Cal's Jayda Curry Scores 30 Points in Loss to No. 2 Stanford Women
Second-ranked Stanford ended up beating Cal by a rather predictable score of 97-74 in a women's basketball game Friday night at Stanford, but for one glorious quarter, Cal dominated the defending national champion.
The quarter of note was the second quarter, when the Bears outscored Stanford 33-22, taking a one-point lead with 1:39 left in the first half and going into halftime tied 42-42. Cal freshman Jayda Curry scored 13 of her career-high 30 points in that quarter, hitting 5 of 6 field-goal attempts after going 0-for-4 in the first quarter.
Stanford quickly brought the Bears (9-4, 0-3 Pac-12) back to earth in the second half, outscoring Cal 15-2 to start the third quarter. The Cardinal (14-3, 5-0) built its lead to 21 points late in the third quarter and cruised to its seventh straight win over Cal.
Curry, who is now averaging Pac-12-best 20.3 points per game, proved she can score against the best competition the women's college game can offer. Her 30 points matched the most points allowed by Stanford to an opposing player this season. She scored her 30th point with 7:33 left in the game and sat out the final five minutes of the contest. She finished 7-for-17 from the field, including 4-for-8 on 3-point shots, and 12-of-14 from the foul line. She bettered her previous career high of 27, accomplished against San Francisco and matched against Cal Poly. But Friday's career high was achieved against a national powerhouse, a team capable of winning a second straight national championship.
Now the question is this: Can Curry do something similar when the same two teams meet again on Sunday in Berkeley? Friday's game was played in a nearly empty Maples Pavilion, but there will be some people at Haas Pavilion on Sunday.
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Cover photo of Jayda Curry by Chris Leung
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Follow Jake Curtis of Cal Sports Report on Twitter: @jakecurtis53
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