Berkeley, California — On Sunday, the No. 24 ranked California women’s basketball team secured an impressive victory against Florida State with a final score of 82-70. Key contributions came from Lulu Twidale, who netted five 3-pointers and totaled 19 points, while Ioanna Krimili and Marta Suarez added 18 and 17 points respectively. In addition, Michelle Onyiah made a notable impact with 11 points on an efficient 5-of-6 shooting performance.
The Golden Bears improved their record to 16 wins and 2 losses, with a conference record of 4-1 in the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC). This marks their best start since the 2012-13 season, a year in which the team achieved an impressive 28-2 record in their initial 30 games and progressed to the Final Four.
The game began in favor of California, who, with the help of an early jumper from Suarez and back-to-back 3-pointers by Twidale, quickly pulled ahead to a 13-2 lead just over three minutes into the match. California continued to dominate throughout the first quarter, ending it with a 29-13 lead; Twidale was particularly effective, scoring 11 points on 4-of-5 shooting, including three 3-pointers.
Florida State struggled in the first half, committing 12 turnovers which allowed California to score 15 points off of those mistakes. The Seminoles only managed to shoot 26% from the field (8 of 31) and connected only twice from beyond the arc in the opening half.
With their current record at 13-4 and a 3-2 mark in conference play, Florida State’s five-game winning streak was halted after suffering a narrow 89-84 defeat to Stanford earlier on Sunday. Makayla Timpson contributed 17 points along with 13 rebounds, two steals, and two blocks in this match, while Amaya Bonner added 14 points. Ta’Niya Latson, who has been leading the nation in scoring with an average of 27.7 points, ended the game with 13 points but struggled with her shooting, going 3-of-11.
Looking ahead, Florida State will return to their home court to face Clemson on Thursday. Meanwhile, California will also be in action on Thursday as they prepare to take on No. 14 ranked Duke.
