Nov. 20, 2011

Box Score

BERKELEY, Calif. - The Illini dropped their second straight game with an 80-56 loss to California (2-1) Sunday afternoon at Haas Arena. Three Illini ended the day in double figures, as junior Karisma Penn and sophomore Kersten Magrum posted 14 points apiece, and junior Adrienne GodBold finished with a season-high 10. But it was not enough for Illinois, which fell to 2-3 on the season.

"It was a tough loss," Illini head coach Jolette Law said. "Cal kept playing and kept attacking. I think we felt like we made our run, but they were still coming at us. I wish I could erase the last six minutes from the game. It really didn't indicate the rest of the game. We played a hard 34 minutes. That last six minutes, they capitalized on every missed opportunity we had."

The Illini kept the score to within 10 for most of the game and were down only 8 points (60-52) with less than six minutes to play. But Cal pulled away, going on a 20-4 run, while the Orange and Blue committed six turnovers down the stretch.

Turnovers plagued the Illini throughout the day, as the Golden Bears were able to score 31 points off 23 Illinois miscues. The Orange and Blue also struggled from behind the arc, going 0-of-6 from three-point range.

Cal dominated the Illini down low, out-rebounding the Orange and Blue, 42-24, while scoring 42 points in the paint. The Illini ended the day with only four offensive boards and managed just four second-chance points, while Cal scored 15 on second opportunities.

The contest marks the second straight game in which Cal scored 80 or more points. Justine Hartman led the Golden Bear scoring effort with a career-high 17.

The Orange and Blue will head to Puerto Rico this week to take on Green Bay (Nov. 24) and Arizona State (Nov. 25) in the San Juan Shootout to close out a 12-day road trip.