Cal Women's Basketball: Bears Cannot Cash in Fast Start in Loss at No. 8 UCLA

Cal led by 12 in the first quarter and was still in front late in the third before losing 87-70.

The Cal women built a 12-point lead in the first quarter against No. 8 UCLA and still was ahead with a minute to go in the third period at Pauley Pavilion on Sunday afternoon.

But the Bruins blitzed the Bears over the final 11 minutes of the game for an 87-70 victory that was much closer than the final score suggests.

Two days after being blown out from the start in a 20-point loss at USC, the Bears (10-7, 1-5 Pac-12) were aggressive and sharp out of the gate against the Bruins.

Kemery Martin made her first eight shots of the game — five of them from the 3-point arc — and Cal led 19-7 after her jump shot with 3:35 left in the opening period.

Cal was up 57-53 with one minute left in the third period before the Bruins (15-3, 4-2) roared to life. A 3-pointer by freshman London Jones and a shot from the lane by sophomore guard Emily Bessoir gave UCLA a 58-57 lead before the end of the quarter.

The Bruins pulled away with a 16-2 run midway through the final period, with Cal missing five straight field-goal attempts and committing four of its 16 turnovers during the decisive 6-minute stretch that permanently flipped the game.

Capping the Bruins’ run was a 10-0 burst fueled by 3-pointers from Jones and senior Charisma Osborne, who scored 18 and 17 points, respectively. By the time Camryn Brown converted a layup and free throw with 2:06 left, UCLA’s lead had swelled to 80-65.

"I think considering where we came from, with our performance on Friday, I was really proud of how we bounced back and started this game and it's a really good team. So that was a positive," Cal coach Charmin Smith said. "And then I just think there was too many mistakes even in the first quarter, where we should have had a bigger lead."

Cal made eight of its first nine shots and made 75 percent (9 for 12) in the opening quarter. The Bears held UCLA to 38 percent and forced seven turnovers in the first first 10 minutes.

But a 13-0 run pushed the Bruins into a 25-23 lead midway through the second quarter and the game remained close until the opening minutes of the fourth period.

Martin, a senior transfer from Utah, finished with a Cal career-high 23 points, but missed her final five shots of the game.

Sophomore guard Jayda Curry scored 13 points and made a 3-pointer in her 39th consecutive game, moving past Washington’s Kelsey Plum to second all-time in the Pac-12. USC’s Shay Murphy made a 3-pointer in a conference-record 45 straight games through 2006.

Forward Peanut Tuitele played through being conked on the bridge of the nose early in the third quarter to contribute nine points, seven rebounds and three assists. She missed more than 5 minutes of game time in the locker room, returning with a bandage on her nose and gauze stuffed in each nostril.

Senior guard Leilani McIntosh added 11 points and four assists.

But senior forward Evelien Lutje Schipholt, who entered the game averaging 10.1 points, scored just two points in 18 minutes before fouling out.

UCLA freshman guard Kiki Rice, the Gatorade national high school player of the year in 2022, flirted with a triple-double, totaling 15 points, 12 assists and eight rebounds.

The Pac-12’s top offensive rebounding squad, UCLA grabbed 13 of its own misses and converted those into 16 second-chance points. The Bruins also flipped the early turnover script, ultimately outscoring the Bears 19-11 off the giveaways.

The Bears begin a four-game homestand on Friday morning against Colorado (14-3, 5-1), which is tied for second in the Pac-12 standings after seven straight victories. Tipoff Friday is 11:30 a.m. at Haas Pavilion.

Cover photo of Cal guard Kemery Martin by Kyle Terada, USA Today

Follow Jeff Faraudo of Cal Sports Report on Twitter: @jefffaraudo