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Nov. 10, 1997

Bears Host Tory Kosice in Exhibition Play

Sun. Nov. 16
TORY KOSICE (Slovakia), Kaiser Arena, Oakland, CA 7:30 p.m.

Jennie Leander is Cal's top returning scorer and rebounder. (File Photo)

BEARS PLAY EXHIBITION: The California Golden Bears host Tory Kosice from Slovakia in exhibition action on Sunday, Nov. 16 at 7:30 p.m. in the Kaiser Arena. The Bears are the ninth opponent for the Slovakian team on their 10-game tour of the West Coast. Tory Kosice lost to Washington, Oregon State and Oregon in its first three contests, and will face Washington State, Pacific, Stanford, San Jose State and USF this week before visiting the Bears.

LAST WEEK: The Cal women's basketball team got a sneak preview of this year's team with an exhibition game against the San Francisco All-Stars on Nov. 3 at the New Arena in Oakland. The two teams staged a practice game as a "run-through" for the Golden State Warriors staff and their newly-remodeled facility. Playing a 48-minute game under NBA rules, the Cal Golden Bears defeated the All-Stars, 92-80. The Bears got double-figure scoring from all five starters, led by Jennie Leander's 19-point, 11-rebound performance. Freshman point guard Masa Radovic scored 13 points and dished out six assists, while freshman backcourt mate Courtney Johnson scored 12 points, grabbed seven rebound and had three steals . Senior forward Amber Lacey, who redshirted last season after transferring from Alabama, scored 10 points and grabbed seven rebounds, while sophomore forward/guard Paige Bowie returned from hand surgery to toss in 13 points, including a pair of three-pointers. The Bears shot a respectable 46.8 percent from the floor, and outrebounded the All-Stars, 52-33. The All-Stars were led by former Cal forward Kerri Barrett's 24 points.

NEW HOME COURT: The Cal women's basketball team will play its home games for the 1997-98 season in the Kaiser Arena, part of the Henry J. Kaiser Convention Center in downtown Oakland (10 - 10th Street). The construction of the new $40 million, 12,000-seat Walter A. Haas Jr. Pavilion has begun on campus, and completion of the project is expected sometime during the 1998-99 season. The Kaiser Arena will seat 4,685 for basketball, and has hosted a number of premier athletic events in the past year, including the 1996 U.S. Olympic boxing trials, the Bank of the West women's professional tennis tour event, and the 1996 U.S. Judo Federation Junior National Championship.

SEASON OPENER: The Bears open the regular season at home on Thursday, Nov. 20, hosting the Cal Poly SLO Mustangs at 7:30 p.m. in Kaiser Arena. This will be the first meeting ever between the Bears and the Mustangs. The Bears have won 17 straight home-openers, beginning with the 1980-81 season. In last season's home opener, Cal defeated Boise State, 71-66.

HEAD COACH MARIANNE STANLEY (Immaculata '76): One of the most successful coaches in the history of women's basketball, Marianne Stanley is 6-21after her first season at Cal. Her overall record in 18 seasons as a collegiate head coach is 386-170 (.694), including stops at Stanford (1996), USC (1990-93), Penn (1988-89) and Old Dominion (1978-87). Stanley won three national titles at Old Dominion (1979, 1980, 1985), took USC to three NCAA Tournaments, and was named National Co-Coach of the Year last season at Stanford, helping lead the Cardinal to the Final Four. As a two-time All-America point guard, she led Immaculata College to a pair of national titles (1973-74). In her 22 seasons as a player and coach, she has made 17 postseason appearances, and competed in 10 Final Fours. Stanley's staff at Cal includes associate head coach Barbara Thaxton and assistant coaches Carol Alfano and Milica Vukadinovic.

Pacific-10 Conference Pre-Season Coaches Poll

 1. Stanford
 2. Arizona
 3. UCLA
 4. Oregon
 5. Washington
 6. USC
 7. Oregon State
 8. California
 9. Arizona State
10. Washington State

CAL ON THE RADIO: For the 16th consecutive season, KALX (90.7 FM) will broadcast all California games, home and away. Each broadcast begins five minutes prior to tip-off.

CAL ON THE INTERNET: All Cal releases, results, statistics, box scores, schedules and coach and players information, as well as historical data, can be found on the World Wide Web at http://www.calbears.com. Stats and results are updated after each game.

CAL RELEASES ON FAXBACK: All Cal basketball releases are available to the media on the Pac-10's FaxBack service. Using this system, you can obtain releases, statistics, rosters and the latest box scores for all conference teams at your convenience. For more information, contact the Pac-10 office at 510-932-4411.

BEARS ON TV: Cal will make seven television appearances this season: Nov. 28 at Hawaii (Hawaii TV), Jan. 4 vs. Oregon State (Fox Sports), Jan. 9 vs. Stanford (Fox Bay Area), Feb. 6 at Stanford (Fox Bay Area), Feb. 12 vs. USC (Fox Bay Area), Feb. 21 at Washington (Fox Sports), Feb. 28 vs. Arizona State (Fox Bay Area).

BRUNCH WITH THE BEARS: The California women's basketball team will host "Brunch With The Bears" on Sunday, Nov. 23 from 12:00 - 3:00 p.m. in the Kaiser Arena. Head Coach Marianne Stanley and the entire Cal basketball team will be on hand to meet the fans, sign autographs and play a short scrimmage. The free event is open to all fans, and will feature free team posters, free food and beverages, free t-shirts and more . For further information, call the Cal Marketing Office at 510-642-2444.

                                  PTS  REB  NOTES
Amber Lacey         F   6-0  Sr   3.8  3.8  Transfer from Alabama
Paige Bowie         F   5-11 So   8.8  2.9  1997 Pac-10 All-Freshman hon. mention
Jennie Leander      C   6-3  Jr  13.0  8.6  Team's leading scorer and rebounder
Masa Radovic        G   6-1  Fr    --   --  Yugoslavian Jr. National Team member
Courtney Johnson    G   5-8  Fr  22.9   --  Third team Parade All-American