Cal Handles Wake Forest To Advance In ACC Tournament

DULUTH, GA -- It was a tight game up until midway through the second quarter when the California women’s basketball team ended the half on a 17-4 run to take control and not look back in a 75-52 win over Wake Forest in the first round of the ACC Tournament at Gas South Arena in Duluth, Georgia on Wednesday afternoon. Golden Bears (19-13, 9-9 ACC) head coach Charmin Smith earned her 100th career victory as Cal outrebounded the Demon Deacons (14-17, 4-14) 41-28 and just 37.5% from the field. Cal is now 2-1 all-time at the ACC Tournament.

Sakima Walker led all scorers with 17 points on an efficient 8-of-17 from the field and added 10 rebounds for her seventh double-double of the season. Lulu Twidale, Gisella Maul and Puff Morris each knocked down a pair of triples and the guard trio of Twidale, Maul and Mjracle Sheppard combined for 21 of the team’s 41 rebounds.

Cal held Wake Forest to a stretch of over five minutes without a field goal and used an early 6-0 run to take a 6-2 lead midway through the first quarter. The Bears had their own cold spell going scoreless for five minutes until Sheppard and Maul hit consecutive jump shots in the last two minutes of the quarter. Cal would take an 11-10 lead into the second quarter.

With the score knotted at 17-17 in the second quarter, Twidale nailed her first 3-pointer of the game at the 5:58 mark which was part of an 8-0 Cal run that put the Bears up 23-17. Taylor Barnes, in her first game back from injury, found Walker for a 3-point play to complete the run. Cal held Wake Forest scoreless for over three minutes until the Demon Deacons hit a 3-pointer at the 3:23 mark. The Bears ended the quarter on the 17-4 run over the last six and a half minutes and took a 32-21 lead into the break.

The Bears got a 3-pointer from Morris and a pair of layups from Walker to open the third quarter on a 7-0 run. Cal got out to its largest lead of the game to that point when Twidale drove the lane for a 3-point play that put the Bears up 46-27 at the 4:30 mark. Cal held Wake Forest to just 12 points in the third quarter and ended it on a 9-0 run to take a 61-33 lead into the final frame.

Cal never let the lead slip below 19 points in the fourth quarter and cruised the rest of the way for the win. A total of 11 Bears got into the scoring column.

“I’m really proud of our group today,” Smith said. “I think Wake Forest makes it really challenging with their zone and their length. We settled in in the second quarter and were able to get a convincing win. All we want to do is just try to stay in Atlanta as long as possible. It's a good day for the Bears. Not only is the ACC challenging, but it's also March, so everyone is trying to step up their game. No one wants to go home.”

Wake Forest was led by Mary Carter’s 13 points.

NEXT UP

Cal takes on seventh-seeded Syracuse on Thursday at 2 p.m. PT.