Led by Katie Kuklok, Utah rebounds on the road with upset of No. 21 Cal, 84-79

#WhenYourSquadGetsTheUpset ??????? #ItsAGreatDayToBeAUte pic.twitter.com/tehIJAVpfk

— Utah Women’s Hoops (@utahwbasketball) January 11, 2016

BERKELEY, Calif. – Undaunted by a loss to No. 9 Stanford on Friday, unranked Utah (11-4, 3-1 Pac-12) overcame a 19-point third quarter deficit to upset No. 21 Cal, 84-79, Sunday afternoon at Haas Pavilion. It was the first win for the Utes against a top 25 team since 2008. The last time they beat the Bears was Nov. 26, 1988.

“I’m really proud of our team,” said Utah head coach Lynne Roberts.. “The one thing we keep talking about is toughness. Showing toughness, learning what it means to play with toughness. To be down 19 and come back in the second half on the road against a ranked opponent shows what we’ve been looking for, which is that toughness.”

Cal (10-5, 1-3) had a fast start with a 6-0 run, but Utah countered with a run of their own that included six straight points from redshirt sophomore forward Emily Potter. The remainder of the quarter was a back-and-forth contest, The Utes scored the final shot in the period, a three-pointer from sophomore guard Malia Nawahine, to go into the second quarter with a 19-17 lead.

Cal lived up to its top 25 ranking in the second period, blasting the Utes on offense and outscoring their opponent 32-12 with a balanced effort from sophomore forward Mikayla Cowling, freshman guard Asha Thomas and freshman forward Kristine Anigwe.

Cowling had eight points in the second quarter. Anigwe’s defense limited Potter to just two points in the second period. Cal went into the break with an 18-point lead, 49-31, over Utah after a near halfcourt shot by Thomas at the buzzer. The way-beyond-the-arc trey sent the crowd into a frenzy as Cal players walked to the locker room hyped up.

In the second half, Utah players showcased their ability to adjust and learn from their mistakes.

“Cal is a very good team,” said Roberts. “They are extremely talented. This is a really good win for our team. The biggest thing for me is that I just want to see us keep improving. We improved from Friday’s game at Stanford, and that’s the most important thing.”

In Friday’s defeat, the Utes collapsed after only trailing by two at the half 30-28. They got outscored 25-12 in the third quarter and 17-12 in the fourth in Palo Alto. Stanford outperformed them in the paint and in bench points. Going up against Cal in the second half was a different story. The Utes outscored the Bears 26-19 in the third quarter and 27-11 in the fourth. They wore down Cal with tenacious defense and executed in transition. Potter had three of her six blocks in the second half and her team scored 14 transition points in the second half to Cal’s six.

While freshman guard Erika Bean did not score any points, her hustle plays were key to Utah’s resurgence. She pulled down five rebounds and dished out eight assists.

“[Bean] was a real big difference maker,” said Roberts. “In transition, she made all of the right reads and decisions. Eight assists for a freshman in this environment is impressive and shows of good things to come.”

The Utes also outrebounded Cal 19-14 in the second half.

Senior guard Katie Kuklok came off the bench to led Utah with 22 points. Potter finished with 20 points and nine rebounds to go with her six blocks. Sophomore guard Malia Nawahine also scored 20 and contributed four rebounds and five assists.

Sophomore forward Joeseta Fatuesi from nearby Santa Clara, also played well off the bench, subbing for Potter. She finished with six points and four rebounds.

“Joeseta Fatuesi also made a big impact that may not show up in the stat sheet,” said Roberts. “She helped change momentum in both halves.”

Roberts was pleased with the balanced effort and contributions from her reserves.

“We just had good balance. To win on the road against good teams, you need your bench to play well.”

Cal coach Lindsay Gottlieb praised Utah’s performance while expressing concern about her youthful squad of mostly freshman and sophomores.

“We lost this game with 9:13 left to go in the 3rd quarter when we fouled them on three straight possessions or two minutes later when we didn’t have an urgency to know what defense we’re in. These are young mistakes, and urgency mistakes, and we have to learn the lesson very quickly that every possession matters whether we are winning or losing.”

Anigwe paced Cal with 23 points and 11 rebounds. The six-time Pac-12 Freshman of the Week has notched a double-double in all Pac-12 conference games so far. However, the up-and-coming superstar had her plate full going up against Potter.

“Every mistake that I made, she made me pay for it. Every time I reached over, it was a foul. Every time I didn’t pump fake, she blocked my shot. I didn’t expect her to be as good as she was, and I hadn’t played someone like her before. She posted up, had strong steals and was a really good player.”

Three other Cal players were in double figures including Cowling (14 points, six rebounds and five assists), sophomore guard Gabby Green (12 points, seven rebounds and six assists), Thomas (10 points and six assists)

Cal’s next four games are on the road. The Bears visit Oregon State on Jan. 15 and Oregon on Jan. 17. They head to Los Angeles to face UCLA on Jan. 22 and USC on Jan. 24.

Utah’s next outing is a contest at Arizona on Jan. 15 followed by a matchup at Arizona State on Jan. 17.

Notes

• Utah shot 52.6 percent (30-57), while holding Cal to a 44.3 percent (31-70).
• This was Cal’s first loss to Utah in 10 meetings. Cal holds a 12-5 series advantage.
• The defeat was the first loss for the Bears against Utah under head coach Lindsay Gottlieb. They previously had a nine-game winning streak against the Utes.
• The loss ended the Bears five-game home winning streak.