WSU women’s basketball was unable to win the first game of its Bay Area road trip Friday as they fell to Cal 77-63.

WSU Head Coach Kamie Ethridge was looking for her team to step up to the challenge against the Golden Bears (11-5, 2-3) but they didn’t.

“We played a really good team that does some things that we’re not very good at,” Ethridge said. “I thought we gave away some possessions and easy baskets that let them get to 77.”

The Cougars (7-10, 2-4) did not get off to a fast start as they made several offensive mistakes to allow Cal to take control of the game early. WSU only scored nine points in the first quarter.

The second quarter was much improved for the Cougars offensively as they were able to score 17 points. However, Cal was even better as they took advantage of wide-open shots.

With the Cougars struggling to find a way to respond to Cal, the Golden Bears took a 37-26 advantage into halftime. Ethridge looked to inspire her team at the half and WSU came out strong in the third quarter.

WSU needed to erase an 11-point deficit and got off to a good start, cutting the Cal lead down to seven with two minutes left in the third quarter. Redshirt junior forward Borislava Hristova led this rally and continued to be crucial in the Cougar comeback.

However, the fourth quarter was dismal for WSU. The Golden Bears went on an 18-2 run with six minutes left in the game, putting the contest out of reach.

The WSU defense had no way to stop Cal’s All-American senior forward Kristine Anigwe who finished the game with 29 points and 23 rebounds.

“I wore my guys out playing the same kids the whole time and that’s going to bite us,” Ethridge said. “I think we ran out of gas. [Cal] is a good team that has a great player that can hurt you in a lot of ways.”

Hristova finished with 21 points and shot 50 percent from the field in the loss.

The Cougars will look to get back on track when they face No. 6 Stanford noon Sunday at Maples Pavilion. The game can also be seen live on Pac-12 Networks.