The women's basketball team trailed for 95 percent of Thursday's game at No. 20 California, but all that mattered was the final score, as the Dawgs upset the Golden Bears with a come-from-behind 79-76 overtime victory.

"This is the game right here," said post Andrea Plouffe. "We got our swagger back. We know what we need to do to win games, and we're going to do it for the rest of the season."

Washington (15-10 overall, 8-6 Pac-10) trailed by as many as 19 points but battled back to take the lead for the first time in the game with 23 seconds left on the clock. The UW went up 72-71 when Plouffe scored a basket that followed an offensive rebound. The Golden Bears (18-6 overall, 8-5 Pac-10) tied the game with an Ashley Walker free throw, but she missed the second freebie, sending the game into overtime.

"It just seemed like everything started coming easy for us," said coach June Daugherty. "I thought the momentum shifted [with] four minutes to go, and we just rode it into overtime."

Jill Bell swatted a Walker shot attempt on Cal's first possession of the extra period, energizing the Husky attack.

"I think she really got out there and got aggressive," Daugherty said. "Just little key plays like that sometimes go unnoticed, but they turn the game around."

Stefanie Clark scored a lay-in to put the Dawgs up 74-72, but Walker recovered with two points in the paint to tie seconds later.

Cameo Hicks put the Dawgs up for good when she scored on her team's next trip down the floor, and then Plouffe scored on another offensive rebound before Hicks made a free throw as Washington went up 79-74.

Devanei Hampton converted a basket to pull Cal within 79-76, and the Golden Bears regained possession when the Huskies turned over the ball with about 40 seconds on the clock. The Golden Bears didn't take a time out, and they missed their final shot attempt. Hicks rebounded the ball as time expired.

"I was just overcome with emotions," Plouffe said. "I'm just so happy and so proud of my teammates."

Hicks led the way with 27 points for the Huskies, and she pulled her team through a horrid first half.

The dynamic sophomore duo of Walker and Hampton scored the first eight points in the game, putting the Huskies down from the get-go. A Hicks jumper finally put the Dawgs on the board almost four minutes into the game. With nearly 16 minutes gone by, Hicks was still the only Washington player with points in the scorebook as her team trailed 24-11.

"Cam kept us in there the first half," Plouffe said. "If it wasn't for her, we wouldn't have been in there as close as it was."

Emily Florence became the second Husky to score when she drained a 3-pointer with 4:23 left in the half, but Cal still took a 36-22 lead into the locker room at halftime.

"We knew we couldn't play much worse offensively than we did in the first half, but we knew we could come back with our defense and our rebounding," Daugherty said.

The Huskies didn't come out much better at the beginning of the second half, as the Golden Bears increased their lead to 52-33 five minutes in. That's when Daugherty called for the full-court press.

"We increased our pressure on defense and that was key," Plouffe said. "Everyone was denying; we were all up in passing lanes, and that's the defense we need to get back to. It helps us win games."

The Huskies closed the game on a 46-24 scoring run and turned what was a 27-15 disadvantage in the rebounding department to a 46-40 advantage by game's end.

"We needed to get on the 'o' boards," Plouffe said. "That's just work right there; everyone just went to the boards."

Plouffe finished with a career-high 13 rebounds to go with 17 points, and Florence added 12 points, seven rebounds, six assists, four steals and just two turnovers.

"Emily Florence needs to be commended," Daugherty said. "For so much in this game she showed great heart and courage, and she was just after it this game. She set the tone with defense tonight."

Reach reporter Sam Cameron at sports@thedaily.washington.edu.