The California Golden Bears women’s basketball team lost to No. 16 North Carolina, 71-55, at Carmichael Arena in Chapel Hill on Thursday afternoon. Cal held a three-point lead late in the third quarter but could not maintain it in the final period. The Bears’ record now stands at 9-6 overall and 0-2 in the ACC.
The team played without starting point guard Puff Morris, who missed the game due to a leg injury. Despite her absence, Cal limited North Carolina to just three made three-pointers, well below their season average of over nine per game.
Sakima Walker led all scorers with 19 points on 9-of-13 shooting and narrowly missed a double-double, finishing with eight rebounds. Gisella Maul, making her first career start, matched her career high with three three-pointers—all coming in the first half. Cal shot 50% from the field and made six of nine shots from beyond the arc before halftime.
North Carolina started strong with a 9-0 run helped by Cal turnovers, but Lulu Twidale responded for the Bears with a layup and then a three-pointer. The Bears ended the first quarter ahead 17-14 after Lola Donez hit back-to-back threes during a 12-2 run.
Both teams had trouble scoring in the second quarter. Maul’s second and third triples kept Cal ahead or tied until Mjracle Sheppard scored at the buzzer to give Cal a two-point halftime lead at 34-32.
In the third quarter, Sheppard extended Cal’s lead to five with a shot as the clock expired, but after going scoreless for five minutes, North Carolina took back control. Cal trailed by three heading into the fourth quarter.
North Carolina began the final period with an eight-point run that gave them an eleven-point advantage. Although Taylor Barnes ended that streak with a layup, Cal could not close the gap further.
“I thought we had moments where we defended well and then they got extremely aggressive and were able to get to the rim and finish some shots, whereas we were not finishing as well on the other end,” said Cal head coach Charmin Smith. “They went to a zone in the fourth, mixed things up. I thought we lost intensity. I thought we lost some energy, and their pressure rattled us at times and kept us out of sync with our offensive actions.”
Indya Nivar led North Carolina with 16 points.
Cal will continue its road trip against NC State on Sunday at 11 a.m. PT.
For more updates on California women’s basketball, fans can follow official team accounts on Twitter/X (@CalWBBall), Instagram (@CalWBBball), and Facebook (/CalWBBall/).
