The Road to the Final Four With the Golden Bears

Game Notes

2009-03-29T12:41:00.000-07:00

The Bears made it to the Sweet 16 for the first time in women’s basketball program history. They are now 4-8 overall in the NCAA Tournament.

The Bears finish the 2008-09 campaign with a 27-6 overall record, tying for the most wins in a season in school history.

UConn’s largest deficit of the season came when Cal went up by eight points with 6:38 to play in the first half.

UConn’s 24-point scoring margin against the Bears fell well under the Huskies average of 31.6 points through the entire season and 33.5 points in this year’s NCAA Tournament.

The 35-33 halftime score was Connecticut’s closest since the 34-34 tie in the Nov. 16, 2008 game versus Georgia Tech.

Walker has scored 20 or more points in six of seven NCAA Tournament games in her career. She has now scored 155 points in NCAA Tournament and has led the Bears in scoring in each of the seven NCAA Tournament games in which she has played.

Cal shot 100 percent (11-11) from the free-throw line against the Huskies. Cal shot 80.4 percent from the charity stripe in the three NCAA Tournament games.

The Bears made five or more three-pointers in each of this season’s NCAA Tournament games. Against UConn, Cal made eight three-pointers.

With 21 points against the Huskies, Ashley Walker finished her Cal career with 2,142 total points for second place on the all-time scoring list behind Colleen Galloway, who has 2,320. Hampton is in sixth place with 1,588 career points.

Ashley Walker further etched her name into program history with seven rebounds against UConn to bring her career total to 1,117, the all-time most by any Cal women’s basketball player.

Devanei Hampton had a team-high 11 rebounds to move into fourth place on the all-time list with 876, surpassing Teresa Palmisano (874).

Ashley Walker finished her Cal career with an average of 16.48 points per game.

UConn: 77, Cal: 53 - FINAL

2009-03-29T10:53:00.000-07:00

The Bears are defeated by No. 1 seed UConn.

Game notes to follow after press conferences.

UConn: 61, Cal: 43 - 9:41 second half

2009-03-29T10:21:00.000-07:00

Great trey by Tasha, followed by a defensive rebound by Dev. Tasha's three tied her career best for points in an NCAA Tournament game with eight.

Dev's got a team-high nine boards but Cal needs more production as she's 1-8. She's not catching a break on foul calls either.

Great rebound by Ash on a missed three by Maya Moore.

Tasha continues to shine at slowing the transition for the Bears.

UConn: 50, Cal: 40 - 15:38 second half.

2009-03-29T10:04:00.000-07:00

Great trey by Lexi, just what the doctor ordered to bring Cal within seven. Then Maya Moore distanced UConn by 10 with a three of her own for UConn's largest lead of the game.

Halftime Update

2009-03-29T09:35:00.000-07:00

UConn: 35, Cal: 33 - halftime

Cal's keys to success against UConn:
REBOUNDS: Rebounds will determine this game for Cal. At the half, Cal is outrebounding UConn, 22-19, but it's going to have to be a lot more than that. UConn has nine second-chance points that could have been well avoided with a couple more boards by the Bears on the defensive end.

TURNOVERS: The Bears have nine turnovers, compared to UConn's one. The Bears have lost two possessions on shot-clock violations, much to the UConn bench's elation. The Huskies have 11 points off turnovers, most of which could have been avoided by Cal.

TRANSITION: Natasha Vital has done a great job of slowing Cal's transition, but they need to me slightly more effective here. UConn loves to run an up-tempo offense and force that onto the opposition, but if the Bears can slow it down and play California basketball, they'll have more luck. I could tell twice when the UConn defense was overpowering Cal's offense, and that was when Cal had the two shot-clock violations.

Cal needs to spread the points production around a little bit more. Ashley Walker has 16 first-half points and Devanei Hampton has eight.

This is the second time all season that Ashley Walker has hit two threes. She's 2-2 from beyond the arc so far.

Cal has a better shooting percentage than UConn in the first half - 40.7 percent to 35.9 percent.

UConn has missed five free throws out of its 10. Cal is 100 percent at 6-6 from the charity stripe.

Cal: 31, UConn: 23 - 6:37

2009-03-29T09:28:00.000-07:00

Geno calls a timeout after Ashley Walker drains a three-pointer with five seconds remaining on the shot clock!

Alexis Gray-Lawson got an amazing basket to put the Bears up by five, 28-23, with 7:25 remaining.

Cal: 15, UConn 13 - 11:53 first half

2009-03-29T09:14:00.000-07:00

Ashley Walker hit a gorgeous pull-up trey.

Rebecca Lobo's watching the team huddle for clues.

Rebounds are going to be the key in this game for both teams. Everyone can produce points on both squads, but it's going to be who's strongest under the basket that determines the winners.

Cal: 7, UConn 5 - 15:57 first half.

2009-03-29T09:02:00.000-07:00

Cal's in the blue unis while UConn dons the home white jerseys.

Ashley Walker just drove it down the lane for two, excellent.

Cal takes its first lead of the game off a Walker score.

Starting Line-Ups

2009-03-29T08:44:00.000-07:00

Seconds away from tip!

California
44 - Ashley Walker
20 - Devanei Hampton
2 - Natasha Vital
10 - Lauren Greif
21 - Alexis Gray-Lawson

UConn
3 - Maya Moore
31 - Tina Charles
3 - Tiffany Hayes
20 - Renee Montgomery
32 - Kalana Greene

In-Game Blogging Notes:
Per NCAA regulation, I'm only allowed to blog five times per half, once at the half and twice per overtime period. Please hit refresh on your browser window to see if there are new updates!

More Sights and Sounds From Sovereign Bank Arena

2009-03-29T08:19:00.000-07:00

We're now under 20 minutes until game time and fans have well begun to trickle into the Sovereign Bank Arena.

Virginia head coach Debbie Ryan, whom was denied her 700th career win when the Bears defeated the Cavaliers in the second round last week, was one of the first fans in the door.

California Vice Chancellor Nathan Brostrom was also one of the first to arrive.

Many of the families of the Cal student-athletes have made their way out to New Jersey over the past few days and were at the hotel to send the Bears on their way.

Both teams just left the floor after a half-hour shootaround. Even though Storrs, Conn., is clearly much closer to Trenton, N.J., than Berkeley, the cheers from the Cal fans in attendance equaled that of the UConn contingent.

Rebecca Lobo, who won a national championship with UConn and now commentates for ESPN, is sitting to my right, just a couple feet away. She'll be today's sideline reporter with Debbie Antonelli and Pam Ward on the call. ESPN keeps mentioned how Rebecca Lobo Twitters from the games, which she will be doing today and you can read it here. With her strong UConn allegiance, it will be interesting to see the degree to which it influences her coverage.

For those of you who aren't famliar with Twitter, it's another social networking Website that allows people 140 characters to write something like a status update of their current activities, random thoughts or an opinion. People can follow you on Twitter and read your updates. It's much like a Facebook status update.

For example, mine would read: blogging live from the Sweet 16 in Trenton, N.J., as the Golden Bears get set to take on UConn.

Rebecca Lobo's most recent "twit" was: Getting ready for the Uconn/Cal game. I'll be talking Tina Charles at the top of the show. Last year... timid. This year... unstoppable.

With Cal's head coach Joanne Boyle hailing from nearby Pittsburgh, she'll have a lot of friends and family in the audience today. Her mom greeted the other Cal families in the stands.

Lauren Greif's family has made the trek out, and you can tell by their shirts. The front reads "Oh good Greif" and the back says "L.G. For Three..."

Per NCAA regulation, no one can bring a bottle out on the floor, everyone must put their water into a cup, which this and other signs constantly remind everyone:

The NCAA is so organized, they've even got a place for the bus drivers of the team and spirit busses:

Listen to the Game!

2009-03-29T08:13:00.000-07:00

As with all of the Cal women's basketball games, you can hear today's Sweet 16 game live from anywhere in the world thanks to Cal's student radio station, KALX 90.7-FM. If you're in the Bay Area, tune your radio dial to 90.7-FM. If you're not in the Bay, go to kalx.berkeley.edu.

I just listened to their pre-game intro, and it could have been professionally done. They'll go on the air at roughly 8:57 PST.

They carry an Oski doll to every broadcast for good luck:

Today's News Clippings

2009-03-29T07:48:00.000-07:00

Lots of stories for you to read before tip thanks to my cohort's mad research skills.

San Francisco Chronicle: Clash against No. 1 Huskies? Just routine

Bay Area News Group: UConn tall order for Cal women

Connecticut Post: Cal's Boyle on amazing journey and For UConn women, no complacency

Hartford Courant: Cal A Long Way From Home and UConn Keeps Focus On Perfecting Its Game

Associated Press: California-Connecticut Preview

ESPN: East meets West in diverse Trenton (Graham Hays mistakenly calls Ashely Walker the "reigning Pac-10 Player of the Year)

Greetings from Sovereign Bank Arena!

