No. 22 TCU to Battle No. 3 Cal Sunday
12/7/2008 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Dec. 7, 2008
GAME #10
#22/RV TCU (7-2) vs. #3/3 CAL (7-0)
Berkeley, Calif. • Haas Pavilion (11,877) • Sunday, Dec. 7 • 7 p.m. CT
Radio: KTCU (88.7 FM), gofrogs.com • Talent: Jeff Williams (play-by-play)
TV: None • Internet (gofrogs.com): Free Live Radio, Live Stats
Series Record vs. Cal: 1-2 • Last Meeting: Nov. 23, 2008 in Fort Worth (L, 55-74)
BERKELEY, Calif.--The No. 22 TCU women's basketball team concludes a stretch of three road games in four days Sunday when it faces No. 3 Cal in the championship game of the Collier's International Classic at the Bears' Haas Pavilion. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. CT.
The Lady Frogs advanced to Sunday's meeting with a 73-59 victory over Saint Louis on Saturday, while Cal defeated Princeton, 75-53, earlier in the day. The game will mark the fourth all-time meeting between TCU and Cal, as well as a rematch from last season's contest in Fort Worth that was won by the Bears, 74-55.
Cal will be TCU's second opponent of the season to own the nation's No. The Frogs upended then third-ranked Maryland, 80-68, in both teams' season opener Nov. 14 in Fort Worth. The upset, which tied for the highest-rated opponent defeated in program history, helped propel TCU into the natoinal rankings, where the squad stands today.
Today's game will air live on the radio in the Metroplex on 88.7 KTCU FM, with veteran play-by-play man Jeff Williams calling the action. A link to a live Internet stream of the broadcast will be available on GoFrogs.com. Live stats also will be offered via GameTracker on TCU's official web site.
SCOUTING THE CAL GOLDEN BEARS
Cal has put together the best start in school history with a 7-0 record to help earn Head Coach Joanne Boyle’s team earn No. 3 rankings in both the Associated Press and ESPN/USA Today polls. The Golden Bears, which reached the second round of the NCAA Tournament last season, return all five starters from that same team that posted a 74-55 victory over TCU early last season in Fort Worth. The squad owns one win over a ranked team so far this season, a 66-52 home decision over then-No. 2 Rutgers on Nov. 21.
Former All-Pac 10 centers Ashley Walker and Devanei Hampton return to lead this year’s squad. Walker was tabbed as a preseason All-America candidate by several outlets before the season. The junior boasts team-high single-game averages of 22.3 points and 8.8 rebounds in 2008-09. Hampton missed the season’s opening three games while recovering from offseason knee surgery and has posted averages of 5.3 points and 3.7 boards.
Headlining the Cal backcourt is junior guard Alexis Gray-Lawson, who is averaging 13.5 points and 3.5 assists per game to lead all Bear guards. Juniors Lauren Greif and Natasha Vital also return and have combined to make 132 career starts.
