USF (3-1) at Cal (4-0)
Friday, Nov. 25 | 1 p.m.
Haas Pavilion | Berkeley, Calif.
Series Record: 24-9 (Cal)
Last Meeting: USF, 55-52 (A), 2001-02
Video: CalBears.com/Pac12.com
Audio: USFDons.com/Livestream (George Devine)
Live Stats
Complete Game Notes [PDF]
Cal Classic Schedule
USF vs. Cal - Nov. 25, 1 p.m.
Duquesne vs. Western Carolina - Nov. 25, 3:15 p.m.
Consolation Game - Nov. 26, 1 p.m.
Championship Game - Nov. 26, 3:15 p.m.
The USF women's basketball team will have a chance to burn off their Thanksgiving turkey and pumpkin pie with a pair of contests in the Cal Classic at Haas Pavilion on Friday and Saturday. The Dons (3-1) are slated to play Cal at 1 p.m. on Friday in their first meeting since 2001-02. Then USF will matchup with either Duquesne or Western Carolina on Saturday; either opponent will mark the first-ever meeting between the two teams.
Depending on Friday's result, USF could be playing at 1 p.m. or 3:15 p.m. on Saturday afternoon.
The Dons wrapped up a busy week full of three games over six days – with a trip to Pullman, Wash. sprinkled in - by topping Long Beach State at home, 73-71, this past Sunday. With a few days to recover, USF can set its sights on a Cal team that has started the season 4-0 behind the 20.1 points per game of standout sophomore Kristine Anigwe, the 2016 USBWA National Freshman of the Year. Anigwe has logged double-doubles in three of Cal's four contests so far, and is one of four Bears averaging double figures along with Mikayla Cowling (14.5 ppg), Asha Thomas (12.5) and Courtney Range (10.8).
If the Dons draw Duquesne (3-2) in their follow up contest, they'll be looking at an opponent who has won three of its last four and went 28-6 last year to claim a share of the Atlantic-10 title. Chassidy Omogrosso paces the Dukes on offense, averaging 16 points per game, while Amadea Szamosi is averaging a double-double (15.6 ppg / 11.8 rpg). The last time USF played a team from the A-10 were back-to-back losses to Fordham in 2012-13 and 2013-14.
Meanwhile, Western Carolina (2-3) will be coming into the Classic on a modest two-game winning streak, thanks in part to Sherae Bonner's 12.6 points and 12 rebounds per contest. The Catamounts return three starters from a team that went 7-22 last season and finished seventh in the Southern Conference. This would be the Dons' first SoCon opponent since a loss to Chattanooga in the Caribbean Classic during the 2008-09 season.
After Saturday's game, USF will hit the road for trips to Fresno State (Nov. 30) and North Dakota (Dec. 3) before returning for a Dec. 6 contest against San Jose State that will be played as the front end of a doubleheader at historic Kezar Pavilion - the former home of USF's three men's basketball national titles (1949, 1955, 1956) - with the men hosting San Francisco State immediately following.
SERIES SNIPPETS VS. CAL
Cal owns a 24-9 advantage in the all-time series, but USF won the last meeting, 55-52, in 2001-02 at Cal. USF also won the first meeting of the series back in 1977-78 with a 70-65 home victory. The teams met almost every year between 1977-78 and 2001-02, except 1991-92. Cal reeled off 13 wins in a row between 1982-83 and 1992-93. Up until the 1985-86 season, USF and Cal met home-and-home each season before shifting to a single meeting each year. The Dons' best streak in the series was a three-win stretch in 1978-79 and 1979-80. Prior to USF's win in 2001-02, Cal had won the previous four meetings, two of which were decided by just two points.
