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After trailing 37-16 at halftime, Cal staged a big comeback in their eventual 70-59 second-round loss, closing within four points midway through the fourth quarter.
Sakima Walker #35 of the California Golden Bears reacts after being charged with a foul against the California Golden Bears during the fourth quarter of the second round of the Women’s ACC Tournament between the California Golden Bears and Syracuse Orange at Gas South Arena on March 05, 2026 in Duluth, Georgia.
DULUTH, Ga. — Cal couldn’t overcome its lowest scoring half of the season and the 21-point deficit it caused and lost 70-59 to Syracuse in the women’s ACC Tournament on Thursday afternoon. Uche Izoje recorded 23 points and 10 rebounds to lead Syracuse to its first ACC Tournament win since 2021. The Orange, which double its conference win total from last season, will now face No. 12-ranked Louisville in today’s quarterfinals. After trailing 37-16 at halftime while shooting just 25 percent from the field and committing 10 turnovers, the Golden Bears did stage a big comeback in their eventual second-round loss, closing within four points midway through the fourth quarter. Lulu Twidale #10 of the California Golden Bears drives against Laila Phelia #5 of the Syracuse Orange during the fourth quarter of the second round of the Women's ACC Tournament between the California Golden Bears and Syracuse Orange at Gas South Arena on March 05, 2026 in Duluth, Georgia. A 3-pointer from Lulu Twidale pulled the Bears within 56-52 with 4:08 remaining in the fourth quarter. Syracuse answered behind Izoje, who scored during a decisive stretch late in the game. Laila Phelia connected with Izoje on an alley-oop that pushed the lead to 61-53 with just over three minutes remaining. The Bears were unable to get closer, going the final two and a half minutes without a field goal as Syracuse closed the game at the free-throw line. “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.”Cal , which was attempting to advance to the ACC Tournament quarterfinals for the second straight season after beating Wake Forest 75-52, will now await an invitation to play in a postseason tournament. The Orange struck quickly, opening the game on a 9-0 run and never trailing. Phelia added 17 points for the Orange, while Sophie Burrows extended her streak to 16 straight games with a made 3-pointer. Izoje, the ACC rookie of the year, was 11 of 19 from the field.ACC basketball: Cal suffers 107-100 road loss to Syracuse in double overtimeCamden scores 26 points, Dut an unlikely hero in Cal’s 86-85 win over MiamiMiss Manners: Her tedious phone calls are one thing. The episode with the cats is quite another.Miss Manners: Was it really so awful what I said on the eve of the wedding?Miss Manners: A fellow diner wouldn't let me take the chair her purse was onIndicted Concord homebuilders say $5,000 stuffed in coffee mug wasn't bribe
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