Cal defeats Long Beach State to win Cal Classic
On Saturday, Cal women’s basketball defeated Long Beach State 68-45 to win the Cal Classic at Haas Pavilion. Freshman guards Cailyn Crocker (15 points) and Jazlen Green (12 points) along with junior forward Alaysia Styles (12 points & 6 rebounds) led the way for the Golden Bears while sophomore guard Justina King (13 points) was the top performer for the 49ers. Cal improves to 5-2 overall while Long Beach State falls to 2-5.
“It’s been a couple years since we’ve been able to win this tournament,” Cal head coach Charmin Smith said after the game. “So, feels good to get that feeling of winning a championship, even if it is our own Cal Classic. Having to play back-to-back games and come out and compete, I think we did a good job and it was a good team effort.
“I think it’s a great experience for the team number one to have a situation where you only advance if you win. We didn’t want to be in the consolation game. We wanted to be able to sleep in and play in the championship game. Thinking ahead, like Pac-12 tournament, you know you play back-to-back in however long you can continue to survive and advance and so I think this is great for us to have that type of experience.”
Cal got off to a strong 10-5 start with 4:32 to go in the 1st quarter as senior forward Jaelyn Brown was up to 6 points on 3-4 shooting from the field. Cal would then proceed to finish the quarter on a 12-2 run to go up 22-7 as Crocker was up to 7 points on 2-2 shooting from 3-point range and 1-2 shooting from the foul line. Cal was shooting 8-13 from the field while Long Beach State was shooting 2-6. After not knowing whether or not Crocker would be a go today, it was clear that Cal was very happy to have her back on the floor.
“I was really really nervous that we wouldn’t have her,” Smith said of Crocker. “And really grateful when I heard that she was feeling well enough to go. Just because of the pressure. The amount of defense that Long Beach State has, I just knew that we needed multiple ball handlers out there and it was really good having her out there on the floor.”
“I think yesterday was very precautionary,” Crocker said of her condition coming into today. “I just wanted to make sure that I was ok. It was hard not being able to play, but definitely my teammates played the hardest that they could, and I was excited just to be able to still be there and see them do that. I found out this morning and I was able to do shootaround and be prepared and I watched film with everybody. So, I was still like I was going to play, and so I just wanted to make sure I got a good night of rest and eat, hydrate, all of that. Just stay prepared and talk to our trainer and make sure that I was ok. It wasn’t really anything different. It was just do what I always do and make sure that I’m ready. Because if I could play, I wanted to make sure I knew the scout and everything. So, it was great.”
With 4:13 to go in the half, Cal was up 28-13 as Crocker was up to 9 points on 3-3 shooting from the field. The struggle continued for the 49ers as they were shooting 4-16 from the field. Cal would go on to take a 33-14 lead at halftime, holding “The Beach” to 7 points in both the 1st and 2nd quarter on 5-21 (23.8%) shooting from the field. Cal’s defense was excellent in the first half and it showed in the halftime score.
With 5:32 to go in the 3rd quarter, Cal was up 36-20, experiencing shooting woes of their own as they were shooting 1-8 from the field in the quarter. As a result, “The Beach” were able to swim back into this game. At least for the time being. Hopes for a comeback didn’t last long as Cal would close out the quarter on an 8-0 run thanks to back-to-back threes from Jazlen Green and a jumper from Alaysia Styles. Up 49-27 with one quarter to go, all was going Cal’s way.
“Yeah, Jazzy’s a scorer,” Smith said. “She can really score the basketball and she’s learning how to play with everyone else. I think she’s really used to that, just being the only thing that she has to do. And so, I love that she was active defensively in both games and she’s really picking up things really quickly and we know that she can put the ball in the basket and she’s just showing you guys that. But we see that all the time. I think the coolest thing about Jazzy is that she is so coachable and she’s always listening, she’s always trying to improve, and I told her I think that’s going to make her growth happen a lot faster.”
With 5:03 to go, Cal was up 59-37 as Crocker (13 points) and Green (12 points) were leading the way. Cal was holding the 49ers to 14-43 (32.6%) shooting from the field and 2-7 shooting from the beyond the arc. The shots were not falling, preventing any chance of a comeback.
In the end, Cal would win this game 68-45, doing a great job of finishing the game strong. They could have done a better job at taking care of the ball (22 turnovers), but they dominated the glass 45-23 and held Long Beach State to 18-53 (34.0%) shooting from the field. When you control the glass like that and defend to the level that they did, you’re going to be tough to stop on any night.
“I think we had moments where we were really good,” Smith said. “I mean, holding them to seven points in two consecutive quarters, I told them I don’t care who you’re playing against, any division one team, that that’s impressive. I thought our defense was phenomenal in the first half.
“We got a little lax in the second half, it’s just the turnovers. That’s where we were just a little sloppy and there are teams that can force you into turnovers. Long Beach is one of them. They average, I think opponents average 19 against them, but again I’m more concerned with the unforced turnovers. Those are the ones that we need to eliminate and we’re still working on that. I think at times we have some people trying to do too much. If we can just, how I like to say, make the easy play and not force it, I think that limits the turnovers.”
Up next for Cal is a home game on Saturday, December 7th against Boston University. That game will tipoff at 2:00 PM PST on Cal Live Stream.
Note: Jaelyn Brown, Cailyn Crocker, and Alaysia Styles were named to the All-Tournament team. Brown took home MVP honors. Also, Charmin Smith talked about her relationship with Cal alum and Hall of Famer Trisha Stafford-Odom, who coached North Carolina Central in this tournament:
“Yeah, I think it was just really cool. Just bringing her back to her alma mater. I know how it feels every time I walk into Maples. You know? It’s just something special. I don’t believe that she’s been back here. Honestly, seeing her as a head coach, I’ve been following her. Another African-American female that’s a head coach is, there are not a lot of us and so it’s kinda like this sorority and I’m just really proud of her and always want the best for her and it’s great that she got to be back in front of her Cal family as well.”