DULUTH, GA – After going into halftime down 21 points, the California women's basketball team fought back and cut the deficit to just four points with over four minutes left in the game but ultimately fell to seventh-seeded Syracuse 70-59 in the second round of the ACC Tournament at Gas South Arena in Duluth, Georgia on Thursday evening. The comeback would have been the largest in ACC Tournament history.
 
Sakima Walker led the Golden Bears (19-14, 9-9) with 19 points on 9-of-15 shooting. Gisella Maul added 13 points to go along with eight rebounds. She also had a career night from the free throw line going 10-for-12. It marked the most free throws in a game for a Cal player since Feb. 25, 2023. Mjracle Sheppard tied her season high with five steals – her most since she had five against Charlotte on Nov. 15.
 
Coming out of the locker room in the second half, Cal ratcheted up its defense causing five turnovers in the first four minutes which led to six points. For the third quarter, the Bears forced nine turnovers for 10 Cal points. Down 13 with 1:55 to go in the third, Walker grabbed an offensive rebound and found Puff Morris for a 3-pointer. On the Bears' last possession of the quarter, Morris made a layup and got fouled but didn't make the free throw and Cal was down 10 going into the fourth quarter.
 
Cal continued its momentum to open the fourth quarter as Lulu Twidale scored a layup and Maul hit two free throws on its first two possessions to bring the Bears to within six points within the first minute. Later in the quarter down by nine, Walker scored a layup and Twidale hit a 3-pointer which got Cal to within four points at the 4:04 mark but Syracuse responded with a 3-point play to stem the Bears' momentum. Cal was able to get within six points at the 2:30 mark but couldn't get any closer the rest of the way.
 
"Obviously we're disappointed that we don't get to continue here in Atlanta," Cal head coach Charmin Smith said. "We just had a really awful start against a really good Syracuse team. I'm proud of how we fought in the second half to cut it to five, to have a chance. But ultimately we just dug ourselves too deep of a hole that we couldn't get out of."
 
Syracuse was led by Uche Izoje's 23 points and 10 rebounds.
 
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