Dec. 4, 2011
Box Score
BERKELEY, Calif. (UNLVRebels.com) - California shot 47% in the first half for a 20-point halftime lead on the way to a 70-48 victory over UNLV in the championship game of the Doubletree by Hilton Berkeley Marina Cal Classic in women's college basketball action on Sunday afternoon at Haas Pavilion. The Lady Rebels dropped to 7-2, while Cal won its third straight to improve to 6-2 on the year.
UNLV could not stop the inside game of the Bears, led by the duo of Talia Caldwell and Reshanda Gray. They combined for 37 points, including 10-of-13 shooting for 27 points in the first half while helping Cal out to a 44-24 halftime advantage. The Bears opened up with a 36-14 lead, as the Lady Rebels were forced to settle for long three-point shots. Cal also was helped by its advantage on the boards, 28-14 over the first 20 minutes..
After Cal took its 22-point first half lead, the Lady Rebels answered back with a 10-2 run. Kelli Thompson scored seven of the 10 points, with her three-point play at the 2:20 mark cut the edge to 38-24. Cal closed out the half with a 6-0 run for the 20-point halftime lead.
The second half saw UNLV and Cal play almost a perfectly even second half, with both teams shooting 7-of-25 from the floor for 28 percent, and UNLV was 10-of-12 at the free throw line while Cal made 11-of-16 in the second half. The closest UNLV could cut into the lead though was 17, 46-29 off a pair of Thompson free throws with 15:55 to play. The largest lead was 28 for Cal, before UNLV ended the game scoring nine of the last 12 points.
Thompson paced the Lady Rebels with a career-high tying 27 points, which included hitting 11-of-13 at the free throw line. She was named to the all-tournament team, as was Mia Bell, who finished with three points, six rebounds and five assists. The next highest scorer was Sandrine Nzeukou with six points and six rebounds. Jamie Smith, the MW's top rebounder, was held to a career-low one for the afternoon. UNLV was held to 25.4% shooting (15-of-59), was 2-of-20 from three-point range for 10%, and outrebounded for the first time this season by a 50-32 margin.
Cal was paced by Gray, the tournament MVP, with 23 points, while Caldwell added 14 and Layshia Clarendon 13. The Bears shot 39% (23-of-59) for the game, were 1-of-10 from three-point range for 10%, and 23-of-31 at the free throw line for 74.2%.
UNLV returns to action with a third straight game away from Las Vegas, as the Lady Rebels will take on UC Santa Barbara in Santa Barbara, Calif., on Saturday, Dec. 10 at 4 pm.
