Charmin Smith

The sophomore combo-guard from Corona, California, who has led her team in points since 2021 and whose image is plastered around the UC Berkeley campus, has decided to part ways with Cal.

After an excellent first half full of life and energy, the Bears fell apart in the third and fourth quarter as they were defeated 61-49. This marks the third year in a row Cal women’s basketball has failed to get past the first round of the tournament.

No. 8 Utah exhibited its nationally ranked prowess, handling the Bears forcefully from the get-go to the tune of a 101-76 thumping. Saturday afternoon in Boulder, the blue and gold capped off their regular season with a sour taste, falling 69-95 against the Buffs.

After an up and down year, the Bears head to Las Vegas for the 2023 Pac-12 Tournament, set to play Washington State in the first round, with their season on the line.

The conclusion of conference play will send the Bears on the road to the high-powered talents of Utah and Colorado — Cal’s final two stabs at disrupting a top-25 team.

After a rough first half in which the Bears were outscored 35-20, Cal was unable to find any momentum to mount a comeback attempt.

In a game that went to the wire against No. 25 USC, the Bears displayed remarkable personality to win their first game against a ranked opponent on Senior Day.

With rematches versus the Bruins and the Trojans this weekend, Cal women’s basketball hopes to finish the season with a winning record at home in what has otherwise been an underwhelming year.

High-percentage shots and rebounds, not threes, are what kept Cal women’s basketball from falling behind against Arizona State this past weekend.

Cal will head to Arizona to play the Sun Devils this Friday night and the Wildcats on Sunday morning with good odds of adding one more blip to what is otherwise a skid.