Preview: Cal welcomes Cal State Northridge to Haas Pavilion
On Sunday at 2:00 PM PST, #15 Cal women’s basketball will take on Cal State Northridge at Haas Pavilion in Berkeley. Cal comes into this game as the #15 ranked team in the country in the AP poll with a 6-0 record while Cal State Northridge comes in at 4-4.
Last time out: Cal defeated San Diego by a final score of 70-53 at the San Diego Thanksgiving Tournament. Kristine Anigwe led the way with 25 points and 16 rebounds.
RECAP: Cal powers past San Diego to remain unbeaten
On Cal State Northridge: One of the Matadors’ four wins came against Washington State at home, so they’ve proven they can hang with Pac-12 competition. They’ve also won two games away from Northridge (at Omaha and at Santa Clara), so they’ve also proven they can win away from their home court.
The Matadors are led by senior center Channon Fluker, who is averaging 16.9 points and 13.3 rebounds per game. She’s the only player on her team scoring in double figures and has to carry much of the load night in and night out. In their 65-52 win over Washington State, Fluker had a Kristine Anigwe type of outing, scoring 24 points while grabbing 14 rebounds. If the Matadors are going to find any success on Sunday against Cal, it’s going to have to start with Fluker.
Graduate transfer guard Serafina Maulupe (9.0 points) and redshirt junior forward De’Jionae Calloway (8.6 points) are the only other legitimate offensive threats on this team. Maulupe is shooting a respectable 15-48 (31.3%) from 3-point range on the season, good enough to keep defenses honest.
As a team, the Matadors like to play at a slower pace, averaging 63.63 points per game while giving up 64.88 points per game. As a team, they’re shooting 37.2% from the field, 30.5% shooting from 3-point range, and 64.9% from the foul line while holding opponents to 38.5% shooting from the field and 36.4% shooting from 3-point range. The one area where they really shine is on the boards, averaging a +4.6 rebounding advantage per game.
Keys to the game: If Cal is going to walk away with another win, the first thing they need to do is contain Channon Fluker. Kristine Anigwe will need to play well on both ends of the floor, dominating her matchup with Fluker. If Anigwe outplays Fluker and keeps her under wraps, Cal should walk away with the win. If Fluker is able to rise to the challenge and give Anigwe all that she can handle, the Matadors will have a shot to pull off the upset.
Another thing Cal needs to do is hit some shots from the perimeter. They don’t need to turn this into a 3-point shooting contest, but they need to take advantage of the fact that they have better shooters. Asha Thomas, Kianna Smith, Recee’ Caldwell, and Jaelyn Brown all have the ability to get hot from beyond the arc. If they can find a groove and knock down shots from the perimeter, Cal will be really tough to stop.
While the first half hasn’t belonged to Cal this year, the second half definitely has. To a certain extent, it doesn’t matter how you start, it’s how you finish, and Cal has certainly finished games strong all year. If they can continue that trend and put the chokehold on the Matadors in the 3rd quarter, they should cruise to another victory.