Another weekend of Cal women’s basketball just goes to show that the Ducks are better off playing football.

After a last second winner from the Bears men’s basketball team last night, the women’s team crushed the Ducks 77-55 on Friday night in Haas Pavilion. The victory gave Cal the season series against Oregon and extended the conference-leading 12 game win streak.

The game began exactly how a match between a top-10 team and conference cellar-dwellers should go. Despite missing Brittany Boyd, who dressed for the game but was benched, the Bears were effective in spacing the floor and received quality shots from seniors Talia Caldwell and Layshia Clarendon. Simultaneously, Oregon had no response to Cal’s stifling defense.

Five minutes into the game, the Bears were up 10-0 and the blowout meter was reading high. Oregon failed to even make a field goal until 13:26, when guard Ariel Thomas sank a jumper off of an effective pick and roll.

The Ducks, however, would not be shot down so easily. A pair of baskets, including a long range bomb that banked in from high off the glass, quickly cut Oregon’s deficit to 14-8. Incredibly poor shooting did the Bears no favors as they missed five consecutive shots. Numerous jumpers and layups rattled in and out, allowing the Ducks to lead the Bears at one point, 19-18, with 3:49 remaining.

“We missed some good looks and it affected our demeanor a bit,” Cal coach Lindsay Gottlieb said. “We just couldn’t get in a good rhythm.”

With only a few minutes remaining though, the Bears regained a bit of their shooting touch. Mikayla Lyles, Cal’s three-point specialist, sank two huge shots from beyond the arc to sway the tide against the Ducks. Clarendon, who led all scorers in the first half with 12 points, also nailed a three pointer and the final shot of the half. Her stop and pull-up jumper topped a Cal 11-3 run and initiated a 30-21 halftime lead.

The Bears would keep up that momentum exiting the locker room. With better shooting and increased aggressiveness on offense, Cal began a slow but steady breakaway from the Ducks.

Leading the charge on the offensive end was Afure Jemerigbe. The junior guard, who only averages 7.0 points per game, did her best to make up for Boyd’s absence. Jemerigbe was everywhere on the court, totaling a 5-11 shooting performance, including 3-5 from deep. She also added six rebounds and four assists.

“I try to get my energy from defense and the little things,” Jemerigbe said. “It just fuels me more and when it comes to offense, it’ll fall.”

Halfway through the first half, with Jemerigbe’s help, the Bears had established a solid 57-39 lead. With their usual dominance in the paint, they ensured the Ducks would have to face a double digit lead for the remainder of the game. Finishing with a 32-8 advantage in points in the paint and 51-37 in rebounding, the Bears closed out the game in strong fashion, 77-55.

Vincent Tzeng covers women’s basketball. Contact him at vtzeng@dailycal.org.

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