LOS ANGELES -- The Cal women's basketball team knew that Fresno State liked to do two things offensively -- take the three and drive to the hole.

The No. 4 seeded Bears conceded the contested layups and focused on shutting down what was the best three-point shooting team in the WAC.

Their strategy worked and Cal held the Bulldogs -- who shot 35.7 percent from beyond the arc before Saturday night -- to 4-of-18 shooting from three for the game, rolling to a 70-47 win over No. 13 seed Fresno State to secure a spot in the second round of the NCAA tournament.

"Our thing was taking away the three," Bears coach Joanne Boyle said. "They really don't have the midrange. It's either shoot threes or get to the basket. They got a lot of dribble penetration on us, but I'd rather give them that -- give them two -- than give them the three."

The tough defensive play by Cal frustrated the Bulldogs' top scorer, sophomore guard Jalessa Ross, who was held to eight points on 3-for-14 shooting from the field. Ross averaged 13.2 points per game before Saturday night.

With Ross ineffective, junior LaShay Fears lead the Bulldogs, scoring a team-high 18 points.

"We know that Fresno State is a very athletic team," Vital said. "They penetrate a lot. We focused on our defense a lot on defending their penetration and keeping our man in front of us."

Taking away the three-point shot meant an onus on the Cal guards defensively, but the backcourt also paved the way offensively.

Alexis Gray-Lawson, Natasha Vital and Lauren Greif combined for 33 points.

There was no other time that the Bears' guard play was more crucial than in a 25-3 run that spanned the first and second halves and sealed the victory for Cal (26-6).

The trio scored 16 of the 25 points -- attempting a bevy of threes in the beginning of the second half, but only hitting two -- while Cal held Fresno State to one bucket in the first nine minutes of the second half.

Gray-Lawson finished with 14, Greif with 11 and Vital with eight on the night.

Before the Bears' run, the Bulldogs (24-9) posed their biggest threat, cutting their deficit to four with 3:07 left in the first half.

Afterwards, Fresno State was unable to make life uncomfortable for Cal.

"We were just taking what the defense gave us," Vital said. "They were doubling down a lot on our post players. They were leaving us open so we had to take the shots. We weren't making them a lot, but we made them when they counted."

Even with an emphasis on the guards, the Pac-10's leading scorer still got her points.

Senior forward Ashley Walker scored 21 points and went 9-for-12 from the field as she anchored the Bears' offensive attack. She also pulled down a team-high eight rebounds.

"That's just who I am in general," Walker said about her consistent performance. "I try to be very consistent, especially now, since I'm a senior. It's the last time I get to play in the tournament. I might as well leave everything out on the floor in the next couple of games and see how far our team can go."

The Bears will play either No. 5 seed Virginia or No. 14 seed Marist for a trip to the Sweet 16 and Trenton, N.J. The game will be played Monday night, at the Galen Center at 6:30 p.m.

Tags: CAL WOMEN'S BASKETBALL, 2009 NCAA WOMEN'S TOURNAMENT, JOANNE BOYLE, ASHLEY WALKER