No. 6 Notre Dame Outlasts Cal In ACC Quarterfinal

GREENSBORO – The seventh-seeded California women’s basketball team went toe-to-toe with the second seeded and sixth-ranked Notre Dame taking a six-point lead late in the third quarter but ultimately came up short losing 73-64 in the quarterfinal round of the ACC Tournament at First Horizon Coliseum in Greensboro, North Carolina on Friday night. The Golden Bears (25-8) held the Fighting Irish (26-4) to just four 3-pointers on 28.6%, well below their season average of 40.3%.

Marta Suarez registered her second-straight double-double and sixth of the season with 14 points and 11 rebounds. Lulu Twidale and Kayla Williams tossed in four and three 3-pointers respectively.

Twidale hit two 3-pointers in the first quarter, but Cal turned it over 10 times and went scoreless from the field after the 5:00 mark and was down 16-10 going into the second quarter.

The Bears’ next bucket didn’t come until Ioanna Krimili hit a layup at the 8:25 mark of the second quarter which sparked a 7-0 run that got Cal to within 18-17. The Irish responded however with a 6-0 run aided by a four-point play by Hannah Hidalgo. Williams got Cal to within three points on a triple with 3:14 left in the half. The Bears held the Irish to just one field goal over the last five minutes of the quarter and were down just 31-28 heading into the break.

Twidale’s third triple of the game tied the game at 36-36 with 7:47 to go in the third and she followed up with another 3-pointer on the next possession to give Cal the lead. The Bears used an extended 14-3 run to go up 45-39 and force a Notre Dame timeout at the 5:06 mark. The Irish, however, closed the quarter on a 14-3 run and went up 55-50 going into the final frame.

A layup from Michelle Onyiah got Cal to within three with 8:10 to go but Notre Dame scored two quick unanswered buckets to keep Cal at bay. Williams converted a 3-point play to bring Cal to within six with just under four minutes to go. The Bears were not able to close the gap any further.

Notre Dame was led by Hannah Hidalgo’s 25 points.