BERKELEY, Calif. — Sacramento State used a 7-0 run midway through the fourth quarter to whittle a 10-point deficit down to just three with 5:43 to play in the contest, but host California answered with a 9-3 burst out of a timeout and pulled away late for a 69-52 victory on Sunday night at Haas Pavilion.
The Hornets suffered their first loss of the season, falling to 2-1 overall, while the Golden Bears won their seventh straight in the series with Sacramento State and clinched their first win of the campaign, improving to 1-1.
Junior Keanna Salave'a and senior Benthe Versteeg shared the team lead with 12 points apiece — the former setting her career high in a Hornet uniform — while both finished with five rebounds on the night. Versteeg added five assists while senior Fatoumata Jaiteh grabbed a team-high six rebounds.
Salave'a came off the bench to hit 5-of-11 from the field, including a pair of three-pointers, while tallying two assists and a block.
A choppy third quarter saw California open on a 14-4 run before baskets by Natalie Picton and Pinja Paananen closed the period with scores to bring the Hornets to within seven at 40-33.
After trading baskets to start the fourth, the Hornets found a groove down by 10 and whittled the Golden Bears' advantage down to just three thanks to seven straight points. Paananen drained a three-pointer, Salave'a found room inside for another score, and Versteeg, who was playing with four fouls, curved around her defender for a lay-up to make it 48-45 with just under six minutes to play and force a California timeout.
The Golden Bears then answered in a big way, scoring six straight points — and nine of the next 12 — out of the 30-second break to rebuild the lead to nine and extended that burst by closing the game with a 21-7 final kick — including another 10-0 run — en route to the victory.
The two teams were practically even after the first 20 minutes as the Hornets opened with seven of the game's first nine points and answered a Cal run with one of their own to tie the game at 11-all and trail by only one after the first quarter.
After the Golden Bears opened the second quarter with a 7-0 run, Sacramento State answered with one of their own to regain the lead. Versteeg hit a pair from the line to stop the bleeding and spark a 12-2 run over a 4:19 span.
Paananen followed Versteeg's two from the line with a three-pointer and Salave'a went on a personal 5-0 run to put the Hornets up 21-19. Rubi Gray then followed a Cal basket with a basket on the breakaway to force a timeout and lead 25-22 with 2:23 to play.
Sacramento State's defense clamped down on the Golden Bears from the field, holding California to without a field goal for the final 5:09, but the Golden Bears, who attempted 14 free throws to only two for the Hornets in the first half, capitalized on their final three trips to the line in the half, hitting 4-of-6 to carry a 26-25 lead into the locker room at the break.
The teams were close on the glass for the game with California edging Sacramento State, 39-34, but the Golden Bears were able to turn 19 Hornet miscues into 20 points for the good. California shot 43 percent for the game to Sacramento State's 38 percent, but the Hornets' defense limited the Golden Bears to just 33 percent (14-for-42) through the first three quarters before heating up in the final 10 minutes.
Sacramento State also shot 33 percent for the first three periods but sank 53 percent of its shots in the fourth quarter to help power its comeback attempt.
Sunday night marked the first of three straight road contests for the Hornets, who make a trip to Southern California to take on a pair of future Big West Conference rivals next week. Sacramento State opens at UC San Diego on Wednesday (Nov. 12) at 6 p.m., before taking on Long Beach State on Saturday (Nov. 15) at 2 p.m.
