BERKELEY, Calif. – A slow start and an inability to finish strong led to a 67-55 loss for the Sun Devil women's basketball team at California on Friday night.
The Sun Devils (11-16, 3-12 Pac-12) were outscored by the Bears (16-11, 6-9) 26-13 in the first quarter and – after cutting the lead to eight with 1:08 with remaining in the third quarter – 13-9 over the final 10:30 of the game.
Jalyn Brown (18 points) led ASU with her 22nd double-digit outing of the season, while Mallory Miller (11 points) and Kadidia Toure (10 points, team-high eight rebounds) came off the bench to combine for 21 points.
For ASU, the game played out much like its loss at Washington State (Jan. 19) in which it outscored WSU 58-57 over the final 30 minutes after the Cougars jumped out to a 22-6 lead in the first quarter. Over the final three quarters against Cal, who the Sun Devils defeated 76-71 on Jan. 28, ASU edged the Bears 42-41.
After Cal increased its lead to 30-16, the Sun Devils ripped off a 14-3 run to make it a one-possession game after Brown's layup with 3:55 remaining in the first half. Brown (seven points), Toure (five points) and Miller (four points) combined for 16 points for the Sun Devils, who shot 50 percent in the second quarter.
After the Sun Devils got within three, they scored only two more points the remainder of the quarter as Cal was able to get its lead back up to nine points, 41-32, at the half.
After Cal started the second half with a triple to go up by 12 it was able to maintain a double-digit lead until Journey Thompson (jumper), Toure (two free throws) and Brown (jumper) scored six straight points to get ASU within eight late in the third quarter.
The Bears would douse any comeback fire the Sun Devils were looking to ignite by responding with an 11-2 run to take their largest lead, 65-48, midway through the fourth quarter.
The Sun Devils will conclude their final Pac-12 road trip on Sunday (1 p.m. MST) when they play at No. 3 Stanford. The game can be seen on Pac-12 Bay Area and heard on KDUS AM 1060.
The Sun Devils (11-16, 3-12 Pac-12) were outscored by the Bears (16-11, 6-9) 26-13 in the first quarter and – after cutting the lead to eight with 1:08 with remaining in the third quarter – 13-9 over the final 10:30 of the game.
Jalyn Brown (18 points) led ASU with her 22nd double-digit outing of the season, while Mallory Miller (11 points) and Kadidia Toure (10 points, team-high eight rebounds) came off the bench to combine for 21 points.
For ASU, the game played out much like its loss at Washington State (Jan. 19) in which it outscored WSU 58-57 over the final 30 minutes after the Cougars jumped out to a 22-6 lead in the first quarter. Over the final three quarters against Cal, who the Sun Devils defeated 76-71 on Jan. 28, ASU edged the Bears 42-41.
After Cal increased its lead to 30-16, the Sun Devils ripped off a 14-3 run to make it a one-possession game after Brown's layup with 3:55 remaining in the first half. Brown (seven points), Toure (five points) and Miller (four points) combined for 16 points for the Sun Devils, who shot 50 percent in the second quarter.
After the Sun Devils got within three, they scored only two more points the remainder of the quarter as Cal was able to get its lead back up to nine points, 41-32, at the half.
After Cal started the second half with a triple to go up by 12 it was able to maintain a double-digit lead until Journey Thompson (jumper), Toure (two free throws) and Brown (jumper) scored six straight points to get ASU within eight late in the third quarter.
The Bears would douse any comeback fire the Sun Devils were looking to ignite by responding with an 11-2 run to take their largest lead, 65-48, midway through the fourth quarter.
The Sun Devils will conclude their final Pac-12 road trip on Sunday (1 p.m. MST) when they play at No. 3 Stanford. The game can be seen on Pac-12 Bay Area and heard on KDUS AM 1060.