2009-03-29T07:41:00.000-07:00

We've safely arrived at Sovereign Bank Arena for the Sweet 16 game vs. No. 1-seeded UConn at noon EST (that's 9 a.m. for the Californians). The team was up early with a walk-through before heading to a filling breakfast at 8:30 a.m. The team and staff had their choice of pancakes, hash browns, pancakes, ham, bagels, and made-to-order eggs.

Once again, the loyal Cal Straw Hat Band and Cal Dance Team were in front of the hotel to send the team on its way with the traditional Cal fight songs. It was a great way to head to the Sweet 16, though I'm sure the other guests in the hotel were not as amused.

It was a quick bus ride from our hotel in Princeton to the arena in Trenton. It's a gray and drizzly day here in New Jersey, which makes everyone glad basketball is an indoor sport.

We've got a little more than an hour until game time. More updates soon.

Press Conference Quotes

2009-03-28T19:34:00.000-07:00

As I mentioned earlier, we had two sets of "pressers" as they're known in the biz aka press conferences - one with Joanne Boyle and another with the players. We've posted the quotes on CalBears.com for your reading pleasure.

Since they're quite extensive, here's a link to them at CalBears.com

Photo Update

2009-03-28T09:48:00.000-07:00

I grabbed a couple of shots during the open practice. We should hopefully have some professional shots later on today.

The team at practice at Sovereign Bank:
Some of the fans on both sides of the court. I thought it was a pretty good turnout! I'm thinking that this arena will be really intimate for the fans that come tomorrow.
The bracket with only 16 teams remaining:

Cal's part of the bracket...the Trenton, N.J. Regional!

Geno's Press Conference

2009-03-28T09:36:00.001-07:00

While the Bears were practicing, I sat in on UConn head coach Geno Auriemma's press conference and thought I'd share the Cal references. His thoughts on Cal were pretty much what you would expect - he highlighted Devanei Hampton and Ashley Walker but he was sure to key in on how he was not looking past the other players on the field.

The most quotable part of the interview was when Geno was described how Cal plays and how it reminded him of Joanne Boyle's playing days, when he was coaching at Virginia.

"The team reminds me of her as a player, but more talented that her."

When asked how UConn would have to react to playing a game at 9 a.m. local time like the Bears will do tomorrow, Geno responded with "Game time is when the ball goes up. If you're concerned about game time, then you've already lost."

Geno's key thoughts on Dev and Ash were that they are not one-dimentional. He said they were "active, agressive and difficult to [guard] one-on-one in the lame." He also commented that AGL is the "type of guard you want when you've got two bigs."

More Updates From the Sovereign Bank Arena

2009-03-28T09:32:00.000-07:00

Alexis Gray-Lawson, Devanei Hampton, Ashley Walker and Joanne Boyle each participated in the press conferences as well as one-on-one interviews with an ESPN producer for the game tomorrow. The set-up was slightly different with the players doing the ESPN interviews while Boyle was at the press conference, and then they switched.

The Bears took to the floor at the Sovereign Bank Arena for an open practice and we'll soon head to Princeton for a closed, extended practice.

Quick Pre-Press Update

2009-03-28T07:39:00.000-07:00

The administrative staffs of the four schools here - Cal, Texas A&M, UConn and Arizona State - have knocked off two meetings before it's 8 a.m. on the West Coast. Cal has got a slew of media tasks up next before heading to practice. The players and Joanne Boyle will be split up into press conferences and then ESPN interviews so we should have some quotes for you later. The Bears will then next hit the floor for a quick practice at the Sovereign Bank Arena.

The Sovereign Bank Arena looks like it will be a great venue for women's basketball tomorrow and Tuesday. The highest seats in the place are not too far removed from the court and the lower decks should bring the fans very close to the court and benches.

In the meantime, here are two pictures from Sovereign Bank Arena.

The press conference dais:

The Cal locker room:

Hello, New Jersey!

2009-03-26T19:04:00.001-07:00

We've arrived safely and soundly in the "Garden State." We flew charter from Oakland to Trenton, N.J., with the band and spirit groups. The plane flight was pretty early this morning so everyone's turning in early to try and get acclimated to the three-hour time difference. The team ate at the hotel and watched film before curfew. Tomorrow morning, we're off to a full practice and more preparing.

Thanks to everyone who's voting in the poll to the right! It's nice to get some viewer's input on the blog. You can leave comment on posts you like as well!

Here's a shot of the team acting goofy before boarding the charter. (Photo by Mollie McClure)

How to Get the Game

2009-03-25T16:43:00.000-07:00

The Bears will take on the UConn Huskies (35-0, 16-0 Big East), the No. 1 seed in the Trenton Region and the overall No. 1 seed in the tournament on Sunday, March 29. The Cal/UConn game will be the national game on ESPN. It airs live at 9 a.m. Pacific Time (noon in New Jersey).

The game will also be carried on KALX 90.7-FM in the Bay Area and on kalx.berkeley.edu for free anywhere in the world!

Scouting the Huskies/Sun Devils/Aggies

2009-03-25T10:16:00.000-07:00

Here's a look at Cal's third-round opponent, No. 1-seeded UConn, and its possible Elite Eight teams of Arizona State and Texas A&M.

A Look at UConn
UConn advanced to the NCAA Regional Semifinals for the 16th consecutive season and the 17th time overall in the program’s history. The Huskies defeated Vermont, 104-65, in the first round of the NCAA Tournament and Florida, 87-59, in the second round.

UConn earned an automatic bid in 2009 after capturing Big East Tournament and Regular Season Titles. The Huskies captured the tournament title with wins over South Florida, Villanova and Louisville following a 16-0 BIG EAST mark during the regular season. Connecticut currently stands at 35-0 overall and has been ranked No. 1 nationally in both the Associated Press and ESPN Coaches polls every week this season.

The automatic berth marks the Huskies’ second consecutive and the 15th in the program’s history. Connecticut has advanced to the Final Four nine times in the program’s history, including six of the last nine seasons overall.

UConn’s 35-0 start marks its best start to a season since finishing a perfect 39-0 in 2002. This season marks the 12th time overall and the third straight season that UConn has entered the NCAA Tournament as a No. 1 seed. The Huskies boast an overall mark of 47-7 in NCAA Tournament games when playing as a No. 1 seed and have captured four National Championships in those seasons. The Huskies were also a No. 1 seed last season when they advanced to the 2008 NCAA Final Four before falling, 82-73, to Stanford, a team with whom the Bears split the 2007-08 series, 1-1.

Sophomore guard Maya Moore, who is a national player of the year candidate, leads the Huskies, averaging 19.0 points per game and 9.1 boards per game. Also averaging in double digits are Tina Charles (16.7 ppg) and Renee Montgomery (16.1 ppg). The undefeated Huskies are winning each game by an average scoring margin of 31.6 points.

The two teams share three common opponents in 2008-09 in Rutgers, Oklahoma and Washington. Each squad has defeated Rutgers – Cal once and UConn twice – while the Huskies hold the advantage against Oklahoma. The Bears beat Washington three times this season while the Connecticut Huskies beat the UW Huskies once.

Cal-UConn Series History
The Bears are 1-1 in the all-time series with the Huskies. The last game was Dec. 28, 1994, when UConn beat Cal, 99-52. In their first meeting, the Bears dropped the Huskies, 76-60, on Nov. 24, 1991. This will be the first postseason meeting between the two teams.

UConn Postseason History
The Huskies, who have claimed three of the last seven NCAA titles (a total of five in the program’s history), their last coming in 2004, are making their 21st consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance. The Huskies have advanced to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament in each of the past 15 seasons (1994-present). They are currently 67-15 all-time in NCAA Tournament play and they have won 32 of its last 35 NCAA Tournament games overall.

Head Coach File
Geno Auriemma is in his 24th season at the helm of the Husky program, which he has led to five national championships, nine Final Fours and 32 Big East titles. He was named Big East Coach of the Year for the eighth time in 2008-09 and was recognized as the 2008 WBCA, Associated Press, USBWA and Naismith National Coach of the Year in 2008.

Probable Starters
No. Name Pos. Yr. Ht. ppg rpg apg
3 Tiffany Hayes G Fr. 5-10 7.9 4.2 2.5
20 Renee Montgomery G Sr. 5-7 16.1 2.0 5.2
23 Maya Moore F So. 6-0 19.0 9.1 3.4
31 Tina Charles C Jr. 6-4 16.7 8.5 1.0
32 Kalana Greene G Jr. 5-10 8.6 4.5 1.9

For more information: http://www.blogger.com/www.UConnHuskies.com

A Look at Arizona State
Arizona State will be playing to advance to the regional final for the second time in three years under coach Charli Turner Thorne, after reaching its first Elite Eight in 2007. The Sun Devils (25-8, 15-3 Pac-10) improved to 6-1 in NCAA Tournament first round games under head coach Arizona State is making its 10th all-time NCAA Tournament appearance and its seventh in the last nine seasons. ASU's overall record in the NCAA Tournament is now 11-9, including an 9-6 record under Turner Thorne.

The Sun Devils were ousted in the quarterfinals of the Pac-10 Tournament by tournament runner-up USC. ASU received an at-large bid an a six seed into the NCAA Tournament. The Sun Devils defeated No. 11 seed Georgia, 58-47, in first round action. They went on to upset third-seeded Florida State, 63-58 in the second round thanks to Danielle Orsillo's 3-pointer with 32 seconds remaining gave the Sun Devils a 57-54 lead.

