Bryan Cole / The Collegian

LOS ANGELES -– Many questions were asked of the Cal Bears and the Fresno State Bulldogs after Cal’s 70-47 win. Reporters inquired about each team’s strategy, attitude, plans for the future and even their fan support.

But the most popular question of the evening was some version of “What about the height difference?â€Â

Everyone from Cal̢۪s head coach Joanne Boyle to the Bears̢۪ leading scorer Ashley Walker to Fresno State̢۪s Adrian Wiggins and Jaleesa Ross heard the question in some form or another.

Boyle responded that it takes experience and strategy to win in the NCAA Tournament, not just size. She also praised Wiggins, saying “He does a great job of playing the chess match,â€Â and that under his leadership Fresno State can “definitelyâ€Â pick up a tournament victory in the coming years.

Wiggins joked before the game that Cal̢۪s post players were as big as Fresno State̢۪s football linemen.

The ’Dogs’ 6-foot junior Joh-Teena Filipe said the Bulldogs planned all along to “beat them with our speed, not our strength.â€Â

“The type of offense we run, we’re never going to have four 6-foot girls, but we can still get it done,â€Â said sophomore Jaleesa Ross.

So just how much taller was Cal? And how did that affect each team̢۪s strategy?

Here are a few of the key differences between the Fresno State Bulldogs and California Golden Bears.

Analyzing the size difference is best done visually:

̢ۢ Fresno State̢۪s median height is 5-foot-8. Cal̢۪s median height is 5-foot-11.

̢ۢ Only six of Fresno State̢۪s 14 players are taller than Cal̢۪s shortest player.

̢ۢ Cal boasts four players as tall or taller than Hayley Munro, the Bulldogs̢۪ tallest player at 6-foot-1.

̢ۢ The Bears̢۪ tallest player is center Rama N̢۪diaye, who stands 6-feet-5.

̢ۢ The Bears̢۪ 6-foot-1 forward Ashley Walker, who scored 21 points in Saturday night̢۪s game, hails from Modesto and was recruited by Fresno State.

̢ۢ Fresno State can take pride in the fact that they out-rebounded Cal 38-36 and outscored them 26-24 in the paint. The stats suggest that effective game strategy can bridge the gap between the height and strength levels of two teams.

̢ۢ The height difference partially accounted for the teams̢۪ wildly different defensive strategies. At times Fresno State put all five players in the paint, leaving Cal players wide open for three-point shots and challenging them to take one. Cal, on the other hand, pushed for control of the perimeter on defense, forcing the nation̢۪s most prolific three-point shooting team to drive the lane.

• The Bulldogs may need to schedule more tall teams in the future to prepare for the NCAA tournament. They got the matchups they wanted on offense, but looked tense as they only shot 4-of-18 from behind the arc and committed 21 turnovers. LaShay Fears said after the game, “I think we were a little nervous.â€Â

̢ۢ Jaleesa Ross also noted that the team hopes to bring in some size next year to complement its quickness. With two straight conference championships and five returning starters to boot, Fresno State should be an attractive option for players coming out of high school as it tries to build on current success.