Cal women lose NCAA opener to Virginia without Kristine Anigwe

COLUMBIA, S.C. — The biggest moment in Cal’s opening game in the NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament on Friday might have come more than an hour before tip-off against Virginia.

That’s when the Bears announced that All-America candidate Kristine Anigwe, the team’s top scorer and rebounder, had not been medically cleared and would miss the game.

Despite missing the player Bears coach Lindsay Gottlieb called one of the best post players in the country, No. 7-seed Cal hung tough with No. 10-seed Virginia before seeing its season end in a 68-62 loss at South Carolina’s Colonial Life Arena.