Anigwe contained, but Cal takes opener over St. Mary’s
Kristine Anigwe was the Pac-12’s top freshman last season but got off to a somewhat slow start as a sophomore Friday night.
Anigwe led Cal in scoring as a freshman, averaging 20.5 points a game, but she scored only two in the first half Friday and didn’t reach double digits until there were 5½ minutes remaining in the game, finishing with 11.
[...] the supporting cast picked up the slack, especially guard Asha Thomas, who took advantage of Cal’s interior pressure by making five three-pointers and scoring 19 points.
Cal coach Lindsay Gottlieb, who calls Anigwe “the best post player in the country,” said this year’s team is more mature and deeper than last season’s, which advanced to the semifinals of the Pac-12 tournament.
Cal’s Courtney Range had 14 points and a game-high nine rebounds, Mikayla Cowling had six rebounds and six assists and Jaelyn Brown made game-altering plays in limited minutes.
St. Mary’s began aggressively, fighting for offensive rebounds and putting two, sometimes three, defenders on Anigwe.
The Gaels built a nine-point lead in the first quarter, though Cal gained momentum in the second behind Thomas’ shooting.
When Brown stole the ball in the backcourt, drove for a layup, got fouled and made her free throw, Cal had its first lead at 26-25 with five minutes left until halftime.