The scoreboard may have read 70-67 in favor of Oregon on Thursday night at McArthur Court, but for California, the contest was a good indication of what is soon to come.
The Golden Bears, winless in their last nine games at Mac Court, pushed the Ducks to the brink, only to see Oregon pull out a close victory. But all indications show that California is heading in the right direction.
“(California head coach) Caren Horstmeyer is doing a very good job,” Oregon head coach Bev Smith said. “Her teams, whether at Santa Clara or California, have had that identity as a very hard-working team.”
The Golden Bears (5-7 overall, 1-2 Pacific-10 Conference) have failed to finish the season with a winning record since the 1992-93 campaign when they finished the year 19-10. That same season also marked the last time California had a winning record in Pac-10 play, when it ended the season in fourth place with a 10-8 record.
In 2001-02, a 7-21 overall record seemed to show that the Bears would be on the fast track to another losing year in Berkeley.
But that’s not the case. Already having beaten Arizona State for its first Pac-10 win of the season, California headed into Mac Court, usually an arena of horrors for the Golden Bears.
“This is the best we’ve played at Mac Court to this point,” Horstmeyer said. “We’re not even necessarily concerned with wins and losses. It’s all about playing well right now.”
The Golden Bears shot almost 74 percent in the first half in the loss, but saw that dip to 39 percent in the second half.
They were led offensively by junior Nihan Anaz’ 22 points, while junior Timea Ivanyi, a physical presence at 6-foot-4, was perfect from the field on eight shots. However, her fifth foul with 1:48 may have ultimately led to California’s demise.
Still, Horstmeyer was all smiles when asked about her center’s play, and ultimately, the confidence and aggressiveness her team played with.
“Coming off Georgia (a 91-64 loss), it tells us about the character of our team,” Horstmeyer said. “We just need to build on that.”
Though it’s an athletic club that can shoot well from outside or give the ball to its post players, California has had problems defensively this season. That didn’t tend to be the case against the Ducks.
The Golden Bears began the game in a full-court press, but switched to the half-court variety midway through the first stanza. They would stay in that defensive scheme for most of the game, eventually switching back to the full-court toward the end.
That defensive pressure allowed the Golden Bears to grab 25 defensive rebounds, although they forced just 13 Oregon turnovers. The Ducks averaged 19 turnovers per game entering the contest.
“We played great defense,” Anaz said. “There was a big crowd and away games are always hard.”
Yet, it was Smith and senior Alissa Edwards who praised California’s offense after the game.
“They’re a very tough team,” Edwards said. “They have guards that can penetrate and shoot and they have posts that can shoot. They’re going to be a good team and they’re going to play well in the Pac-10.”
“Certainly their offensive display was very good with Ivanyi, and that’s going to make them grow and make them a stronger team offensively where they need some help,” Smith said.
Looking for the best way to sum up California’s turnaround from last season? Just ask Horstmeyer to comment on California’s play toward the end of the game despite falling behind.
“A year ago, our team would’ve just folded,” she said.