Cal hopes to extend win streak as Bears fête seniors and host USC while Trojans look for Bay area victory

BERKELEY, Calif. –With five games left in the regular season , Cal (19-5, 11-2 Pac-12) is riding an eight-game win streak down the stretch. The Golden Bears defeated UCLA (10-14, 6-7) Thursday night at Haas Pavilion, 70-64. They take on USC Sunday evening as they celebrate their seniors and continue Play 4Kay “Pink Game” festivities to benefit the Kay Yow Cancer Fund.

Cal is in control of their own destiny to win at least a share of the conference regular season title.

The Bears began their home stand last week missing senior starting point guard Brittany Boyd in the lineup. Boyd suffered a fall in the last minutes of a road game when the Bears defeated No. 10 Arizona State February 8 and had concussion-like symptoms.

Cal head coach Lindsay Gottlieb did not seem worried about Boyd’s condition.

“We have an amazing medical team here, and the staff has worked closely with Brittany since Sunday’s game with the fall,” said Gottlieb. “In these situations, you can’t be too cautious with any player and their health. We look forward to having her back in practice and in competition when she is cleared.”

Cal had a commanding presence against UCLA even without Boyd, leading 38-31 at the half and surviving a run from the Bruins early in the second half.

Sophomore guard Mercedes Jefflo stepped up her game finishing with 23 points, a career-high, plus seven rebounds. Gottlieb called her “the hero of game.” Jefflo said that before the game Boyd told the team that “somebody has to step up.” And Jefflo responded.

Senior forward Reshanda Gray led the Bears with 24 points and 6 rebounds and freshman Mikayla Cowling added 11 points and seven rebounds.

Looking Ahead to USC

USC (13-11, 5-8) comes to Berkeley after suffering a 79-60 loss to Stanford (18-7, 10-3) Friday night in Palo Alto. The Trojans may be without freshman guard McKenzie Calvert who sustained a leg injury at the final buzzer.

“She jumped up to get a pass and came down awkwardly on her leg,” said Trojans head coach Cynthia Cooper-Dyke. “We’re having her knee evaluated. We’re not sure if it is injured and if it is, how badly.” Calvert has not had any knee problems recently according to Cooper.

USC could not withstand Stanford’s ability to spread the offense as four Cardinals finished in double figures.

“Stanford has such a balanced attack,” said Cooper-Dyke. “They really force you to make outside shots. We couldn’t really get our post game going.”

Cal’s recent wins include balanced scoring, a team characteristic that should bode well in the matchup versus the Women of Troy.

The Trojans are led by Alexyz Vaioletama’s 12 points and 6.8 rebounds per game. Calvert adds 10.2 points and Kaneisha Horn scores 10 points per game.

In the last meeting between the two teams on January 23 in Los Angeles, five different Bears hit double figures in a 67-53 win.

Potential Milestones for the Bears

A win over USC would be Gottlieb’s 99th victory at the helm in Berkeley and improve her record to 6-3 against USC as the Bears head coach. It would also give Cal a four-game cushion for a first round Pac-12 Tournament bye with four games left to play before conference teams head to Seattle for the league championship.