Head coach Turner Thorne is in her 13th year at the helm in Tempe, Ariz. She became the all-time most winningest coach at ASU, and her seven NCAA appearances are four more than what ASU had in the 15 years prior to Turner Thorne's arrival in Tempe.

Cal-Arizona State Series History
The Bears and the Sun Devils are tied in the all-time meetings, 27-27. This season, the teams split the two meetings with ASU getting a 63-41 upset on March 5, 2009, in the last game. The Bears beat the Sun Devils, 54-53, on Jan. 4 in Tempe, Ariz. This would be the first meeting between the two teams in the NCAA Tournament.

For more information: http://www.blogger.com/www.TheSunDevils.com

A Look at Texas A&M
The No. 2-seeded Aggies are making their second-straight appearance in the Sweet 16 and their sixth all-time trip to the NCAA Tournament. Texas A&M earned a 73-42 win over No. 10-seed Minnesota in the second round and an 80-45 victory against No. 15-seeded Evansville in the opening round. With the win over Minnesota, the Aggies claimed their 27th overall victory of the season, which now stands alone as the second-most wins in school history behind its 29-8 run to the NCAA Elite Eight a year ago. They are now 8-5 in the NCAA Tournament.

For the second consecutive year, the ninth-ranked Texas A&M women's basketball team tied a program-best by earning a No. 2 seed. The Aggies boasted the fifth-toughest schedule in the nation this season. A&M earned an at-large bid after falling to Baylor in the Big 12 Tournament championship game.

Head coach Gary Blair has now led seven all-time squads to the Sweet 16 in his 24-year coaching career at Stephen F. Austin, Arkansas and A&M combined. He also picked up his 20th all-time NCAA Tournament game victory versus Minnesota.

Cal-Texas A&M Series History
Cal holds the all-time advantage, 1-0, against the Aggies. The teams have not met since Jan. 4, 1982, when the Bears defeated Texas A&M, 85-55

For more information: http://www.blogger.com/www.AggieAthletics.com

Mooch on ESPN.com!

2009-03-24T16:01:00.000-07:00

I was checking out the headlines at ESPN.com and there is a great picture of Mooch aka Rachelle Federico. Making history!

Post-Game Q&A With Shantrell Sneed, Lauren Greif and Natasha Vital

2009-03-24T14:58:00.000-07:00

During the open locker room period following the victory over Virginia, I had a chance to talk with senior Shantrell Sneed, juniors Lauren Greif and Natasha Vital about their thoughts on the game and setting Cal records.

CalBears.com: The first Sweet 16 appearance in California program history…what’s on your mind right now?
Lauren Greif: This is just exciting for the team. We had such high goals this year, and we get to keep going after them.
Natasha Vital: We’re excited. Especially to get over that hump of losing in the second round. We finally got there to the Sweet 16.
Shantrell Sneed: We’re still dancing for the first time in Cal history. We are just continuing to write our own history. We’re playing some of our best basketball at the perfect time.

CalBears.com: L.G, you had nine assists, which was a new career high. Were you aware of how many you were dishing out during the game?
LG: I was just trying to move the ball. We’ve been doing a lot better with ball movement. If someone had told me that I have nine, I would have passed to someone for a double-double.

CalBears.com: What was the key in stopping Virginia?
LG: Their transition. The first five plays of the game we didn’t do a good job of it. But then we really hunkered down.
NV: We had to stop their scorers. I think we did a pretty good job on No. 1 and No. 33. Monica Wright is a great player and she was really hard to guard.
SS: We were able to contain their big three players. They made their little run, but we came back and played great defense.

CalBears.com: What was the key for the Bears?
NV: Running our plays. Putting the ball in transition. Early in the game, we got a lot of give-me baskets. We moved the ball really well. We’ve been working on that in practice. We were also looking for the open man.
SS: Just staying poised and composed, and sharing the basketball. We found the open person. Despite them making a run, we never lost our poise or composure.
To see the Q&A on CalBears.com, click here.

How To Get Tickets to the Sweet 16

2009-03-24T14:26:00.000-07:00

Fans wishing to purchase tickets for Cal's Sweet Sixteen game in Trenton, N.J., will have a limited time to order tickets through the school. After March 24, they must contact the arena for tickets.

On Tuesday, Mar. 24 from 8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m., Cal fans can call (800) GO BEARS to order their Cal Women's Basketball Sweet Sixteen tickets.

Cal will stop selling tickets through (800) GO BEARS on Tuesday, March 24 at 4:30 p.m. They will not be available for purchase online.

After Tuesday, Mar. 24 fans can contact Sovereign Bank Arena for tickets at (800) 298-4200 or by visiting www.comcastTIX.com.

There is no limit for these tickets and all sales are final.

Tickets will not be mailed. They must be picked up at the Sovereign Bank Arena in Trenton, N.J., will call window by the account holder only, picture ID required.

If Cal wins and advances to the Elite Eight, your credit card will automatically be charged for Elite Eight tickets.

Staff Feature: It's the Shoes

2009-03-24T14:22:00.000-07:00

The California women’s basketball team has been stirring a lot of buzz recently, but it’s not just about their game and the best season in program history. It’s about their shoes.

During the regular-season Pac-10 trip to Oregon in February, a Nike representative approached the Golden Bears about designing their own shoes. The Nike rep selected just four schools in the entire nation to have the opportunity to have one-of-a-kind kicks for the NCAA Tournament, an honor that the Bears do not take lightly.

“She thought we were one of the four that were going to last the longest into the NCAA Tournament,” freshman Casey Morris said. “It meant a lot because of all the respect that went along with it. It also gave us confidence.”

This year’s large bid to the NCAA Tournament is the seventh overall and fourth straight trip for the first time in school history. Monday evening’s 99-73 win over No. 5 seed Virginia was the first second-round victory ever for Cal women’s hoops. For the seniors, getting to design their own shoes was further proof that their four years of building the program had not gone unnoticed.

“I think it means that we came into our own,” redshirt junior Alexis Gray-Lawson, who has been at Cal for four years, noted. “People are definitely starting to recognize what Cal basketball is all about.”

To design the shoes, the Cal team of 11 student-athletes were split into two groups and each set used a Nike program to select the features for the sneakers. Although, the coaches selected the final winner, the two groups created shoes that were remarkably similar.

The tongues of the shoes are individualized for each player with Cal and the number on the one and a moniker on the other foot. Some went with their last names while Lexi chose AGL instead.

“We wanted to make it look like our own style,” senior Shantrell Sneed said. “We also wanted to make a statement about Cal basketball.”

The shoes and the Bears made a statement about Cal basketball at the Galen Center last weekend, earning a trip to the Sweet 16 for the first time ever at Cal. Now the team will pack its bags, and shoes, for Trenton, N.J. with hopes of a Final Four trip in their minds.

Here's the rest of my Q&A with several of the players about the shoes:
CalBears.com: What does it mean to you to be one of only four schools in the entire country with personally designed shoes?
Alexis Gray-Lawson: I think that it means that we came into our own. It means a lot because of all of the work that you put in over the years. People are definitely starting to recognize what Cal basketball is all about. It’s a high honor to be able to make our own shoes. We worked together as a team and coaching staff. The shoes are cool! Some of us will play professionally after college, and I feel like these shoes set us up for the future.
Shantrell Sneed: Personally, I feel like it’s a testament to the hard work that we’ve put in, day in and day out, since our last tournament game and in the off-season. It’s nice to receive that kind of national recognition.
Casey Morris: When we first found out that we were going to get to design the shoes, the woman who selected the teams picked the four teams that she thought were going to last the longest into the NCAA Tournament. It meant a lot because of all the respect that went along with it. It also gave us confidence.

CalBears.com: How did the design process work?
AGL: We were in two separate groups and we kind of had a race to see who could come up with the best shoe. It was me, Devanei, Casey, Tasha and Ashley and Kevin and everybody else in the other group. We wanted to come up with something that showed our personalities. We wanted to go bright. We wanted to make sure that nobody could touch them.
CM: We wanted to make sure that the shoe wouldn’t be something that you would find in a store, but that it would be an original. We wanted it to the stand out.
SS: We wanted to make it look like our own style, and to make a statement about Cal basketball. We were split into two groups, and they two sat down at a computer and went online to a Nike Web site to see what parts we like. At the end, the coaches decided on which shoe they wanted to go with. Casey, Nei Ash Lei and Tasha.

CalBears.com: What’s your favorite part about the shoes?
SS: We like the fact that we have black in our shoes. We also really liked that we got to put our names and numbers on our shoes.
CM: I like how the bright yellow stands out.
AGL: My favorite part of the shoe is on the side with the stripes. I also really like that we have Cal and our number on the tongue. I got AGL on the other shoe tongue.

SWEET 16!

2009-03-23T22:53:00.001-07:00

The Bears are going to the Sweet 16 for the first time in school history!

