Cal Women's Basketball Dries Up on Offense Against USC in loss at Chase Center
Ultimately couldn't create and execute offense in the fourth
Through two and a half quarters at Chase Center, Cal gave No. 19 USC all the Trojans could handle. The Bears defense was stifling, limiting the Trojans half court creation to a level few have done this year.
USC was more than happy to oblige with some aggressive defense of their own, continually forcing turnovers and some tough shots down the stretch to close out a 61-57 win over Cal.
At one point in the final 20 minutes, Cal possessed a nine point lead at 42-33. Ultimately, the Bears left too many points at the free throw line despite a massive attempts advantage before going stone dry in the final stanza. USC limited Cal to just 1 of 10 shooting over the final ten minutes by forcing timely turnovers.
In a vacuum, the Bears struggled at times out of ATO’s (after timeouts), resulting in a mix of rushed shots and giveaways. Throughout the game, Jazzy Davidson gave Cal a lot of trouble, to the tune of 24 points on 9/21 from the field. The rest of the Trojans only mustered 37 points and outside of some timely Kara Dunn baskets, the Bears kept Lindsay Gottlieb’s offense in check.
However as Head Coach Charmin Smith mentioned postgame, she needs more from her squad. She specifically stated that the team didn’t deserve to win given some of the mistakes but that it would’ve been nice given the effort that the players are putting in on a day to day basis.
Lulu Twidale echoed similar sentiments, especially as she continues to adjust to how teams guard her as a primary scorer. Twidale emphasized that she has to continue to grow her game off the bounce to make her shot’s gravity come to life.
Much like Stanford, its ultimately a missed opportunity for Cal Women’s Basketball. They had chances but couldn’t muster enough shot creation and half court execution down the stretch at Chase Center.
Notes:
Cal only took 11 threes. The Bears shot 1/11 from behind the arc
To the tune of 18 turnovers, Cal had a series of possessions where they picked up their dribble in the backcourt
Mid fourth quarter, the Bears tried to force the ball to Naya Ojukwu, resulting in two turnovers and a rushed shot. This led to a mini 6-0 USC run that Cal wouldn’t recover from
Sakima Walker notched her third double double of the season in a physical effort down low, where she helped foul out two of USC’s centers
The Bears shot 30 free throws, but only put home 20. Conversely, USC went 8/12 at the line
Cal returns to Haas Pavilion to play Cal Poly after the holiday break before starting ACC play on Tobacco Road against UNC.