Kayla Williams Sparks Cal Women to 75-69 Victory over Syracuse

The Bears' point guard has 21 points, five assists, three steals and clinches the win with two late free throws.

Kayla Williams drives to the hoop against Syracuse | Photo by Robert Edwards

Point guard Kayla Williams had 21 points, five assists and three steals and made two free throws with 10 seconds left, icing a 75-69 victory for the Cal women over visiting Syracuse on Sunday afternoon.

The Bears (21-6, 9-5 ACC) improved to 14-1 at home by sweeping the weekend series at Haas Pavilion. Cal is tied for seventh place in the conference standings.

Cal led 70-65 after a layup by Williams with 1:16 left before Georgia Woolley made two free throws for Syracuse with 55 seconds left. That prompted a series of fouls by the Orange (10-15, 4-10), who needed to milk the clock in order to attempt a comeback.

Syracuse fouled four times before Marta Suarez went to the free-throw line, converting both tries for a 72-67 lead. Shy Hawkins scored a layup off a 30-foot alley-oop inbounds pass from Sophie Burrows with 15.8 seconds left.

Lulu Twidale then made the second of two free throws with 14.9 seconds left, pushing Cal’s lead to 73-69. Syracuse, which fouled six times in the final 31 seconds, missed its final two shots of the game. 

Suarez had 16 points and six rebounds for the Bears, Twidale had 13 points and six rebounds and center Michelle Onyiah, despite battling foul trouble, added 12 points and five rebounds.

Woolley scored 23 points for Syracuse.

The game, which featured 12 ties and 12 lead changes, was close throughout. Syracuse never led by more than three points and Cal’s final six-point margin equaled its largest of the day.

The Bears, have struggled with turnovers most of the season and had 68 the previous three games, had just 12 giveaways, including just four in the second half.

Cal, one of the ACC’s most top 3-point shooting teams, was just 5 for 19 from beyond the arc. The Bears countered with 38 points in the paint.

Syracuse used 12 offensive rebounds to generate 11 second-chance points. 

The Bears led by as many as five points in the first half but Syracuse used a 6-0 run closing the period to take a 35-24 lead at the break. 

Woolley made four straight free throws in the final 2:11 before the Bears’ eighth turnover of the half led to a go-ahead layup by Hawkins just before the buzzer.

Williams scored 13 first-half points to lead the Bears, who were limited to 3 for 10 from the 3-point arc. Krimili and Twidale, two of the nation’s most prolific deep shooters, were a combined 2 for 6 from beyond the arc in the first half.