Here are some of the links on CalBears.com for you:

Recap

Notes

Prelim Game Notes

2009-03-23T20:34:00.001-07:00

Cal vs. Virginia Game Notes

With the win over No. 5-seed Virginia, No. 4-seed California earned its first trip to the Sweet 16 in program history.

California made its seventh overall and fourth straight trip to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in school history. Cal posted its fourth NCAA Tournament win in school history and third since 1993 to improve to 4-6 all-time in NCAAs.

Cal head coach Joanne Boyle won her third NCAA Tournament game and her first second-round game (3-4 overall: 3-3 Cal; 0-1 Richmond).

The Bears tied the program record for most victories in a season with 27, which was set last year when the Bears posted a 27-7 mark. They are 27-6 in 2008-09.

Cal improved to 6-1 at the Galen Center overall and 4-1 this season. The Bears’ only loss at the arena was the 69-67 Pac-10 semifinal game against USC on March 14, 2009. The Virginia game was the fifth time this season that Cal has played on that court.

The Bears are now 1-2 against Virginia and 7-9 in program history against ACC schools. Cal’s last victory over an ACC school came Dec. 21, 1993, when they defeated Duke, 72-66. Joanne Boyle was a first-year assistant coach for Duke at that time.

Fifth-seeded Virginia marked the highest seeded team that the Bears had defeated in program history.

Virginia earned an at-large berth after finished tied for fifth in the ACC (8-6) and advancing to the quarterfinals of the league tournament. Virginia defeated 12th-seeded Marist, 68-61, on Saturday evening in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.

The second-round match-up marked the third meeting between the two teams. The two squads played each other last Nov. 28, 1998 in Charlottesville, Va., where the Cavaliers defeated the Bears, 70-55.

All of the squad’s 11 student-athletes saw playing time today.

Walker has been the Bears' leading scorer five times in six NCAA Tournament games.

With her 22 points, Devanei Hampton moved into sixth place in career points with 1,573. She surpassed Karen Smith, who scored 1,559 points.

Hampton had 11 rebounds to take over fifth place on the all-time list with 865 boards. She passed Cynthia Cooke, who had 855 career rebounds.

Ashley Walker had 10 points in the first 12 minutes of play.

With 53 first-half points, it was 2nd time in the 2008-09 season that Cal had scored 50 or more points in a half and the sixth time this season that the Bears had scored 40 plus points in a half.

Cal only had one turnover in the first half, which was the lowest of this season.

With four straight free throws in the first half, the Bears had made 14 straight free throws, with 10 coming in the Fresno State game.

Lauren Greif’s nine assists were a career high. Her previous career best was six, which she set Feb. 21, 2009 against Oregon State.

Ashley Walker’s 32 points against the Cavaliers were a personal best in an NCAA Tournament game. Her previous best was 21 against Fresno State this year and also against St. John’s in 2006.

Alexis Gray-Lawson’s 22 points against Virginia set a new career high in an NCAA Tournament game. Her former high was 17 points, which she set against St. John’s in 2006.

Cal’s final total of 99 points is a new program high in the NCAA Tournament. The previous record was 84 points, which the Bears scored against Long Beach State on March 14, 1990.

The Bears’ final total of 99 points was also a season best. The previous high was 85, which was achieved twice but last versus Saint Mary’s on Dec. 29, 2008.

Cal: 85, UVa: 66 - 4:42 Second Half

2009-03-23T20:00:00.000-07:00

The Bears are breaking down records, one basket at a time!

As of right now:

Lauren Greif’s nine assists were a career high. Her previous career best was six, which set set Feb. 21, 2009 against Oregon State.

Ashley Walker’s 30 points against the Cavaliers were a personal best in an NCAA Tournament game. Her previous best was 21 against Fresno State this year and also against St. John’s in 2006.

Alexis Gray-Lawson’s 20 points against Virginia set a new career high in an NCAA Tournament game. Her former high was 17 points, which she set against St. John’s in 2006.

Cal’s current total of 86 points is a new program high in the NCAA Tournament. The previous record was 84 points, which the Bears scored against Long Beach State on March 14, 1990.

More first-half analysis:

2009-03-23T19:45:00.000-07:00

The 'Hoos had a strong defensive presence in the paint at the beginning of the period. Despite the heaving guarding down low, the Bears still scored 32 points in the paint.

Cal outrebounded UVa, 19-17, with Hampton pacing all players with seven boards.

The three Cal steals and 19 rebounds seem like far too little for the amount of power they exhibited in the first 20 minutes. I suppose Virginia's seven turnovers help explain why it seems that Cal was so dominant in the first half.

Coming into the game, Virginia was attempting an average of 66 shots per game. If you figure that they're attempting roughly 33 per half, then they were within that average exactly with 33 attempts in the first half. However, for the amount of time that Cal was possessing the ball or playing stellar 'D,' that 33 seems very high.

FG
UVa: 16-33, 48.5 %
Cal: 23-42, 54.8 %

3-Pointers
Uva: 1-7, 14.3 %
Cal: 3-13, 23.1 %

First-Half Notes

2009-03-23T19:15:00.000-07:00

Devanei Hampton moved into sixth place in career points. She surpassed Karen Smith, who scored 1,559 points.

Hampton had seven rebounds in the first half to take over fifth place on the all-time list. She passed Cynthia Cooke, who had 855 career rebounds.

Ashley Walker had 10 points in the first 12 minutes of play.

With 53 first-half points, it was 2nd time in the 2008-09 season that Cal had scored 50 or more points in a half and the sixth time this season that the Bears had scored 40 plus points in a half.

The Bears have now made 14 straight free throws with four coming today and 10 in the Fresno State game.

Cal: 41, UVa: 24 - 3:43, 1st Half

2009-03-23T19:06:00.000-07:00

The Bears have earned their greatest lead of the game at 17! Ashley Walker had a great layup thanks to what I would call a "group assist." Lexi, L.G. and Tasha seemlessly passed the ball around before getting it to Ashley below the basket. L.G. sunk a gorgeous trey on the next posession to distance the Bears.

Virginia coach Debbie Ryan immediately called a team timeout following Greif's score, but the Cavs failed to score after the break.

Mooch aka Rachelle Federico is keeping things lively with a dance to the Straw Hat Band.

Lexi had a key block that sent the ball out of bounds but the UVa attempt following the inbounds was a brick.

Ash won a jump ball.

Cal: 30, UVa: 20 - 6:55, Ist Half

2009-03-23T18:59:00.000-07:00

Team huddle

The Cal Straw Hat Band
The Cal bench is quite vocal tonight..."D 'em up, defense, d 'em up!" and "Defense, Bears, defense!"

The Bears have led by 10 twice in the past two minutes, going up once off a layup from Ashley Walker and again with one from Devanei Hampton with the assist from Lauren Greif.

Cal: 21, UVa: 16 - 10:49

2009-03-23T18:45:00.001-07:00

The starting line-up on ESPN and the jumbo screen above the floor:
Ashley Walker won the tip.

Devanei Hampton scored the first points of the game.

In-game blogging note:
Per NCAA regulations, I'm only allowed to blog five times per half, once at halftime and two per overtime period. Please hit refresh on your browser window to see if there are new updates.

Starting Lineups

2009-03-23T18:37:00.000-07:00

California
Natasha Vital
Lauren Greif
Devanei Hampton
Alexis Gray-Lawson
Ashley Walker

Virginia
Lyndra Littles
Ariana Moorer
Monica Wright
Aisha Mohammed
Jayna Hartig

Tip-off coming soon!

How To Catch the Cal-UVa Game

2009-03-23T18:29:00.000-07:00

There are several options for the fans at home to catch all the action of the second-round match-up between your No. 4-seed California Golden Bears and the fifth-seeded Virginia Cavaliers.

You can listen to a live broadcast anywhere in the world, thanks to KALX. You can hear it in the Bay Area on your FM radio dial at 90.7 FM or anywhere in the world on kalx.berkeley.edu.

The game can also be seen nationally on ESPN Classic.

For those fans in the Bay Area who do not receive ESPN Classic, Comcast has agreed to put the game on Channel 104 (must have a cable box).

In addition, the game will be shown online at ESPN360.com for fans who have a high-speed Internet connection from an affiliated service provider.

An Insider’s Look at Virginia

2009-03-23T18:01:00.001-07:00

The official nickname of Virginia is Cavellier but they are also known as the Wahoos or just ‘Hoos. According to the UVa media guide, “legend has it that the Washington & Lee fans dubbed the Virginia players “Wahoos” during the fiercely contested rivalry that existed between the two teams in the 1890s. Over time, “Wahoo”s has come to refer to University students or events relating to them, and has been shortened to the more popular “Hoos” of recent years.

According to Cal team videographer James, a graduate of Virginia, a wahoo is a fish that can drink twice its body weight in water and the fans were termed “Wahoos” because they were quite inebriated during a Virginia sporting event.

Here are some more random facts about Virginia that James shared with me:
There’s an honor code at Virginia which extends to the town and county. If anyone is caught lying, cheating or stealing, they are expelled from school (following a hearing that is). It stems from a murder of a professor in the late 1800s that no one would fess up to)

Thomas Jefferson designed the heart of campus, which is affectionately known as the “lawn.”

