BERKLEY, Calif. _ Saturday wasn't really a homecoming for California native Katie Lou Samuelson, but she performed like it was.
Samuelson, who is from Huntington Beach, recorded her third straight double-double in UConn's 76-66 win over Cal. She led the Huskies in both scoring and rebounding with 20 points and 11 rebounds.
Also helping UConn to an 11th victory were Napheesa Collier with 16 points and six rebounds, and Christyn Williams, who had 13. Crystal Dangerfield and Megan Walker also scored in double digits, with 15 and 12 points.
The game was full of highs and lows for the Huskies, who played a close first quarter before getting out to a large lead in the second and third. They then allowed Cal to come back, as the Bears got within six points in the final minutes.
Cal set the tone for the first half with a 3-pointer to open the game. In the first quarter it looked like they couldn't miss from behind the arc, knocking down five 3s in the first five minutes to quickly take the lead. The Huskies weren't shaken, though, responding with a balanced attack that included all five of their starters. UConn chipped away at the Bears' lead, before they took over the game with a 3-pointer from Williams. They ended the quarter up 23-20.
Samuelson took a note from Cal's book, and opened up the second quarter with a 3 of her own. She spurred a dominating run for the Huskies that would give them a 10-point lead, but Cal soon found its rhythm again and began draining 3-pointer after 3-pointer. The Bears would end the first half with threes accounting for over half of their points. But UConn was able to respond, keeping the lead and going into halftime up 38-32.
The Huskies came out of halftime with renewed effort on defense, forcing Cal to take tough shots. They started the quarter with a 6-0 run, getting everyone involved. Walker, who hadn't contributed much in the first half, got going, scoring five points and pulling down a couple of rebounds in the third quarter.
The highlight, though, was Samuelson's knock-down shooting and Williams' ease in getting to the rim. By the end of the third Samuelson had a double-double and Williams had scored six points to bring her total up to 13. Behind a physical effort, the Huskies extended their lead to end the third up 61-46.
The fourth quarter started out well for UConn, as it looked like they would continue extending their lead until a comeback was impossible for Cal. With five minutes left they led 67-52, but that was far from the end. The Bears kept chipping away, and with a few minutes to go they'd cut the lead to 10, then eight, then six. Cal chose to use its fouls, but the Huskies drained their free throws to save their lead and win.
