PALM SPRINGS – The California women's basketball team took a 12-point lead into the fourth quarter but was unable to overcome late foul trouble and costly turnovers, falling to the Spartans (7-0), 78-72, in the first day of the Acrisure Classic in Palm Springs on Tuesday afternoon for the Bears' (6-1) first loss of the season. Michigan State went 11-of-14 from the line in the fourth quarter to help fuel the comeback. Cal turned the ball over 20 times in the game, leading to 20 Spartan points.
 
Both Michelle Onyiah and Marta Suárez fouled out in the fourth quarter after registering a double-double each. Onyiah had 13 points and 10 rebounds while Suárez scored 14 points, with three 3-pointers, and pulled down 11 rebounds.
 
Lulu Twidale posted her third 20-point outing of the season with 20 points (8-of-13), which included three triples. Ioanna Krimili added 15 points and five assists.
 
Krimili got the Bears on the board with a 3-pointer on their first possession of the game and later in the quarter Twidale drove to the hoop for a layup to spur a 5-0 run to give the Bears a 15-14 lead with 4:05 remaining. The Spartans, however, would end the quarter on a 6-0 run aided by consecutive Cal turnovers to take a 26-18 lead into the second quarter.
 
Onyiah found an open Suárez in the corner for a triple to open the second quarter, and Suárez followed up shortly with her third triple to start an 18-0 run to give the Bears a 36-26 lead with four minutes to go.  The run included a pair of triples from Twidale. The Spartans did not score a point until 3:10 left in the quarter and finished with five to give the Bears a 40-31 lead going into the break.
 
The Bears struggled to get going offensively in the third quarter with Onyiah registering Cal's only field goal, until Twidale secured a save attempt from Michigan State and made a cutting layup with 5:08 to go. But the Bears were still up 47-37 as the Spartans shot just 27.3% from the field up until that point. Cal got it going late in the quarter with a 9-0 run fueled by a Krimili triple and leak out layup from Lola Donez to put the Bears up 58-42 with 2:11 to go.
 
Down 12 entering the fourth quarter, the Spartans opened on a 10-0 run to get back in the game until Twidale hit a huge triple with 6:30 to go. Michigan State regained the lead for good on a 3-pointer from Nyla Hampton with 3:59 to go in the game. Gabrielle Abigor hit a layup at 2:18 mark to get the Bears to within one, but the Spartans got fouled and hit both free throws. Michigan State followed up with a 3-pointer from Julia Ayrault with 53 seconds left that would end up being the dagger.
 
Michigan State was led by Ayrault's 22 points and nine rebounds.
 
NEXT UP
Cal plays the loser of Arizona vs. Vanderbilt in the consolation game Wednesday at 11 a.m. PT.
 
STAY POSTED
For further coverage of Cal women's basketball, follow the Bears on Twitter (@CalWBBall), Instagram (@CalWBBball) and Facebook (/CalWBBall/).