GREENSBORO, N.C. (AP) — Ugonne Onyiah and Marta Suarez each had 16 points and 10 rebounds, Lulu Twidale made four 3-pointers and also scored 16 points and seventh-seeded California defeated 10th-seeded Virginia 75-58 on Thursday in the second round of the ACC Tournament.
The Golden Bears (25-7) will take on second-seeded and No. 6-ranked Notre Dame in a quarterfinal Friday. The Irish beat Cal at home 91-52 on Feb. 9.
Onyiah said the Golden Bears are looking forward to the chance to get some revenge against Notre Dame.
“Honestly, we’re ready for that,” Onyiah said. “We know we’re the underdog … but we’ve got this. Let’s go.”
With the victory, this is the Bears’ most wins in a season since the 2012-13 season when they won 32 games. The Bears, who were ranked as high as No. 18 in the AP Top-25 poll this season, are poised to make their first appearance in the NCAA tournament in six seasons.
Thursday’s game was the second time the teams had faced in two weeks. The Bears won 76-70 in Charlottesville on Feb. 20. In that matchup, Twidale hit three 3-pointers – including a pivotal one that put Cal up five points with 15 seconds left in the game.
Kayla Williams added 12 points for Cal, which shot 46%, made 9 of 24 3-point tries and was plus-18 on the boards.
Onyiah scored at the end of the first quarter for an 11-point lead and the Bears stayed ahead by double figures the rest of the way.
Kymora Johnson had 18 points and rebounds for the Cavaliers (17-15). Paris Clark added 15 points and Breona Hurd 10 before she left with an injury early in the final quarter. Latasha Lattimore, who had a double-double in a first-round win over Pitt, was injured early in a second-quarter fall and was helped off the floor. She did not return.
Cal took a 23-point lead into the fourth quarter and the closest Virginia thereafter was 15.
Suarez and Twidale scored five points each to open the third quarter and Cal quickly expanded a 16-point halftime lead to a game-high 26. The Bears didn’t score for another four minutes and the Cavaliers scored 10 straight points before Twidale ended the run with a baseline 3. Twidale had a trio of 3s in the period that ended with Cal up 62-39.
Check back for more on this developing story.