On Friday at 2:00 PM PST on Pac-12 Networks, Cal women’s basketball will take on UCLA in the quarterfinals of the Pac-12 Tournament. Cal comes into this game having defeated Washington in the opening round on Thursday by a final score of 71-68.

Previous meeting

Cal lost both of their games against UCLA this season, losing 46-82 in Berkeley and 52-60 in Los Angeles.

On UCLA

The Bruins are led by senior guard Jordin Canada, who is averaging 16.3 points and 7.1 assists per game and senior forward Monique Billings, who is averaging 15.0 points and 9.8 rebounds per game. Together, Canada and Billings form a very dynamic one-two punch, capable of beating teams both inside and out.

During Pac-12 play, the Bruins have been averaging 74.8 points per game while giving up only 63.7. They’re shooting 41.8% from the field, 36.3% from 3-point range, and 71.1% from the foul line. The Bruins are also doing a good job on the glass, averaging a +5.9 rebounding differential.

Keys to the Game

If Cal wants to win this game, they need to look back on their most recent game against UCLA in Los Angeles. If they learn from that game, the third time could be the charm against the Bruins.

The first thing Cal needs to do in this game is not go into lulls where they don’t score. UCLA shot 36.1% from the field against Cal in Los Angeles, which is not very good. The problem for Cal was they responded with an even worse field goal percentage of 35.7%. If Cal can hold UCLA to a similar field goal percentage and in turn knock down a few more shots on their end, that could make the difference.

The second thing Cal needs to do in order to win this game is do a much better job on the glass. UCLA outrebounded Cal 44-33 in their previous meeting and got 12 second chance points to Cal’s 9. While those three points may not seem like much of a deal, in a close game, three points is a lot. If Cal can do a better job on the boards and be the team with more second chance points, that could push them over the edge. Monique Billings is the main rebounder on UCLA, so it’ll really be on Kristine Anigwe and Penina Davidson to do a good job boxing her out.

The third thing Cal needs to do in this game is take care of the ball. Cal actually did a pretty good job in this department in their last game against UCLA, turning the ball over just 13 times. Every possession will be crucial, so Cal really needs to do all they can to take care of the basketball and play a clean game.