Kayla Williams scored 25 points and the Cal women’s basketball team shot 58% from the field en route to a 86-65 victory over Gonzaga at the McCarthey Athletic Center.
Williams added six assists for the Bears (4-0), a program the Zags (1-2) defeated 78-70 in an overtime thriller in Berkeley, California, last season. For Gonzaga, Thursday’s result marks the team’s second loss in a row against an ACC opponent after falling to Stanford on the road last weekend.
Fifth-year forward Yvonne Ejim led the Zags in scoring with 27 points on 8 of 12 shooting from the field, while also contributing eight rebounds and two assists.
Freshman guard Allie Turner, who made her first collegiate start in place of injured guard Esther Little, was Gonzaga’s second-leading scorer with 20 points, including four 3-pointers. The 5-foot-8 guard has made at least four 3-pointers in each of her team’s first three games.
The Zags will stay at home to host Wyoming on Sunday at 1 p.m.
FINAL: Cal 86, Gonzaga 65
FOURTH QUARTER
Cal 83, Gonzaga 65 (1:00): The only Zags to score this period have been Ejim and Turner, with the rest of the team struggling offensively. The Bears, meanwhile, have had six players score this period.
Cal 75, Gonzaga 56 (5:42): Turner continues to shine in her first start for the Zags, making her third 3-pointer to cut the Zags’ deficit to 19 points. The 5-foot-8 guard has scored 17 points so far after posting consecutive 18-point outings off the bench in each of Gonzaga’s first two games.
THIRD QUARTER
Cal 67, Gonzaga 48 (End 3Q): With 17 turnovers after three quarters, the Zags will need to take better care of the ball in the final period to have a chance at rallying from behind. They will also need to find somebody who can stop Cal’s Kayla Williams, who has torched Gonzaga tonight with 22 points.
Cal 50, Gonzaga 40 (4:56): Ejim has imposed her will in the paint this period, drawing a pair of fouls and knocking down three free-throws. However, it seems the Bears will remain in front until Gonzaga figures out a way to get stops. Cal is shooting an impressive 56% from the field.
Cal 46, Gonzaga 37 (7:55): The Zags have slowly started to chip away at their deficit, going 3-for-3 from the field to begin the half. Turner, who’s making her first collegiate start, scored the first bucket of the second half on a jumper from inside the key. She has registered eight points so far tonight.
SECOND QUARTER
Cal 44, Gonzaga 31 (Halftime): Williams hit her second buzzer-beater of the night on a deep 3-pointer to end the first half. She leads Cal with 19 points on 7 of 9 shooting, while Ejim has been Gonzaga’s top scorer with 11 points on 3 of 5 shooting. The Bears have been clicking on all cylinders offensively, making 57% of their field goal attempts and scoring 13 points off turnovers en route to a 13-point halftime lead.
Cal 37, Gonzaga 25 (3:30): Williams has tallied seven of Cal’s nine points this period and leads the team in scoring with 14 points on 6 of 8 shooting. Ejim tops Gonzaga with seven points.
FIRST QUARTER
Cal 24, Gonzaga 14 (End of 1Q): Kayla Williams drove to the paint and finished a layup at the buzzer to give the Bears a nine-point lead going into the second period. This bucket came right after Gonzaga’s Yvonne Ejim converted an and-1 layup.
Cal 14, Gonzaga 9 (4:27): The Bears jumped out to a 9-0 lead before Inês Bettencourt, Allie Turner and Claire O’Connor hit triples to get the Zags going offensively.
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