has scored 32 points on 13-for-15 shooting accuracy in 30 minutes over the past two games. She added four rebounds on Sunday.

Forward Taylor Barnes scored 14 points, freshman guard Ruby Perkins had a season-best 12 points and guard Gisela Maul had 10 points and eight rebounds.

Preseason All-ACC senior guard Lulu Twidale had just two points on 1-for-8 shooting in the first half and finished with eight points. Cal’s career leader in made 3-point baskets, the Australian standout missed all seven of her attempts from beyond the arc.

The Bears played their third straight game without senior guard Mjracle Sheppard, sidelined by a right foot injury. There is no clear return date for Sheppard, who averaged 8.8 points, 4.5 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 2.0 steals last season.

After a sluggish start, Cal broke things open with a 12-2 run for a 14-7 lead. The surge was fueled by attacking the paint, with the Bears converting five layups or putbacks (plus two free throws).

The margin stretched to 22-9 on the strength of back-to-back 3-pointers from Jevtovic and Barnes and a pair of free throws by Perkins.

The Dons, who were 19-15 a year ago and projected to finish fifth in the West Coast Conference, never got within single digits the rest of the game.

Nine different players scored for the Bears in the first half.

Cal dominated inside, outrebounding USF 45-31 for the game, outscoring the Dons 17-6 on second-chance points and totaling 50 in the paint. The Bears shot 47 percent from the field but just 28 percent (8 for 29) from deep. Their bench provided 37 points.

USF was led by All-WCC guard Candy Edokpaigbe with 15 points.

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