On Sunday at 3:00 PM PST on Pac-12 Networks, Cal women’s basketball will take on the Washington Huskies in Seattle. Cal comes in at 19-9 overall and 10-7 in the Pac-12 while Washington comes in at 7-21 overall and 1-16 in the Pac-12.

Previous meeting

Back on January 12th, Cal faced Washington in Berkeley, winning by a final score of 69-60. Kristine Anigwe led the way for Cal with 26 points and 10 rebounds while Amber Melgoza paced the Huskies with 15 points and 5 rebounds.

On Washington

It’s been a rough season for the Huskies, having just 1 win in Pac-12 play over Washington State at home. Sophomore guard Amber Melgoza has really stepped up this year, averaging 20.4 points per game in Pac-12 play on 44.3% shooting from the field, 44.6% shooting from 3-point range, and 74.5% shooting from the foul line. In what has otherwise been a really bad season, Melgoza has shined brightly for this Huskies team and given them something to be excited about for the future.

The biggest weakness this Huskies team has is a lack of depth. Melgoza is the only player scoring in double figures on average, making it really difficult for them to generate offense (61.76 points per game in Pac-12 play). In addition to having offensive woes, the Huskies have been giving up 73.35 points per game in Pac-12 play and haven’t done a good job of defending, allowing opponents to shoot 48.2% from the field and 38.8% from 3-point range. Due to a lack of size up front, the Huskies are also getting beat on the glass by an average margin of 10.6 rebounds per game.

Keys to the Game

This game is actually pretty similar to the Washington State game in that Cal has more talent and size. If Cal wants to win, dominating the glass would be a great place to start. Kristine Anigwe owned the Huskies in Berkeley and should look to have a similar performance to what she did on Friday. If Anigwe can produce 20+ points and grab 10+ rebounds, Cal will be on pace to win rather convincingly. In addition to Anigwe, Penina Davidson, CJ West, and Alaysia Styles need to do their part on the glass as well. If they could combine for 18 rebounds, that would be adequate support for Anigwe inside.

The second key to this game for Cal is to kill the Huskies in transition. Cal had 9 fast break points when they faced in Berkeley and quite honestly should have had at least 15. The Huskies are going to miss a lot of shots and give Cal plenty of chances to get out in the open floor. Especially since they commit over 14 turnovers per game. If Cal can make the most of their transition scoring opportunities, they’ll be in really good shape.

The final key to this game for Cal is to not foul and keep Washington away from the foul line. The Huskies’ top three scorers (Amber Melgoza, Jenna Moser, and Hannah Johnson) all shoot north of 70% from the foul line. If they can get to the line and give themselves a chance to get free points, they could hang around in this one. If Cal plays clean defense and doesn’t foul, the Huskies will be forced to rely much more on their shooting from the field, which hasn’t been a strength of theirs.