On Sunday, Cal women’s basketball lost to #15 Oregon State by a final score of 76-63 on Senior Day. Oregon State senior guard Mikayla Pivec led the way for the Beavers with 24 points and 7 rebounds while Cal senior forward Jaelyn Brown and Cal freshman guard Cailyn Crocker each had 17 points. Oregon State improves to 20-8 overall and 8-8 in the Pac-12 while Cal falls to 10-17 overall and 2-14 in the Pac-12.
“It was a really emotional day for a lot of reasons,” Cal head coach Charmin Smith said after the game. “This team, I dunno, they just really enjoy playing with one another. And I know we didn’t play particularly well today, but just the feel and the commitment to one another I think is truly something special and I dunno, I may have said this on Friday, but I think a lot of teams, if there are other teams that have experienced the adversity that we had, have had the season that we had, I don’t know that they’re still together the way that we are. And I’m just really proud of that and it’s a special group of people. I wish we had more wins, but I’m really grateful that we’re together. We’re a family and we’ve enjoyed our time.”
Cal got out to an early 9-6 lead with 4:55 to go in the 1st quarter. Cal junior forward Alaysia Styles had 3 points early. Cal was shooting 4-8 from the field while Oregon State was shooting 3-7. At the end of the 1st quarter, Cal led 16-14 after freshman guard Leilani McIntosh banked in a floater to beat the buzzer. Pivec was on a roll for Oregon State with 8 points. It was a tight game early.
The 2nd quarter remained tight as Oregon State led 20-18 with 4:54 to go in the half. Pivec was up to 12 points on 4-7 shooting from the field for Oregon State. Cal senior center Chen Yue had 4 points, so it was a committee effort early for the Bears.
At halftime, Oregon State led 25-24. Crocker was up to 8 points after getting a jumper to fall at the buzzer while Pivec had 12 points. Oregon State junior guard Destiny Slocum was up to 9 points, doing her part for the Beavers as well. The game remained tight.
With 5:00 to go in the 3rd quarter, Oregon State started to gain some separation up 35-30. Oregon State senior guard Madison Washington was up to 8 points while Alaysia Styles was up to 8 points for Cal. Cal had made just 1 of their last 9 field goals, having scoring issues that were reminiscent of the men’s basketball team.
With 4:00 to go in the 3rd, Oregon State led 40-32. Brown was up to 5 points for Cal after knocking down a pair of free throws. Cal really needed her to come alive. At the end of the 3rd quarter, Oregon State would lead 52-43. Brown was up to 12 points, finally coming alive for Cal. Pivec (18 points) and Slocum (15 points) were on a roll for Oregon State. Cal was in a hole, but there was still time to pull it out.
Over the next couple of minutes, Oregon State would go on a 10-0 run to lead 62-43 with 7:48 to go. Pivec was up to 22 points as the Beavers were blowing this game wide open. Oregon State was shooting 26-48 (54.2%) from the field while Cal was shooting 15-50 (30.0%) from the field. With 4:45 to go, Oregon State led 65-50 as Cal started to calm down a bit. Still, Cal was in a deep hole and time was not on their side.
In the end, Oregon State walked out with a 76-63 win. Pivec and Slocum were fantastic for the Beavers, getting their team a much needed win. As for Cal, Brown and Crocker played well, but they didn’t get enough help. Also, Brown came alive pretty late. It would have helped had she been more consistent throughout the game.
Given that this was Senior Day, this was an emotional game for Cal. Seniors Chen Yue, Sara Anastasieska, Mi’Cole Cayton, CJ West, and Jaelyn Brown were all honored. Cal would have liked to have won on Senior Day, but it wasn’t meant to be. The post-game ceremony honoring the seniors was really nice, thanking everyone for their contributions.
Chen Yue’s journey to Cal is remarkable in that she is the first Chinese woman to play division one college basketball. She is double majoring in Business Administration and Statistics, making the most of her opportunities in Berkeley.
“It’s just really special,” Yue said post-game of her time at Cal. “Not everyone gets the opportunity to play with the same team for five years. So, it’s such an honor to be here and then especially this year. We’re such a young team and it’s just generally hard to play in such a good conference like the Pac-12. But, at the end of the day, I truly enjoyed every moment I’ve spent with my team, the coaches, the staff. The moments we work together and for together. I think that’s most important for me. In the future, those will be the key factors that keep me driven hard, work hark, and be the type of person I want to be.
“Being the first Chinese female to be able to play NCAA Division I basketball it’s really an honor. I’m trying to show some girls and boys in China that you don’t have to sacrifice your academics to pursue your sports dreams. You can pursue your academics and athletics simultaneously. I think most importantly along my journey is so many people have been supportive of my whole journey. And I really appreciate all the help and every person.”
Sara Anastasieska transferred to Cal from UTSA and was hampered by injuries for almost her entire time in Berkeley. Still, she persevered and became an important member of this Cal team in her final year. Her shooting was sorely needed this year.
As for Mi’Cole Cayton, she had a difficult journey at Cal that was marred by multiple knee injuries. We never got a chance to see her become the player we all thought she would be. Still, she brought a fighting spirit to the program and played with so much passion. Hopefully she’ll be able to get back on the court and have a productive 5th year somewhere if she chooses and is able to go that route.
As for CJ West, she was asked to have an expanded role in her senior year and has done a great job of doing so. She has given Cal a much needed presence inside. She has gone from being a role player to being one of the leaders on the team. That’s been really impressive to see.
As for Jaelyn Brown, her reaching 1,000 career points speaks for itself. She became a national player of the week earlier in the year after Cal’s win over Arkansas and has truly become a star player for this Cal team. Without her, Cal wouldn’t have had anywhere near the success that they did have this year. It’s a shame that she won’t be back next year to join that talented freshman class coming in.
“It was hard,” Brown said of walking off the court at Haas for the last time. “Because we fought so hard this season. This team has been unbelievable and I can’t believe that was my last time playing with them at Haas. But we still have more games to play and we’re going to keep on fighting.”
While this was the last game at Haas Pavilion for Cal, there is still more basketball to be played. They have a trip to the Arizona schools and also the Pac-12 tournament to look forward to. On that note, up next for Cal will be a road game on Friday at Arizona State. That game will tipoff at 7:00 PM PST on Pac-12 Networks.
“Haas is a special place for us,” Charmin Smith said when looking ahead to the rest of the season. “So, this is the end of something in that it is the end of our home games and I think Colorado and Utah both had wins today if I’m not mistaken. So, we’ll watch those films and figure out how we can go to Arizona and try to get some wins.”
