Cal heads to Corvallis to battle the Beavers
On Friday at 7:00 PM PST on Pac-12 Networks, Cal women’s basketball will head to Corvallis to take on the #8 ranked Oregon State Beavers. Cal comes in at 8-7 overall and 0-4 in the Pac-12 while Oregon State comes in at 15-1 overall and 3-1 in the Pac-12.
Last time out: Cal lost to Stanford on Sunday in Berkeley by a final score of 79-65. Cal redshirt senior guard Sara Anastasieska finished with 13 points.
RECAP: Cal shows improvement in loss to Stanford
On Oregon State: The Beavers are led by senior guard Mikayla Pivec (15.3 points & 10.1 rebounds per game), redshirt junior guard Destiny Slocum (14.4 points), and freshman forward Taylor Jones (13.9 points & 8.3 rebounds). Together, the three of them have the Beavers in the mix for another Pac-12 championship and a possible Final Four run.
The Beavers average 74.6 points per game on 47.5% shooting from the field, 35.8% shooting from 3-point range, and 67.5% shooting from the foul line. They also average a +13.4 rebounding margin, 18.5 assists, 4.3 steals, 5.6 blocks, and 15.4 turnovers per game. Their opponents average 53.5 points per game on 33.0% shooting from the field, 26.2% shooting from 3-point range, and 59.8% shooting from the foul line.
The Beavers for the most part have cruised through this season, but last week’s trip to the Arizona schools proved to be a challenge as they hung on to beat Arizona 63-61 before losing to Arizona State 47-55. They will look to get back on track when Cal comes to town.
Keys to the game: As was the case with last week’s games against Stanford, if Cal wants to beat Oregon State, they have to start by holding their own on the glass. Oregon State’s +13.4 rebounding margin is much better than Cal’s now +5.3 rebounding margin, which got deflated almost in half after playing Stanford twice. Cal has to bounce back inside, keep it close on the glass, and give themselves a chance to get some second chance points. If Oregon State dominates the boards, I don’t see how Cal can win.
Secondly, Cal needs to find some success from beyond the arc. Cal has some players who can shoot from beyond the arc in Jazlen Green (whose status for the game is up-in-the-air), Cailyn Crocker, Jaelyn Brown, Sara Anastasieska, and Leilani McIntosh. Cal needs to be smart in how they shoot their threes, but if they can move the ball well, create some open looks, and knock them down, that would help a ton as the try to pull off the road upset.
Finally, Cal needs to stay poised. When Cal doesn’t panic, sticks to the game plan, and plays their brand of basketball, they can hang with just about anyone in the country. They’re a much better team than their record indicates. Part of that is a credit to how good the Pac-12 is, but another part of it is Cal starting Pac-12 play with the jitters. If Cal stays calm and plays with some confidence, they may not win this game, but they’ll at least put forth a respectable showing.