Westmont at Cal (Exhibition)

Sunday, Nov. 6 | 2 PM PT | Haas Pavilion | Berkeley, Calif. 
LIVE STATS | INSTAGRAM | TWITTER

BERKELEY - The Cal women's basketball team will play its final tune-up of the preseason this Sunday, hosting Westmont in a free exhibition game at 2 PT at Haas Pavilion.

The event is open to public, but fans unable to attend in person can follow along with live stats or on twitter at @CalWBBall for updates throughout the game.

This marks the second consecutive season the Golden Bears will face Westmont in an exhibition, beating the Warriors 91-39 in last year's tune-up at Haas Pavilion.

The Bears return eight letterwinners and four starters from last season, including 2016 USBWA National Freshman of the Year Kristine Anigwe. Cal was predicted to finish sixth in the Pac-12 Preseason Coaches' Poll, and received votes in both the AP Preseason Poll and USA Today Coaches' Poll earlier this week.

A LOOK AT THE WARRIORS
Westmont, who went 29-4 last season and reached the second round of the NAIA Tournament, has already started its season, beating Azusa Pacific 65-50, on Tuesday night. The second-ranked Warriors were led by NAIA All-Americans Aysia Shellmire and Lauren McCoy, who each posted a double-double. Shellmire had a game-high 17 points and added 12 rebounds while McCoy pitched in 11 points and 13 boards of her own.  

THE BEARS ARE BACK
Cal fans will see plenty of familiar faces on the court this season, as head coach Lindsay Gottlieb returns eight players from the 2015-16 campaign. In fact, the Bears are returning 93 percent of their total scoring from last season, the highest of any team in the Pac-12.

The 2016 Pac-12 Freshman of the Year, Anigwe had 14 double-doubles and averaged 20.5 points per game last season, the second-highest scoring average by any freshman in Division I. Anigwe started 30 of 31 games last season and was an honorable mention WBCA All-America selection, the only freshman named to the 2015-16 season.

Fellow sophomore Asha Thomas returns for the Bears at point guard, having started all 32 contests last year. The Oakland native was a Pac-12 All-Freshman Honorable Mention selection last season after leading the Bears in both three-pointers (48) and assists (141).

Courtney Range returns for her senior season needing just 158 points to become the 27^th member of Cal's 1,000-point club. Range finished second on the team in both scoring (13.4 PPG) and rebounding (5.8 RPG) last season, earning All-Pac-12 Honorable Mention honors for the second time in her career.

Along with Range and Thomas, junior Mikayla Cowling started all 32 games for Cal last season, scoring in double-figures in 19 games. Able to play almost anywhere on the court, Cowling shot 39 percent from beyond the arc last season, the ninth-best single-season mark in program history.

Junior forward Penina Davidson joins the starting lineup this season, coming off a stellar showing in the 2016 Pac-12 Tournament. The New Zealand native averaged 11.3 points and 7.3 rebounds in three tournament games, including a career-high 17 points in the Bears' upset win over number two-seed Arizona State.

Senior KC Waters and sophomores Mo Mosley and Chen Yue round out Cal's returning class.  

NEW YEAR, NEW FACES
In addition to the eight returners, the Bears have added a trio of talented freshman -  Mi'Cole Cayton, Jaelyn Brown, and Celeste 'CJ' West -  along with sophomore transfer Sara Anastasieska. A WBCA High School All-American, Cayton was originally committed to Nebraska but reopened her recruitment following the resignation of former Husker head coach Connie Yori. Brown, a 6'1" guard, and West, a 6'4" center, played club ball together for the Cal Sparks and ranked in the top-15 nationally in their respective positions. Anastasieska, a native of Sydney, Australia, will sit out the 2016-17 season after transferring from UTSA.

NEXT UP
California officially opens the season on Friday, November 11, tipping off at 5:30 PT on the road at Saint Mary's. A charter bus for fans will be making the trip to Moraga. Sign up by Monday, November 7, to reserve a seat.

Cal's home opener is set for Monday, November 14, at 7 PT against Santa Clara, the start of a five-game homestand for the Bears. Free clear bags will be distributed to fans at the home opener, in accordance with the new clear bag policy for Cal Athletics. The policy is designed to enhance safety and security for fans attending games at Haas Pavilion will be in effect for all men's and women's basketball games this season. 

2016-17 TICKETS ARE ON SALE NOW
Season, group and single-game tickets for the 2016-17 women's basketball season are now on sale. Season tickets start as low as $25 ($1.47 per game, 17 games) for youth and seniors and $75 ($4.41 per game, 17 games) for adult general admission tickets. Single-game tickets are available starting at $5 for youth and seniors and $8 for adults, while flex and partial plans are also available purchase. For more information, call the Gold Standard Sales and Service line at (800) GO BEARS (462-3277) or visit the CalBears.com ticket page.

JOIN THE JOURNEY: THE RETURN OF THISISCALBASKETBALL.COM
Cal's one-of-a-kind multimedia fan site, ThisIsCalBasketball.com, is back for its sixth season and once again features an unprecedented look into the inner workings of the personalities behind the Cal women's basketball's roster. Visitors to ThisIsCalBasketball.com can get an in-depth look at the personalities behind the jerseys, from action and portrait photos to bio videos and conversations between current players and alumnae.

STAY POSTED
Keep up-to-date on the latest Cal women's basketball news by following the Bears on social media. View behind-the-scenes photos and videos and learn more about Cal and its student-athletes on Twitter (@CalWBball), Instagram (@CalWBball) and Facebook (Facebook.com/CalWBball).