On Sunday, Cal women’s basketball lost to UCLA at Pauley Pavilion by a final score of 80-74. Japreece Dean (28 points & 7 assists) and Michaela Onyenwere (23 points & 9 rebounds) led the way for UCLA while Kristine Anigwe (27 pts & 15 rebounds) posted her 26th consecutive double-double for Cal. UCLA improves to 16-10 overall and 9-5 in the Pac-12 while Cal falls to 14-11 overall and 5-9 in the Pac-12.

UCLA got out to a 10-5 lead early on with 6:55 to go in the 1st quarter as Dean knocked down her first two 3-pointers. All things were going UCLA’s way early, but Cal found a way to get themselves back in the game, leading 22-19 at the end of the 1st quarter behind 9 points from Asha Thomas on 3-3 shooting from 3-point range and 8 points from Anigwe.

Cal’s 1st quarter lead was quickly erased as UCLA would go on a 12-2 run to go up 35-27 with 4:30 to go in the half. Onyenwere and Dean got going for the Bruins during this stretch as did Lajahna Drummer and Ahlana Smith, making it a true team effort. Cal was in a need to respond. Despite a strong performance from Anigwe to close the half, Cal trailed UCLA 43-33 at halftime, digging themselves into a hole. Anigwe was doing her part with 17 points and 8 rebounds, but others needed to take the pressure off of her.

Cal got off to a strong start in the 3rd quarter, as Receé Caldwell converted a pretty 3-point play to get Cal within 4 points (47-43) with 6:03 to go in the quarter. Cal was on a 10-0 run and had the momentum going their way. Cal would continue to chip away at UCLA’s lead, trailing 51-48 with 4:02 to go in the quarter. Dean was up to 19 points for UCLA while Anigwe had 19 points for Cal. Cal would finish out the 3rd quarter strong, trailing 58-57 at the end.

The 4th quarter was a battle early as UCLA led 66-65 with 4:13 to go. Onyenwere (21 points) and Dean (19 points) were the ones leading the charge for UCLA while Anigwe (23 points), Thomas (13 points), and Brown (13 points) were the ones leading Cal. With 1:50 to go, UCLA led 71-67 after Dean hit a clutch 3-pointer and Thomas responded on the other end with a layup. UCLA was looking like they would win, but they still needed to finish the job.

In the final moments, UCLA was able to hit some clutch free throws and walk out with an 80-74 win. It was a big win for UCLA, who was in need of bouncing back from Friday’s loss to Stanford. As for Cal, this loss really hurts after they lost to USC on Friday. They still have an opportunity to the right the ship before the Pac-12 Tournament, but they’ve put themselves in a position where they have to win their next four games, which is no slam dunk.

Up next for Cal is a home game on Friday night against Arizona State. That game will tipoff at 7:00 PM PST on Pac-12 Networks.