The California women's basketball team (13-1, 1-0 ACC) moved up in the AP Top 25 and USA Today Coaches polls this week coming in at No. 20 in the AP poll and No. 23 in the coaches poll. The Golden Bears' seven-game win streak and 13-1 start are both the best marks since the 2016-17 season.
 
With the nonconference slate of the schedule complete, Cal now sets its eyes on ACC play starting with a road game at Clemson (8-5, 1-1 ACC) at Littlejohn Coliseum on Thursday at 4 p.m. PT.
 
A win would give the Bears their best start to a season in program history.
 
This game marks just the third overall meeting between the two programs with Cal having won both previous matchups. The two teams have not played each other since the 1990-91 season.
 
Clemson is led by first-year head coach Shawn Poppie who previously coached at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga where he was named the 2023-24 Southern Conference Coach of the Year. The Tigers feature Loyal McQueen who leads the team in scoring (13.4 points per game) and is tied for 15th in the NCAA in total assists (75).
 
Thursday's game will be streamed on ACCNX with Pete Yanity and Jim Davis on the call.
 
GAME INFORMATION
Date & Time: Thursday, Jan. 2 | 4 p.m. PT
Live Stream: ACCNX
Live Stats: StatBroadcast
 
QUICK HITS
In the 89-63 win over Temple on Sunday:

• Cal brought down 50 rebounds - the most since it had 52 against UC San Diego on Dec. 16, 2022.
• The Bears totaled 16 3-pointers - just two off the program record which was set in the win over Stanford earlier this season.
• Ioanna Krimili and Lulu Twidale both knocked in six 3-pointers each marking just the fourth time this year two players on the same team had at least six triples each.
• Kayla Williams added 17 points and Michelle Onyiah chipped in 12 to round out the Bears in double figures.
• The Bears used a 29-13 third quarter to take control of the game and cruise to the victory and win the Raising The B.A.R. Invitational.

 
NCAA Team Rankings

• Total 3-pointers made - 3rd (147)
• 3-point makes per game - 5th (10.5)
• 3-point percentage - 10th (38.6%)
• Field goal percentage defense - 33rd (35.8%)
• Field goal percentage - 38th (46.3)
• Scoring - 41st (78.3)
• Blocks per game - 47th (4.4)

 
Player Notes

• Ioanna Krimili is currently the nation's leader in both career triples (384) and most career games with at least five made 3-pointers (24). She ranks fifth in the NCAA in career points (2,331) among all active players.
• Krimili and Lulu Twidale are the best 3-point shooting duo in the nation. Krimili is 5th in the NCAA with 47 made triples and Twidale is 6th with 46 (through Dec. 30).
• Krimili and Twidale are two of only five players in the NCAA with 10 games this season with three or more made 3-pointers.
• Marta Suárez has got it going lately as she is averaging 15.8 points per game over her last four outings. She's averaging 2.2 triples per game over that span.
• Suárez's 20 3-pointers this season rank second among all forwards in the ACC. She is also one of just nine forwards in the country shooting at least 49% from the field and 40% from deep (min. 40 3PTA).
• Williams has had an impact on both sides of the ball this season. She along with just 18 other players in the country have had at least four games with at least five assists and three steals.
• Onyiah has had two games with five blocks this year joining only three other players in the ACC to have reached that mark.

 
Team Notes

• Cal is the only school in the country to have two players (Krimili and Twidale) rank in the top seven nationally for 3-pointers made. No other school has a duo in the top 35.
• Cal is one of only three ACC schools with five different players having scored 20+ points at least once in a game this season (others are Duke and Notre Dame).
• Cal is the only school in the country with four players (Krimili, Suárez, Twidale and Williams) averaging at least 40% from deep (min 40 3PTA).
• Cal's depth on the offensive side of the ball has been on display this season as five different Bears have led the team in scoring in a game. All five starters are also averaging over 10 points per game.

 
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