Cal Women's Basketball: Bears Lose to No. 9 Stanford
Cal's women's basketball team suffered its 10th consecutive loss to Stanford, which handed the Bears a 78-51 defeat on Friday in Berkeley in both teams' Pac-12 opener.
Cal head coach Charmin Smith is now 0-8 against her alma mater as the ninth-ranked Cardinal improved to 11-1 while Cal slipped to 10-3.
The one positive note for Cal was the return of Ioanna Krimili, who saw action for the first time after missing the previous nine games with a knee problem. She did not start the game but scored a team-high 12 points in 19 minutes of court time.
She is Cal's leading scorer at 14.3 points per game, and her 43.5% shooting on three-pointers also leads the team.
"I think Cal has really improved," Stanford coach Tara VanDerveer said. "Obviously Krimili is a great . . . I mean, you know when she's healthy and playing she's really tough out there."
Krimili said in the video atop this story that she feels 100% healthy.
Stanford took control late the first half. Cal trailed by just four points late in the second quarter, but the Cardinal scored the last six points of the first half and the first seven points of the third quarter to take a 17-point lead.
Cal's scored just six points in the third quarter when it was 2-for-17 from the field, and the Cardinal held a 21-point lead heading into the fourth quarter.
Cal needed to hit from the perimeter to challenge Stanford, but the Bears were just 4-for-31 on three-point shots for the game. Marta Suarez and Leilani McIntosh were a combined 0-for-9 from deep, and they have been Cal's best long -range threats in recent games.
The Bears shot just 26.5% from the field overall.
"You're not going to beat Stanford when you shoot like that no matter what you're doing defensively," Smith said.
Nonetheless, Smith still has high hopes for her squad.
"I think this is the best team I've had so far," said Smith, who is in her fifth season as Cal's head coach.
Talana Lepolo made six three-pointers and set a career high with 20 points to lead Stanford. Cameron Brink added 13 points despite being limited by foul trouble.
A first-half Cal highlight:
Cover photo of Leilani McIntosh by Kelley L Coc, KLC fotos
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