The California women’s basketball team is set to face Syracuse at the JMA Dome on Thursday at 3 p.m. PT, marking the first time in program history that Cal will play at this venue. The Golden Bears, with a record of 10-8 overall and 1-4 in ACC play, are looking to add another conference win. This game represents just the third meeting between the two programs; Cal has won both previous matchups, including last year’s 75-69 victory at Haas Pavilion where Lulu Twidale scored 13 points.
Syracuse enters the contest with a 14-3 overall record and a 4-2 mark in conference games. The Orange are coached by Felisha Legette-Jack, who is in her fourth year and is an alumna of Syracuse. Freshman Uche Izoje has been recognized as ACC Rookie of the Week four times this season and stands out for her performance, ranking second on the team in scoring with an average of 13.4 points per game. Izoje also leads Syracuse in rebounding with 8.6 rebounds per game and leads the ACC in blocks, averaging 2.9 per game.
The matchup will be broadcast live on ACCNX with commentary from A.J. Myers and Joseph Duffey.
In their recent win over Wake Forest (61-52), Sakima Walker led all scorers with 17 points and recorded three blocks for her eleventh multi-block game this season. Mjracle Sheppard achieved a career-high ten rebounds during that game, while Lulu Twidale made four of Cal’s eight three-pointers. Naya Ojukwu contributed eight points—all coming in the fourth quarter—and it was the sixth time this season that Cal held its opponent to no more than 52 points.
Recent performances from key players include Gisella Maul averaging a double-double over her last three games (11.7 points and ten rebounds per game) and ranking seventh in ACC play for rebounds at an average of 8.8 per game. Ojukwu has averaged twelve points off the bench across her last three games, while Walker has led scoring for Cal in three of their past four contests, averaging fifteen points per game during that stretch.
Defensively, Cal has limited seven out of nine power conference opponents to below their usual scoring averages this season and held ranked opponents to an average of nine fewer points than they typically score. The Bears are also one of thirteen teams nationally to have played at least six Quad 1 games so far this year.
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