There are no freshmen, sophomores, junior or seniors but first through fourth years. Credit to Jefferson on this one again for he thought that one never stopped learning.

UVa is home to the JAG school.

The original colors of the school were maroon and silver.

The logo was designed by the son of a former football coach.

Hello From the Galen Center!

2009-03-23T17:57:00.001-07:00

Greetings from the Galen Center on the campus of USC! We've got a little more than 30 minutes on the clock. The Bears just finished their shootaround practice and are streching...more to come!

Player Journal Entry: Shantrell Sneed

2009-03-23T12:45:00.000-07:00

To read all of Trell's blog entry's from this season, click here to see her blog on CalBears.com

Anytime you win, it’s exactly what you’re looking for. We knew that they were going to present us with some problems because of their size. We did have some mismatches of posts on guards. We knew that we were capable of beating them and we came out with the W.

I think there are a lot of combination of feelings and thoughts right now. I am a senior so having been in this position before, I know what it felt like to lose in the second round last year. I’m paying more attention to detail this year. I’m more focused. I know how important practice and shootaround before the game are. I’m putting a lot of attention to detail in everything from shootaround to scouting reports to hone in on the details. At this point in the season, everyone wants it. Attention to detail is hopefully going to give us the advantage over everyone else.

For the game against Fresno State, our coaches put a lot of emphasis on the fact that if we could take away their three-point shot, we could win the game. The three is where roughly 30 points of their game come from and they were leading the nation in three-pointers made. We knew that it was going to be a big key because that’s how they like to score. You always want to take something away from your opponent, and make them beat you with the next best thing. We definitely did a great job at taking away the three-point shot. I feel like that’s the type of defense that Cal plays.

Against Virginia, we need to shut down its big three players and take away the transition, because that’s the way that they like to score. The transition definitely gets them going. If we can shut down their big three and just make other people score, then we can hopefully be successful.

Go Bears!
~Trell

The Freshmen NCAA Experience: Q&A With Angelei Aguirre and Casey Morris

2009-03-23T11:29:00.000-07:00

During the open locker room period on Sunday, I had a chance to catch up with Cal's two freshmen - Angelei Aguirre and Casey Morris to chat with them about the NCAA Tournament experience as a first year.

CalBears.com: What were your thoughts on Selection Monday?
Angelei Aguirre: I was just really excited. When you're a little kid, you always watch the Big Dance on T.V. But to actually be there was so much fun.
Casey Morris: I was excited. I didn't know it would be like the way it was - with so many fans and friends coming out to the Club Room at Haas Pavilion to support us. It was exciting to be sitting there with my team, waiting for the big announcement. The adrenaline was going and everything.

CalBears.com: The team has played at the Galen Center several times already this year, so the arena wasn't so new. But did you have any expectations coming into the Tournament?
AA: I really don't know. I loved watching it on T.V. so I just pictured that it would be exciting to play in the Tournament. It's the basketball that everyone wants to play.
CM: I've always wanted to play in the NCAA Tournament. It's been a dream of mine for a long time. I was excited to get here. Every team is so talented. You have to come out with 100 percent.

CalBears.com: You both got playing time in Saturday's game against Fresno State, were you thinking about anything in particular when you were checking in at the table?
AA: It didn't really register with me until after the game was over. I was happy to get into the game. After it was over, I was excited that I had gotten to play in the NCAA Tournament.
CM: I was thinking more about the game. The NCAA Tournament is what I was thinking about when we first got to the gym and Selection Sunday. When game time came, I knew it was like every other game. It's basketball. So I had to keep my composure.

CalBears.com: What was key for the Bears on defeating Fresno State last Saturday?
AA: Our defense, definitely. We just shut them down for the most part.
CM: I thought our defense did well. The starters especially picked it up on defense, and they came out hard.

CalBears.com: What's going to be the key for the Bears to defeat Virginia on Monday night?
AA: It'll be defense again. If we can stop them from doing what they like to do, then we can convert on the other end.
CM: Stopping their penetration. They like to run transition, so we need to make sure we stop the
ball early. We've also got to make their go-to players feel uncomfortable and stop them.

Post-Game Q&A With Charmin Smith

2009-03-22T21:22:00.000-07:00

I chatted briefly with Cal assistant coach Charmin Smith last right about Cal’s first-round victory over Fresno State.

CalBears.com: Coming into the game, Fresno State has hit 10 or more three-pointers in 31 games, dating back to last season. But tonight, the Bears were very successful in keeping Fresno State treys to a minimum, was that the plan of attack?

Charmin Smith: That was definitely the game plan. They lead the nation in three-pointers made. We held them to four threes, which is well below their average. I thought that was a big key to the game – taking away their three-point shot.

CalBears.com: How did the team limit them from beyond the arc?

CS: We told our players not to sink defensively, to get stuck in the paint and now out in the perimeter. Then we used a lot of switching defense with switching one through four. At sometimes, we even had Devanei Hampton switching on the guards. It really took away the open looks. It gave up some penetration but we were willing to sacrifice that in order to take away the three.

CalBears.com: Enough about defensive, let’s talk about offensive. What worked best for the Bears tonight?

CS: Ashley Walker. She’s hard to stop. When we were stagnant at some points on offense, our guards stepped up and made a big three, which opened things up for Ashley

Walker. We know that Devanei Hampton will be a great force in games to come. It’s tough when you have a lot of smaller people running around there. She gets penalized for being so aggressive and physical, but that won’t always be the case.

CalBears.com: You were doing a victory dance when we first got to the locker room, what are you thinking right now?

CS: You always want to get that first win under your belt in the Tournament. We know that we’re a team that is supposed to move beyond the first round. We wanted to go ahead and do that and meet those expectations. We feel good now, but we’re not satisfied. We want keep going.

Thanks to Mollie McClure for the awesome action shots.
PS: I apologize for the wacky formatting, blogger's not allowing me to fix it.

Press Conference Quotes

2009-03-22T21:11:00.000-07:00

California Coach Joanne Boyle

"I'm just excited to be here. Continuing to play it is what this time is all about -- survive and advance and I thought we did a good job of that last night and I'm just excited to play Virginia."

On breaking down Virginia's team

"Virginia is a great team. There are things they do very well. They are a great transition team. They have a great three in (Lyndra) Littles, (Aisha) Mohammed and (Monica) Wright. They get a lot of touches. They thrive and really push the ball in transition and get easy baskets and do a lot from rebounding."

"We need to take away transition, stay on the boards and don't let them on the free throw line."

On approaching the next game

"We've done a lot of game-planning of course. We're trying to keep our kids in their comfort zone and tweaking things here and there. It's more about the comfort now. And we're doing a lot of film."

"You just can't turn the ball over against a team like this because you won't have a chance to play transition defense because it will be a layup."

California forward/center Ashley Walker

On coming back for second round

"It's just another game. We are staying in our comfort zone. It's great playing in the Galen Center again. We're just exciting to play another game."

On trying to make Sweet Sixteen

"I definitely think last year motivates us. It's definitely one of our goals. It's my last time. We (the rest of the seniors) all have that feeling. We can't waste a possession. Every night we're trying to do that. We're excited to play and when they put the ball out there it's tournament time. No ones going to give it to you. You have to fight for it."

California guard Lauren Greif

On improved play over the last week

"We watched a lot of film on our ball movement how it has gotten kind of stagnant in the last couple of weeks. So we just really focused on moving the ball and watched more film."

"The faster the ball moves the harder it is for defenses to find us."

California guard Alexis Gray-Lawson

On advancing in the tournament

"Just to know that this could have been our last practice or this could be our last game, it makes you want to play that much harder so that you can get one more practice or get one more game."

"I think it makes us hungry. (There is) definitely more desire in our hearts to go out there and not just win for ourselves, but to win for our seniors and our community."

Virginia Notes Q&A Style

2009-03-22T14:25:00.000-07:00

Q: How Did They Get Here?
A: The Cavs earned an at-large berth after finished tied for fifth in the ACC (8-6) and advancing to the quarterfinals of the league tournament.

Q: What does Virginia forward Lyndra Littles think of Cal?
A: “I think California is a good team. I think they are a little more athletics. I think they are a more up-tempo team. I think they match up well against us.” (Quote from Saturday night press conference)

Q: What did UVa do in last year’s NCAA Tournament?
A: It advanced to the second round, but lost at ODU, 88-85 in overtime.

Q: Is there any history between Virginia and California?
A: Yes, the ’Hoos hold an 2-0 all-time advantage over the Bears. The teams last met In 1998.

Q: What’s the coaching and staff connection between the Cavs and Bears>?
A: Cal first-year assistant coach Jennifer Hoover spent a years as the director of operations for Virginia before being promoted to assistant coach, a position which she held for three seasons (2004-07). Cal team video coordinator James Rogol attended and worked at UVA for six years combined.

