No. 10 seed Cal beats No. 2 seed Arizona State in Pac-12 quarterfinals for biggest upset in Pac-12 tournament history

Making good on their promise to be the team that “no one wants to play” in the Pac-12 tournament, No. 10 Cal (15-16, 5-14) upset No. 2 seed Arizona State (25-5, 13-2), 75-64, Friday afternoon at KeyArena in Seattle.

Led by Pac-12 Freshman of the Year, Kristine Anigwe, Cal outscored Arizona in every quarter. By the end of the fourth period, the Sun Devils looked tired and sluggish in the face of a young team of no seniors and just two juniors. At the half, Cal led 32-27. The Bears continued their onslaught in the third with the first nine points from freshman point guard Asha Thomas. At the end of the period Cal had a double-digit lead, 54-44.

In the fourth quarter, Cal earned its largest point advantage of the game, 63-46, at 8:09 after a layup from Thomas. The Sun Devils tried to mount a comeback from the 17-point deficit but could get no closer than nine points.

The Bears held their lead even without Anigwe and Davidson on the bench as they both fouled out with a little over a minute left in regulation.

Anigwe finished with 24 points, 11 rebounds and two blocks. Sophomore forward Penina had a career-high 17 points plus seven rebounds. Thomas added 16 points.

Sophie Brunner and Kianna Ibis led Arizona State with 14 points each. Brunner also had 11 rebounds. ASU’s floor general Elisha Davis contributed 10 points, six rebounds and five assists.

The victory for the Bears was the biggest upset in Pac-12 tournament history in terms of seeding.

Cal will face the winner of the Arizona vs. UCLA quarterfinal tomorrow at 6 p.m. PT. The game will be televised on the Pac-12 Networks.

 

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