Women's Hoops: Bears Maul Panthers
All players contribute as Cal dominates in 84-53 thumping of Pitt
After Thursday’s loss to the North Carolina Tarheels, the Cal Women’s Basketball Team looked to bounce back against the Pitt Panthers (9-13, 1-8 ACC). Cal’s offense was wholly contained by the Tarheels. Pitt’s defensive profile is not nearly as stout as the Tarheels, so this would be a good opportunity for the Bears to gain some confidence going into next week’s challenging road trip against Louisville and Notre Dame.
It took a few minutes for Cal to get their offense going. Pitt was overplaying the passing lanes, and collected 4 steals in the first 3 minutes of the game. PG Kayla Williams was subbed out for Lola Donez, and would not return in the quarter. After going 0-for-17 on 3-point shots against Stanford, the Panthers hit their first attempt of the game (2-of-4 for the period), and kept it close for the first 6 minutes. The Bears started going inside with Marta Suarez. She had several looks from point blank range and had 8 points on 4-of-5 shooting in the period. At the end of the first quarter, Cal led 18-11.
The second quarter saw the teams trade baskets early on. With Cal leading 25-18, Ioanna Krimili collected a steal near midcourt. She raced downcourt and pulled up at the 3-point line for the shot. She made the shot and was fouled on the attempt. Cal led 29-18 after Krimili made the free throw. That was the beginning of an 11-0 run for the Bears to push the lead to 36-18, with Krimili accounting for 9 of those points. Cal extended their defense during this stretch and forced multiple turnovers on the Panthers. On the offensive end, Cal was making the extra pass and finding the easy buckets. Cal finished the quarter on a 10-2 run and led at halftime 46-20. Cal’s offense was executing at a high level, shooting 59% for the quarter, including 50% from 3-point range. Lulu Twidale led Cal in scoring with 12 first-half points, while Marta Suarez added 10. For the Panthers, leading scorer C Khadija Faye (17.7 points/game) collected three fouls and only played 10 minutes. As a team, the Panthers only shot 26% for the first half.
Panther Khadija Faye collected her 4th foul early in the third period, but was forced to stay in with the Panthers tailing by 20+ points. Cal continued to find good shots on offense, and disrupt the Panthers on defense. The lead reached 30 points midway through the quarter. At the end of the period Cal lead 64-29.
The fourth quarter belonged to the backups. Cal played their seven reserves for the majority of the quarter as they cruised to the victory. Cal moves 19-4, 7-3 in the ACC. The Panthers fall to 9-14, 1-9.
Simply put, Cal dominated an overmatched opponent. After the slow start, the offense executed well, using their ‘action into action’ motion to generate openings and good shots. Cal played primarily man-to-man defense and contained C Khadija Faye (16 points). Panthers guard Marley Washenitz led the Panthers with 20 points. The Bears were once again led with a balanced scoring output from their starters. Lulu Twidale scored 17, Ioanna Krimili scored 16, and Marta Suarez and Michelle Onyiah each added 12. The Bears shot 56% for the game, and limited Pitt to 36% shooting for the game.
GAME NOTES
The game started with an administrative technical foul against Cal for a shot clock issue. Pitt missed the free throw.
With an announced attendance of 2,733, the crowd was loud and engaged. The turnout was very good for a rainy Sunday afternoon against a low-profile opponent.
In a postgame comments, Coach Smith said this was a game where they expected to give the reserves plenty of playing time. Lola Donez played starter minutes, being the first off the bench and spelling the guards throughout the game. While her stats don’t jump out (3 points, 3 rebounds, 1 steal), she played excellent team ball. She drew a hard foul on a transition layup and sunk 1-of-2 free throws.
All twelve Cal players who saw court time scored, the first time this season that has happened. In contrast, Pitt generated zero bench points.
One of the more encouraging aspects of the afternoon was the crowd. As you said it was a good turnout given the opposition and the rain. Hopefully even more people will show up for the last four games.
Great recap and photos!