Missouri Transfer Who Beat Cal Women This Season Signs With Cal

Shannon Dowell scored the game-winning basket for Missouri against Cal in December, but now she will be on the Golden Bears' roster

Missouri celebrates Shannon Dowell's game-winning shot against Cal | Photo courtesy of Missouri Athletics

Missouri transfer guard Shannon Dowell, who scored game-winning basket against Cal this past season, has been added to the Cal women’s basketball roster for the 2026-27 season, according to an announcement made by Cal on Thursday.

She has one year of college eligibility remaining.

In Missouri’s game against Cal on December 5, Dowell scored the winning basket on a layup with one second left to give the Tigers a 68-67 victory. Dowell scored 20 points in that game, one of nine games in the 2025-26 season in which she scored 20 points or more.

Shannon Dowell is THAT girl 🔥

FINAL | Mizzou 68, Cal 67#MIZ x #OurZou pic.twitter.com/gU8t7dwxzD

— Mizzou Women’s Basketball (@MizzouWBB) December 5, 2025

Missouri finished with a 17-17 record, including 9-8 in the Southeastern Conference.

The 5-foot-10 Dowell spent the 2023-24 season and the 2024-25 season at Illinois State, and she was named to the All-Missouri Valley Conference second team as a sophomore when she averaged 17.1 points, 5.2 rebounds and 2.1 assists.

This past season as a junior at Missouri Dowell made 29 starts and averaged 14.9 points, 6.1 rebounds and 2.3 assists.

She scored more than 30 points twice, including a season-high 33 points to go along with 10 rebounds against Oklahoma.

Dowell made 44.6 percent of her field-goal attempts and 29.5 percent of her three-point shots. The only blemish on her statistical line is the 106 turnovers (3.5 per game).

Dowell is the second transfer Cal has signed in the past two days, joining Rhode Island transfer Albina Syla.

“Shannon brings a veteran presence and a high-motor mentality to the team,” Cal head coach Charmin Smith said in a statement provided by Cal. “She has an aggressive mindset offensively and is a proven scorer that can be depended upon to get a bucket in crunch time. She truly is a triple-threat option that has shown the ability to attack the glass and get others involved on the offensive end of the court. Having played in the SEC last season, she will be an impact player right away and be ready for the ACC.”

“I am so excited to join the Cal women’s basketball program and I can’t wait to play for Coach Charmin,” Dowell said in a statement from Cal. “Coach Charmin will elevate my confidence and push me to fully step into my game. Her deep knowledge and the way she empowers her players creates the kind of environment I know I’ll thrive in.”