Q: Have both teams taken any trips abroad recently?
A: Yes! Both teams have traveled to the continent of Africa in the past two years. The Golden Bears went to Senegal and Tunisia in 2008, which you can read about here in the blog archive on CalBears.com. The ’Hoos took a 10-day trip to Senegal and the Canary Islands in May of 2007.
http://www.calbears.com/sports/w-baskbl/spec-rel/cal-wbaskbl-africa-blogs.html

Q: What’s Virginia’s history in the Tournament?
A: Virginia, making its 23rd NCAA Tournament appearance, improved to 33-22 all-time in the tournament.

Q: Can you give me some notes about UVa in the first round this year?
A: Absolutely!
Virginia is looking to advance to the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2000.

Senior center Aisha Mohammed had her 14th double-double with 10 points and 14 rebounds. Her 14 boards were her 15th double-digit rebound effort of the season and the eighth with at least 14 rebounds.

Virginia trailed at the half for the 15th time this year and came back to win for the ninth time in those 15 games.

News Clippings: Fresno State Game

2009-03-22T12:58:00.000-07:00

My media relations cohort Melissa has graciously gathered some of today’s articles about Cal’s win over Fresno State last night.

San Francisco Chronicle: Cal 70, Fresno State 47 – Bears win by shutting down Bulldogs' treys

Bay Area News Group: Cal women start tourney with a romp

Fresno Bee: Cal knocks Fresno State out of NCAA tourney

Associated Press: California's Walker powers Bears past Fresno State

Los Angeles Times: California routs Fresno State at Galen Center

Greetings From Practice!

2009-03-22T12:50:00.000-07:00

The team is nearing the end of a closed practice session in USC men's basketball team's practice facilities in the Galen Center. The Bears will take to the the game hardwood shortly.

In case you haven't heard, Cal will take on five-seed Virginia on Monday evening.

More soon!

Completed Game Notes

2009-03-21T21:16:00.000-07:00

California made its seventh overall and fourth straight trip to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in school history. Cal posted its third NCAA Tournament win in school history and second since 1993 to improve to 3-6 all-time in NCAAs.

Fresno State earned the automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament after winning its second consecutive Western Athletic Conference (WAC) Championship. It is the second NCAA Tournament appearance for the Bulldogs. The program’s first trip was last season, as a 14 seed, and lost 88-67 to No. 3 Baylor in the first round of the 2008 tournament. The Bulldogs are now 0-2 in the NCAA Tournament.

The first-round match-up marked the 26th meeting between the two teams. The two squads played each other last Nov. 10, 2007, when the Bears defeated Fresno State, 83-79. The Bulldogs’ last win over Cal was Dec. 17, 1995, when the FS won, 68-61, in Fresno, Calif.

Cal head coach Joanne Boyle won her second NCAA Tournament game (2-4 overall: 2-3 Cal; 0-1 Richmond).

All of the squad’s 11 student-athletes saw playing time today. Eight notched points and 10 grabbed rebounds.

Rachelle Federico and Casey Morris both scored their first points in an NCAA Tournament game.

Walker came into tonight’s match-up with 54 career points against the Bulldogs occurring over the course of two games (Dec. 7, 2006 and Nov. 10, 2006). She now has scored 75 points against Fresno State.

Walker has been the Bears' leading scorer four times in five NCAA Tournament games.

Cal limited Fresno State to 22.2 shooting percentage from beyond the arc, with the Bulldogs only making four three-pointers. The Bulldogs have led the nation in treys made per game all season. Coming in tonight’s game, they were making an average of 9.5 a game

Ashley Walker tied the Cal NCAA Tournament record for blocked shots in a game with three. This feat has now been achieved three times in program history, with the last time coming in 1993.

Cal’s four blocks were a season high for the Bears.

The Bears broke a Bulldog five-game winning streak.

Ashley Walker scored 13 of Cal’s first 16 points of the game, all within the first eight minutes of the game.

The Bears will play the winner of fifth-seeded Virginia vs. No. 13-seed Marist on Monday evening.

Post-Game Quotes

2009-03-21T20:30:00.000-07:00

California head coach Joanne Boyle

“I’m just proud of our team. At this time of the year, it is survive and advance. I thought we did a lot of really good things. Obviously we didn’t shoot the ball well but we found other ways to win and ultimately that is what it is.”

On game-plan against Fresno State

“The game-plan was to take away the three more so than anything and I think we did a really good job.”

On the prospect of Fresno State and Coach Adrian Wiggins and the future

“He does a great job playing the chess match and trying the counter and I think he has been very successful with that.”

“He really uses an offense that is very cohesive for him and that works for him. I think that is part of being a great coach, putting in a system that really speaks to your player’s strengths.”

California forward/center Ashley Walker

On inspired play

“Now since I’m a senior and this is my last time going to the tournament, I kind of feel like I might as well leave everything I have out on the floor in these next couple of games.”

On being doubled in the post

“I’m use to be doubled, I just kind of do what I do every night. My teammates definitely helped me out. I kicked out well and when they hit, they hit and when they don’t, I try and do my best to go after the offensive rebound.”

California guard Natasha Vital

On perimeter defense

“Fresno State is a very athletic team. They penetrate a lot so we were really focused on our defense and trying to stop guard penetration. I think it really helped us out tonight.

On shooting the three-ball to start the second half

“They were doubling down a lot on our post players and leaving us open, so we have got to take those shots. We weren’t making them a lot, but we made them when it counted.”

Teaser Photo Update

2009-03-21T19:53:00.000-07:00

Here's a glimpse at the photos from tonight's games.

All photos by Mollie McClure of McClure Photography.

Quickie game notes

2009-03-21T19:05:00.001-07:00

Fresno State earned the automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament after winning its second consecutive Western Athletic Conference (WAC) Championship. It is the second NCAA Tournament appearance for the Bulldogs. The program’s first trip was last season, as a 14 seed, and lost 88-67 to No. 3 Baylor in the first round of the 2008 tournament. The Bulldogs are now 0-2 in the NCAA Tournament.

The first-round match-up marked the 26th meeting between the two teams. The two squads played each other last Nov. 10, 2007, when the Bears defeated Fresno State, 83-79. The Bulldogs’ last win over Cal was Dec. 17, 1995, when the FS won, 68-61, in Fresno, Calif.

Cal head coach Joanne Boyle won her second NCAA Tournament game (2-4 overall: 2-3 Cal; 0-1 Richmond).

All of the squad’s 11 student-athletes saw playing time today, eight of whom notched points and 10 of whom grabbed rebounds.

Rachelle Federico and Casey Morris both scored their first points in an NCAA Tournament game.

Walker came into tonight’s match-up with 54 career points against the Bulldogs occurring over the course of two games (Dec. 7, 2006 and Nov. 10, 2006). She now has scored 75 points against Fresno State.

Walker has been the Bears' leading scorer four times in five NCAA Tournament games.

Cal limited Fresno State to 22.2 shooting percentage from beyond the arc, with the Bulldogs only making four three-pointers. The Bulldogs have led the nation in treys made per game all season. Coming in tonight’s game, they were making an average of 9.5 a game.

BEARS WIN!

2009-03-21T18:59:00.000-07:00

The Golden Bears have won the game, 70-47!

More to follow.

Cal: 66, FS: 45

2009-03-21T18:58:00.001-07:00

Time remaining: 2:45

Ashley Walker’s on the bench, she’s got 21 points and eight rebounds.

Alexis Gray-Lawson has got 12 and Lauren Greif has 11.

Rachelle Federico is headed into the game for the Bears for Kelsey Adrian.

Lexi just made a great lay-up on a fast break to extend Cal’s lead. Mooch earned a jump-ball call after battling off three Bulldogs.

This is going to be the last in-game post for me, as we’ve got to prepare for post-game media conferences.

In-game blog notes:
Per NCAA rule, I’m only allowed to blog five times per half, once at halftime, and twice per overtime period. Please hit refresh on your browser window to see if I’ve posted any new updates about the game.

Cal: 49, FS: 30

2009-03-21T18:12:00.000-07:00

Time remaining: 9:32

The Cal bench erupted after Natasha Vital drained a three-pointer:

They cheered again after Alexis Gray-Lawson made her first of the game:

The Bears opened the second half with a 13-1 run.

Casey Morris recently scored her first points in an NCAA Tournament game.

Ashley Walker scored 13 of Cal’s first 16 points within the first eight minutes of the game.

Walker came into tonight’s match-up with 54 career points against the Bulldogs occurring over the course of two games (Dec. 7, 2006 and Nov. 10, 2006).

Barring any major changes in in-game performances, Ashley Walker and Nastaha Vital (along with Joanne Boyle, of course) will participate in the post-game press conference. Stay tuned for quotes.

In-game blog notes:
Per NCAA rule, I’m only allowed to blog five times per half, once at halftime, and twice per overtime period. Please hit refresh on your browser window to see if I’ve posted any new updates about the game.

Halftime Notes – Cal: 30, FS: 21

2009-03-21T17:44:00.000-07:00

Cal is shooting 41.1 percent (12-29) overall and 25.0 percent (2-8) from three-point range.

Fresno State is 8 of 24 (33.3 percent) overall and 1 for 5 from beyond the arc (20.0 percent). In the past three games, the Bulldogs have averaged above 30 percent or better from three-point range. Stopping the treys will be key for the Golden Bears in the second half.

