Cal Women Top Notre Dame for Second Straight Big Win

A hot-shooting and improving Cal women's basketball team improved its chances of reaching the NCAA tournament on Thursday by beating Notre Dame 80-69 at Haas Pavilion.

The Bears (13-9, 4-5 ACC) got their best win of the season on Sunday against Stanford, but this victory over the Irish (13-8, 5-5 ACC) may have topped that one. Cal has won three in a row and four of its last five after losing its first four ACC games.

Cal won this one thanks to a blistering night of shooting. The Bears shot 61.5% from the field and made 10-of-14 three-point shots. That enabled Cal to overcome its 19 turnovers and Notre Dame's 15-3 on the offensive boards to beat Notre Dame for the first time ever after five defeats.

"We know what we need to do to make March Madness, and that's what we're trying to do," Cal guard Mjracle Sheppard said. "We talked about toughness and grit today in the locker room, and I think we proved that."

Cal began the day ranked 56th in the NET ranking, so the Bears need several more quality wins to earn an NCAA tournament berth for a second straight year. But they have a shot at a major victory on Sunday when No. 7 Louisville comes to Haas Pavilion, where the Bears are 11-1 this season.

Sheppard had her first career double-double with 18 points on 7-for-10 shooting and 1-for-1 from long range to go along with 10 assists. She went head to head with Notre Dame star Hannah Hidalgo, a first-team All-America selection last season, and Sheppard more than held her own. Hidalgo finished with 22 points, two shy of her average, but was 8-for-20 from the field and committed seven turnovers.

"She's a great player, and I had a challenge today," Sheppard said.

Cal's other double-figure scorers were Lulu Twidale with 19 points, including 3-for-5 on three-pointers, Gisella Maul with 16 points, including 3-for-5 from long range, and Sakima Walker with 12 points on 5-for-7 shooting to go along with nine rebounds.

Cal led nearly the entire game and held an 11-point advantage with 8:22 left in the fourth quarter. Notre Dame quickly got the deficit to three points and trailed by just 64-61 with 4:50 to go.

The Bears then ripped off nine straight points, the biggest blow in the run being three-point shot by Lola Donez, who was 2-for-2 from beyond the arc for the game. That gave the Bears a 12-point lead with 3:03 left, and they held on the rest of the way from the foul line.

Notre Dame ended up attempting 29 more shots than Cal. and that usually spells doom. But Cal's outstanding shooting made up for the field-goal discrepancy as the Irish made only 39.7% of their shots.

Cal’s hot shooting to start the game helped the Bears take a 43-33 lead at halftime. Cal shot 63.6% from the field while making 6-of-7 three-point shots over the first two quarters.

Notre Dame had 14 more field-goal attempts than Cal in the first half thanks to the Irish’s 9-1 advantage on the offensive boards. But the Irish shot only 36.1% from the floor and trailed for nearly the entire first half.

Cal’s Gisella Maul scored 13 first-half points on 4-for-5 shooting, including 3-for-3 from long range. Her three-pointer followed by a bucket by Caludia Langarita gave the Bears their largest lead of the first half, 40-29, with 5:18 remaining in the second quarter.

Hidalgo scored seven points in the first half when she shot 2-for-9 from the field and committed four turnovers.

NOTES

Cal freshman Taylor Barnes injured her ankle in the second quarter and sat out the rest of the game. She was on crutches while on the sidelines. She is questionable for Sunday's game against seventh-ranked Louisville.

Cal freshman point guard Puff Morris missed her eighth straight game and it’s unclear when or if she will return this season.

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