Oregon State Women’s Basketball: Opponent Preview - California

The 7th ranked Oregon State Beavers Women’s Basketball team heads to the Bay Area to take on the California Golden Bears in game 25 of the season. Tip-off is slated for 1 PM PST on Sunday, February 10th. Watch it on the PAC-12 Network or check out the team’s Twitter page for other ways to follow along live. Let’s take a closer look at the Golden Bears.

California (RV in AP, 14-8 overall, 5-6 conference)

Last season: 21-11 overall, 11-7 in PAC-12 (5th), lost in First Round of NCAA Tournament

The Golden Bears started the season 9-0 and ranked #14 in the nation before running into UConn, starting a rough 1-5 midseason stretch. Since then, they are 4-3 with a win over the Stanford Cardinal who just blanked the Beavers. They gave the third-ranked Ducks a good run for a half in their last outing, but ultimately fell 105-82.

These teams met just once a year ago, and it was Oregon State all the way. The Beavers doubled up on the Golden Bears with a 20-10 first quarter and led nearly the entire game behind Marie Gülich and Katie McWilliams who scored 20 and 19 points respectively.

Head Coach Lindsay Gottlieb is in her eighth year at the helm for California. Gottlieb quickly established herself as one of the outstanding coaches in the Conference of Champions by taking the Golden Bears to Final Four after winning their first conference championship in just her second season. She has taken California to six NCAA Tournaments in her first seven seasons and looks to make it seven of eight with one of the best players in the nation, Kristine Anigwe.

Who to watch

David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports

#31 - Kristine Anigwe, Senior Forward

The nation’s leading rebounder at 15.7 per game, Anigwe is force on the glass. The All-American Honorable Mention is among the top-ten nationally for scoring at 22.5, and second in the conference behind Arizona’s Aari McDonald. The former National Freshman of the Year has had a double-double in in every game this year, including four 20-20 games.

#1 - Asha Thomas, Senior Guard

Thomas is one of three California players averaging double figures at 10.1. She is also second on the team in assists and steals with 75 and 23. The 5’4’’ senior came up big against the UConn Huskies with 22 points (including six three-pointers), five rebounds, and two assists.

#24 - Receé Caldwell, Grad Transfer Guard

The graduate student from Texas Tech is coming off her biggest game as a Cal Bear against the Ducks. Caldwell scored 22 points on 8-of-15 shooting, including 6-of-11 from downtown, to go along with seven assists. She is the Golden Bears best facilitator as well with 87 assists on the year.

Prediction

The Beavers are coming off of a stinker of a performance at Maples Pavilion, but as they’ve shown this year, they tend to come back with a rebound performance. I’m looking forward to the Beaver to erase this ugly memory with a hot shooting performance against the Cal Bears. Oregon State will find their shooting stroke in Berkley and get back on the winning track before heading to Eugene.