Managing without Anigwe
For at least one game, the Cal women’s basketball team did just fine without its star center.
With Kristine Anigwe sitting on the sideline with an injury, the Bears beat Vanguard 71- 57 in an exhibition game Thursday night at Haas Pavilion.
Anigwe, a two- time AllPac- 12 selection, has what Cal deemed a “minor knee injury” and is expected to return “early in the season.” Head coach Lindsay Gottlieb said that she isn’t trying to be vague about the health of the 6- foot- 4 junior, but that she won’t know more until the next step of rehabilitation.
Anigwe led the Bears last season in scoring ( 21 points per game), rebounding ( 9.3) and field- goal percentage ( 56.6). Cal still had more than enough to beat Vanguard, an NAIA school that went 30- 4 last season and fell to top- seeded Lewis- Clark State College in the national semifinals.
“Across the board,” said senior forward Penina Davidson when asked about how the team will replace Anigwe. “Everybody has to produce more with Kristine out, but Kristine said she doesn’t feel like the pressure is so much on her. We have a team that is not necessarily capable of filling her shoes, but can do what we need to do.”
Davidson led the way with 17 points and seven rebounds, sophomore center CJWest had 14 points and six rebounds, and junior point guard Asha Thomas added 10 points and six assists for Cal, which returns 10 players from a 20- 14 squad that reached the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
Freshman wing Alaysia Styles had 13 points and four rebounds in the second half. After not playing in the first half, Styles and senior wing Mikayla Cowling started the second half, with Cowling logging only 14 minutes.
Cowling, Styles and freshman Kianna Smith sat the entirety of the first half because of a “silly mistake” that violated team rules more than a month ago, according to Gottlieb. Add in Mi’Cole Cayton’s foul trouble, and it was difficult to make much of the exhibition game.
Gottlieb said the squad is still trying to figure out its substitution patterns and developing cohesiveness.
Cal missed 17 of its first 24 shots, but finally started rounding into shape in the final eight minutes of the second quarter. The Bears finished the first half with a 26- 8 onslaught, including a 13- 0, second- quarter run that included three three- pointers.
“I thought we took some rushed and quick shots,” Gottlieb said. “I thought we missed some easy looks that were good looks.”
Thomas made two of the three- pointers, and Davidson added one that put Cal ahead 38- 19 with 2: 31 left in the first half. The Bears led by double figures most of the second half, but Amber Alexander’s layup trimmed Vanguard’s deficit to 57- 48 with six minutes left.
Cal scored the game’s next 10 points, including a three- point play by Smith that made it 67- 48 with 2 ½ minutes left.
The Bears will open the regular season at 5 p. m. next Friday by hosting St. Mary’s.