Dec. 4, 2005

Box Score

BERKELEY, Calif. - Back-to-back three-pointers late in the second half helped California hold off UNLV 58-50 in the championship game of the Contra Costa Times Classic on Sunday afternoon in the Haas Pavilion. The host Bears also took advantage of a 28-9 edge on points off turnovers to claim the victory, improving them to 6-2, while the Lady Rebels dropped to 4-2 on the year.

Perhaps the biggest key of the game was that UNLV's leading scorer, Sheena Moore, could never find her stroke during the game, as she finished just 1-of-10 from the floor. That offset a career-high performance by sophomore forward Sequoia Holmes (19 points).

The first half of a very hard fought and defensive game saw five ties and two lead changes. UNLV lead by as much as four in the first half, and a three-pointer from Holmes gave the Lady Rebels a 15-12 edge with 9:21 to play in the first half. Four straight points from Krista Foster started a 12-0 Bear run over the next three minutes, with two Renee Wright free throws making the score 25-14 in favor of Cal. A Foster layup gave the Bears their largest lead at 11 points, 28-17 with 2:33 to play, but UNLV would score the last six points of the half to close within 28-23.

The lead hovered between four-eight points for most of the second half. A three-point play by Holmes cut the edge to 39-36 with eight minutes to play, and she hit the first of two free throws 30 seconds later to close UNLV within two, 39-37. Cal then hit its first trey of the game, from Alexis Gray-Lawson, and Devanei Hampton buried a three-pointer on the Bears' next trip down the floor for a 45-37 lead with 6:19 on the clock. Moore answered with her only basket of the game, a shot from behind the arc to make the score 45-40, but Hampton scored four more points, all on layups, to push the edge to nine points. UNLV would come no closer then seven the rest of the game, as Hampton finished scoring 12 of her career-high 23 points in the final six minutes of the game.

Joining Holmes in double figures for UNLV was McCracklin with 12 points, seven rebounds, and three blocks. McCracklin was also selected to the all-tournament team. Brittney Thomas added six points, all off three-pointers, with Kisha Lee posting five points. Faye Muller grabbed a team-high 10 rebounds for UNLV. The Lady Rebels were held to 38.8% from the floor, and were 8-of-12 at the line for 66.7%. They were outrebounded for just the second time this year, 38-32, and were forced into a season-high 26 turnovers.

Hampton, the tournament MVP, scored a career-high 23 points and added 10 rebounds for a double-double. Renee Wright and Krista Foster both added 12 points, while the rest of the Bears scored a combined 11 points. Cal was held to 37.7% from the floor, but shot 10-of-13 at the line for 76.9%.

The Lady Rebels will return to action on Saturday, as they take on their in-state rival Nevada, Reno at 7 pm in Reno.