Ashley Walker is leading all scorers with 15 points. With this many points, she could be on course to lead the Bears through the whole game (knock on wood). She has been the Bears' leading scorer three times in four NCAA Tournament games.

Walker also has a team-high four rebounds.

Both teams are 66.7 percent from the charity stripe, each making four of six attempts in the first 20 minutes of play.

The Bears have nabbed 11 points off turnovers and 12 in the key. Cal is outrebounding FS, 18-15.

Overall first-half analysis: The Bears are looking strong, especially in limited Fresno State’s three-point attempts. The majority of the Cal shots look good, some of them just have not been going in. The Bears just need to find their stride. Cal has led for the entirety of the game with its largest lead was 10 points, coming with 10:46 to play.

In-game blog notes:

Per NCAA rule, I’m only allowed to blog five times per half, once at halftime, and twice per overtime period. Please hit refresh on your browser window to see if I’ve posted any new updates about the game.

Cal: 24 , FS: 18

2009-03-21T17:24:00.000-07:00

Time remaining: 5:40

Ashley Walker is leading the Bears with 13 points.

Lauren Greif just drained a great trey.

Fresno State’s Amundson just made the team’s first three of the game. The Bulldogs are now 1-3 from beyond the arc.

The Cal band and dance team entertained the crowd with some Jimmy Eat World during the third media timeout.

In-game blog notes:

The view of the floor from my seat behind the bench:
The Cal team during a T.V. timeout:

Cal: 14, FS: 7

2009-03-21T17:21:00.000-07:00

Time remaining: 12:29

Ashley Walker won the tip. Fresno State’s Marnique Arnold didn’t even jump for it, but let Walker take it.

Alexis Gray-Lawson scored the first points of the game and for the Bears.

The Bulldogs are 0-2 from beyond the three-point line. They have led the nation in treys made per game all season, they are currently making 9.5 a game.

The Golden Bear defense just earned possession after Fresno State depleted its shot clock.

Listen to the game!
In addition to reading this official CalBears.com blog, you can listen to the game live and for free thanks to KALX. If you’re in the Bay Area, tune in at 90.7 FM on your radio dial or anywhere in the world at kalx.berkeley.edu or www.CalBears.com

In-game blog notes:
Per NCAA rule, I’m only allowed to blog five times per half, once at halftime, and twice per overtime period. Please hit refresh on your browser window to see if I’ve posted any new updates about the game.

Tip Time!!

2009-03-21T17:02:00.001-07:00

We’re about to tip! Updates coming soon!

In-game blog notes:

Pre-Game News Clippings

2009-03-21T16:58:00.000-07:00

The California women’s basketball team is in the sports headlines often, and we’ve “clipped” some of them for you. Here are some of the stories about the Golden Bears before today’s game.

San Francisco Chronicle: Big Bears' final chance to make a lasting impression

Bay Area News Group: Cal women aim to improve play

San Francisco Chronicle: Cal's Greif is no stranger to leadership

Los Angeles Times: Cal women to play Fresno State in NCAA's first round

Associated Press: Players perspectives across women's basketball (Lauren Greif blog entry that was picked up by AP)

Staff/Photo Update: Greetings From the Galen Center!

2009-03-21T16:25:00.000-07:00

We’ve arrived at the Galen Center for the first round of the NCAA Tournament! Here are some pictures from our trip to campus and warm-ups on the court.

The Cal band and dance team were at the hotel to send the Bears on their way to the arena with the traditional fight songs:

It certainly feels like NCAA Tourney time with the NCAA logo everywhere:

A very blurry shot of the pre-game warm-up:

A slightly less blurry picture of Ashley Walker making a basket:

I’ll hopefully have more for you shortly!

Staff Update: Fresno State Notes

2009-03-21T10:34:00.000-07:00

During our shootaround at the Galen Center this morning, I put together some notes on Fresno State for everyone’s entertainment.

Key Facts:
- Fresno State has hit 10 or more three-pointers in 31 games, dating back to last season
- The Bulldogs upset then-No. 22 TCU, 75-71 (the week prior to TCU defeat of Cal) but lost at then-No. 3 Stanford, 100-62
- FS has led the nation in treys made per game all season, they are currently making 9.5 a game
- Jaleesa Ross is FS’s leading scorere, averaging 13.8 ppg, Hayley Munro and Bailey Amundsen are behind her with 10.3 and 10.2 ppg, respectively

More Facts
- FS also has an Ashley Walker on the team, she averages 5.5 points per game as compared to Cal’s Ashley Walker, who has 19.3 ppg
- Cal and Fresno State had four common opponents this season – TCU, Stanford, Nevada and San Jose State. The Bears were 3-2 against those teams and the Bulldogs were 5-1

Bulldog Background
- Earned the automatic bid after winning its second consecutive Western Athletic Conference (WAC) Championship
- FSU executed its defense at the WAC Tournament, holding opponents to 34 percent shooting and 51 points per game

Dancing Bulldogs
- Last season in the NCAA Tournament, the Bulldogs were a 14 seed last year, lost to No. 3 Baylor, 88-67, in the first round
- This year is only the second season in program history that FSU has made it to the Big Dance

FSU vs. Cal History
- Cal holds a 20-5 all-time series advantage over Fresno State
- The Bears have won the past four meetings
- Most recent game last season, when Cal dropped FSU, 83-79

Head Coach File: Adrian Wiggins
- Took over as interim coach on Feb. 9, 2005 and led the ’Dogs to six wins in their final eight games of the season and a berth in the WNIT
- Was so well-liked and accomplished during his period as interim coach, that he was given the official head coaching job.
- Was the 2007-08 WAC coach of the year
- Has posted a 71-36 record with Fresno State

Photo Update: Practice Day

2009-03-20T21:17:00.000-07:00

We've put up a fantastic gallery of images on CalBears.com of the practice day and press conferences. Here are some highlights of the gallery, but you can see the full gallery by clicking the link below.

NCAA Tournament – Day Two: Practice Day Photo Gallery

A wide shot of the dais at the press conference. (Photo by Mollie McClure)

Assistant coach Jennifer Hoover and senior Ashley Walker. (Photo by Mollie McClure)

Casey Morris looks to pass to a teammate during practice. (Photo by Angela Niles)

Team huddle. (Photo by Angela Niles)

Q&A With Kelsey Adrian

2009-03-20T17:56:00.000-07:00

During the open locker room period on Friday at USC, CalBears.com had a chance to sit down with sophomore Kelsey Adrian. This year’s trip to the NCAA Tournament is Adrian’s second after playing at Stanford in last season’s tournament.

CalBears.com: What’s it like to be playing in the Galen Center here on the campus of USC? Kelsey Adrian: It’s great to be here. How many weekends in a row have we been here? This is the second in a row that we’ve been at the Galen Center and our last road trip of the regular season was to Los Angeles. It’s like a home-court advantage for us.

CalBears.com: Last year, the Bears had a great first-round game but dropped the second-round game in heartbreaking fashion, does that memory stay with you during this year’s NCAA Tournament? KA: Of course you always want to do better than you did last year. Especially because we’re a better team than that so we want to move on and do our best.

CalBears.com: Are you approaching Saturday’s game against Fresno State any differently than a regular-season game or one in the Pac-10 Tournament? KA: Not really. It’s a big game because it is the NCAA Tournament. But, if you look at differently then you just get more nerves. It’s a big deal for us, but we still have to focus and prepare the same way.

CalBears.com: Is the NCAA Tournament like the big games when you played in Canada? KA: I guess it’s kind of like the playoffs again. You get pumped up for it, and it’s a big deal. Everyone’s ready for it and we want to play. It’s kind of the same thing.
CalBears.com: What were you thinking after the selection show? KA: I was just excited that we were going to the NCAA Tournament. It didn’t really matter to me where we were going to play, I just wanted to get a high seed.

CalBears.com: Has practice been any different for you this week? KA: Not really. We’re just getting ready and fixing a few things…practicing shots. It’s been normal for the most part.

To read the Q&A on CalBears.com, click here.

Photo/Staff Update: Today at the Galen Center

2009-03-20T16:26:00.000-07:00

Today, the team administrators had a couple of quick meetings before heading into practice with the team. Here are some pictures from our time at the Galen Center this morning and afternoon.

The North entrance to the Galen Center with official NCAA signage.

A large poster of the NCAA bracket in the media workroom:

Cal in the Trenton, N.J. Regional part of the bracket:

When head coach Joanne Boyle, Devanei Hampton, Alexis Gray-Lawson and Ashley Walker participated in the official press conference (you can read the transcript of the press conference in this blog post), the rest of the team was available for media interviews during the open locker room period. In between interviews, the team relaxed by watching some NCAA men’s basketball in a USC locker room:

After the media interviews, the team took to the court at the Galen Center for a quick practice, which was open to the media as evidenced by the photographer in this picture:

Following the open practice, the Bears entered into a closed practice before returning to the hotel for a lunch of Mexican food. The team will take it easy this afternoon to rest up before Saturday’s game. They will watch some film, attend a study hall to get in some studying (even though they’re on spring break!) before dinner.

