On Friday at 11:30 AM PST, Cal women’s basketball will take on the Washington State Cougars in Berkeley for the annual “School Haas Rock” game, which invites local elementary schools to watch a free basketball game at Haas Pavilion. Cal comes into this game 10-5 overall and 1-3 in Pac-12 play while Washington State comes in at 7-9 overall and 2-3 in Pac-12 play.

Last time out: On Sunday, Cal suffered a 62-61 loss at Arizona State. Kristine Anigwe was the top performer for Cal with 21 points and 16 rebounds while Kianna Ibis led the way for Arizona State with 26 points and 6 rebounds.

RECAP: Cal suffers heartbreaking loss at Arizona State

On Washington State: The Cougars are led by redshirt junior forward Borislava Hristova, who is averaging 21.9 points & 5.4 rebounds per game on 48.6% shooting from the field and 71.3% shooting from the foul line. Junior guard Chanelle Molina (15.8 points) and senior guard Alexys Swedlund (12.6 points) are the other two Cougars scoring in double figures.

As a team, the Cougars average 70.3 points per game on 45.2% shooting from the field, 35.9% shooting from 3-point range, and 69.1% shooting from the foul line. Their opponents average 70.3 points per game on 43.4% shooting from the field and 30.1% shooting from 3-point range. On the glass, the Cougars average a -3.4 rebounding differential per game.

Keys to the game: If Cal wants to get back on track with a win in this game, the first thing they need to do is contain Hristova. If she has a big game, Washington State will put themselves in a position to possibly steal a win. While Molina and Swedlund are both good players, Washington State’s success begins and ends with Hristova. If Cal is able to keep her below her scoring average and force other players to pick up the slack, they’ll put themselves in a really good position to win.

Secondly, Cal needs to come out with a sense of urgency. Cal needs to win both games this weekend. While the last two losses have been really disappointing, Cal has to put those in the rear view mirror and focus on the task at hand. If they come out playing focused, crisp basketball from the opening tip, odds are good they’ll get the win.

Lastly, Cal needs to dominate the paint given how poorly Washington State rebounds. If Kristine Anigwe has a big game inside and others like CJ West and Jaelyn Brown are crashing the glass, Cal will be in a really good position to win this game. Rebounding is a major strength of theirs (+8.2) and they have to take advantage.