All photos courtesy Anna Oleson-Wheeler.

Player Journal: Shantrell Sneed

2009-03-20T16:11:00.000-07:00

Senior forward Shantrell Sneed has been writing a blog for CalBears.com throughout the 2008-09 season. If you’d like to see all of Trell’s blog entries, you can find her blog on CalBears.com by clicking here. Below is an entry that was posted earlier today.

Since I never touched upon this earlier in my blog, I’d like to take this chance to tell you what senior day was like for me. I knew that I was going to be announced first out of the three seniors, but it came a little sooner than I had expected. I didn’t have a lot of time to compose myself. I had told myself that I wasn’t going to cry, but as soon as I looked up at my mom, who was bawling, my tears started coming down. Those are the type of moments that you look forward to as a freshman. You always know that your time is going to come but you can never prepare yourself for what it’s going to feel like when you walk out on the court and you realize that it is really going to be your last game on that floor. There were so many emotions going through me that day. I was just glad that I got the opportunity to play in front of our home crowd for four years and especially on senior day. It was great that our friends, family and fans came out to support us on our last game.

Although our finishes at the end of the regular season and the Pac-10 Tournament were disappointing, we get to play again in the NCAA Tournament. But, from here on out, it’s one and done. There are no more guarantees. Coach says that we have to earn every game from here on out. That’s the type of thought that motivated me. There are no games tomorrow unless we earn it. We don’t get to practice again unless we take care of business.

On Selection Monday, we kind of knew what was going to happen. Our coaches had told us ahead of time that we were either going to get a four or five seed, so it wasn’t much of a surprise. We were nervous about who were going to play. We have some familiarity with Fresno State after playing them last year. We were all happy with the seed that we got and our first-round opponent. We just need to take care of business now.

Last year, we got the opportunity to play down at Stanford and this year, we’re at the Galen Center. It feels like we’ve been playing here for the past two weeks so it feels like a home-court advantage, even though Fresno State is a little bit closer to L.A. than we are in Berkeley. We’re going to have a great fan base to come our and support us. We know the gyms, we know the locker rooms, we know the rims so we feel like we’re at home a little bit. With this being my fourth trip to the NCAA Tournament, I now know the type of dedication and focus that it takes to stay in the tournament. As a senior, this is my last tournament so I want to make that push so that we can go as far as we can and hopefully make it to Saint Louis for the Final Four.

Go Bears
~Shantrell Sneed

Press Conference Quotes

2009-03-20T13:54:00.000-07:00

On Friday morning, head coach Joanne Boyle and three players participated in a press conference at the Galen Center. Below are quotes from that press conference.

California head coach Joanne Boyle

On defending the 3-point threat of Fresno State

"Just playing in the Pac-10, we have a lot of great three point shooting teams. Playing USC last week it kind of presented that problem to us. But we worked on it this week and I think you just got to play it as a chess match a little bit; be able to get out there and defend the three."

On Cal's game-plan for Fresno State

"We are going to move the ball around a lot and get good touches, work to get

one-on-one touches. We are just going to do a combination of different things."

On California's lack of depth down the stretch

"It's tournament time. Everybody is playing 5, 6, 7 kids, you look at tournament time and everyone is playing that many kids. Nobody is worrying about tired legs. Nobody is feeling sorry for you. Everyone is throwing their best game at you and you just have to be prepared and be ready to play."

California forward/center Ashley Walker

On first-round match-up with Fresno State

"We are excited to be here. We are ready to play. It's great that it is a gym we have played in during the season, last week and the week before that. We have had our ups and downs, but you have to let that go and move on to the next part of the season. The next most important game is Saturday."

On last year's game against Fresno State

"It was a close game, so I am sure it will be a close game again here. It is going to be a good game and we are just excited about being on the floor."

California forward/center Devanei Hampton

On first-round match-up with Fresno State

"We are all just amped up and ready to play. It's tournament time, we are about business."

California guard Alexis Gray-Lawson

On first round match-up with Fresno State

"It was definitely a great travel for us, our family and friends get to come and support us. We are just very excited to be here and be in this situation that we are in."

To see the quote release on CalBears.com, please click here.

The Game Is Simple...With Unity

2009-03-20T12:52:00.001-07:00

Here’s a visual of the team shirt for the NCAA Tournament, as described yesterday in this blog entry. Sophomore guard/forward Kelsey Adrian was kind enough to model her shirt for us during the open media session in the locker room on Friday morning.

Player Journal: Natasha Vital

2009-03-20T12:45:00.000-07:00

It’s good for us to play at the Galen Center because we were just here so we’re very familiar with the court, the rims and the locker rooms. We lost last time we played here, so we’re fired up and pumped up to be back out there and be able to play again.

Everyone’s wearing our team shirts. We came up with the idea for the t-shirts at a team meeting a couple weeks ago. We thought we weren’t playing as a unit as well as we could be so we came up with the phrase “The game is simple…with unity.” We can do anything together.

It’s nice to play someone like Fresno State, who is not a complete stranger. We played them last year, and it was a pretty close game. We’re kind of familiar with their style of play, so we’re ready to get out there and play.

We’re anxious to get out there and play. It feels like the week has gone by so slowly! We’re trying to get out there and play. We’re happy the game is tomorrow so we get to play.

Practice this week has been pretty normal for us. We haven’t been running as much to save our legs for the tournament. But other than that, practice has been pretty routine for us this past week.

My favorite part about the NCAA Tournament is playing! I love the atmosphere! It’s so much fun to get out there and play. Everyone’s bringing their “A” game to every single game. I’m excited to get out there and compete.

Go Bears!
~Tasha

Key notes on Natasha Vital:
Position: Guard
Height: 5-8
Year: Junior
Points per Game: 8.7
Rebounds per Game: 2.6
Assorted: Has dished out 99 assists; honorable mention All-Pac-10; honorable mention All-Defensive

To read Tasha’s journal entry on CalBears.com, click here.

Photo Update: Pictures From the Road

2009-03-20T12:13:00.001-07:00

Our team photographer, Mollie McClure, has provided us with some great shots from the trip to Los Angeles.

Freshman guard Casey Morris waits at the Oakland Airport to board the flight to Los Angeles on Thursday afternoon.

Junior guard Lauren Greif listens to some music on the bus ride from Los Angeles airport to the team hotel on Thursday evening.

Freshman guard Angelei Aguirre shares a laugh on the team bus.

Senior forward Shantrell Sneed catches up with someone on the phone during the bus ride to the hotel on Thursday evening.

Junior forward/center Rama N’diaye smiles for the camera.

All photos courtesy Mollie McClure of McClure Photography.

Staff Update: We’ve Made It to L.A.

2009-03-19T22:26:00.000-07:00

The Cal women’s basketball team and crew have made it to Los Angeles. We flew into Los Angeles Airport on Thursday evening and headed straight to the hotel. Tomorrow the team will participate in one form of a press conference or another. Head coach Joanne Boyle and three players will attend the press conference. Everyone else will stay in the locker room to conduct interviews with media members. After the interviews are complete, the team will spend time practicing at the Galen Center.

Every year that the Bears have gone to the NCAA Tournament (this is the fourth in a row!), the team makes a special post-season t-shirt for everyone. This year, the shirt is black with yellow writing. It says “California Basketball” on the front and “2009 NCAA Tournament: The game is easy…with unity” on the back.

Be sure to check back tomorrow for quotes from the press conference and player journals!

News Release: Cal to Face Fresno State in First Round of NCAA Tournament

2009-03-19T15:29:00.000-07:00

BERKELEY - The California women's basketball team earned a school record fourth consecutive bid to the NCAA Tournament Monday when the 64-field team was announced on ESPN. The Golden Bears (25-6, 15-3 in the Pac-10), who earned an at-large bid and a fourth seed, will play WAC champion and 13th-seeded Fresno State Saturday, March 21 at 5 p.m. The game will broadcast live on ESPN2.

To read the full Selection Monday release from CalBears.com, please click here.

Tickets in the Cal section are on sale through the Cal Athletic Ticket office. Call 1-800-GO-BEARS to order tickets. They will not be available for purchase online.

The Cal-Fresno State winner will play the winner of the first-round game between fifth-seeded Virginia (23-9) and 12th-seeded Marist (29-3) at the same location. The four teams are playing for the right to advance to the Trenton Regional.

This year's trip to the NCAA Tournament marks Cal's seventh invitation to the NCAA Tournament overall and fourth under fourth-year head coach Joanne Boyle. This year marks the first time Cal has received four straight NCAA Tournament selections. The Bears own a 2-6 all-time NCAA playoff record, including a program-best second-round showing in 1993 and 2008.

Photo Gallery: Selection Monday

2009-03-19T14:25:00.000-07:00

In case you didn't see it, CalBears.com has a gallery of photos taken on Selection Monday in the Club Room of Haas Pavilion.

Click Here for the Selection Monday Photo Gallery.

Welcome!

2009-03-19T13:40:00.000-07:00

Welcome to the official CalBears.com blog for the 2009 NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament! The Cal athletic media relations staff will be providing you with updates about your California Golden Bears women's basketball team.