A Historic Win for Cal Women’s Basketball

Cal women’s basketball secured one of the most memorable victories of the season on Sunday, defeating their archrival Stanford 78-71 in overtime at Haas Pavilion. The win was largely attributed to the clutch performance of Lulu Twidale, who played a pivotal role in leading the Bears to a historic weekend sweep over Stanford.

“This moment is really meaningful,” said Cal head coach Charmin Smith, who had previously played on three Final Four teams at Stanford. “These are the kinds of games that define our season.”

The victory came just a day after Cal also defeated Stanford in the men’s game, marking the first time the Bears have swept their rival in both men’s and women’s basketball in a single weekend. Both wins were considered upsets, especially given Stanford’s strong reputation and recent performance.

Twidale, who had already put up a career-high 36 points in Cal’s previous game against Boston College, delivered another standout performance against the Cardinal (15-6, 4-4 ACC), scoring 24 points. However, it was her performance in the final moments of regulation and overtime that truly defined the game.

She scored 14 points in the final 27 seconds of regulation and the entire overtime period, giving the Bears a split in their regular-season series with Stanford. The Cardinal had won 13 of the previous 15 games against Cal, but this loss proved to be a turning point.

“To have Lu be able to finish the way she did down the stretch for us, it’s what we expect of her, and it’s what we needed,” Smith said.

Twidale’s performance included a crucial three-pointer with 27 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter, which gave Cal a two-point lead. She then made one of two free throws with 13.8 seconds left to extend the lead to three points. However, Stanford’s Lara Somfai, a 24.3% three-point shooter, tied the game with a three-pointer from the top of the key with 7.5 seconds left.

Cal’s final possession of regulation ended with Mjracle Sheppard’s shot being blocked, sending the game into overtime.

Despite entering overtime with what seemed like momentum on their side, Cal quickly took control. Twidale hit a three-pointer just 20 seconds into the overtime period, and later added another long-range shot at the 2:03 mark to give Cal a six-point lead. Her driving layup with 20.4 seconds remaining sealed the advantage, and she closed out the game by making two foul shots with 9.4 seconds left.

In both games against Stanford this season, Cal held a lead entering the fourth quarter. In the December 14 contest at Stanford, Cal led by three points after three quarters and increased the margin to five points early in the fourth quarter. However, Stanford rallied to win that game 78-69.

On Sunday, Cal entered the fourth quarter leading by four points and extended the lead to seven points with 6:25 remaining. But when Stanford’s Alexandra Eschmeyer hit a 7-footer in the lane to give the Cardinal a 62-61 lead with 34.5 seconds left in the fourth quarter, it looked as though Stanford might pull off another win.

That’s when Twidale stepped up, hitting her three-pointer with 27 seconds left and dominating the overtime period to improve Cal’s home record to 10-1.

Stanford entered the game with a NET ranking of 36, while Cal came in at No. 58. ESPN’s latest NCAA tournament projections had the Cardinal as a No. 8 seed, but this loss could hurt their chances. It also benefits Cal, although the Bears will need more impressive wins to make the NCAA tournament field for the second straight season.

Taylor Barnes added 15 points for Cal, and Sakima Walker contributed 13. For Stanford, Somfai scored 16 points, and the team played most of the fourth quarter without leading scorer Nunu Agara, who left the game with an injury with 8:58 left in the fourth quarter.

Cal’s late second-quarter surge helped them tie the game 34-34 at halftime. Stanford had held a 10-point lead with 7:20 remaining in the first half, and still led by nine points with 4:50 to go. However, the Bears outscored Stanford 11-2 over the rest of the second quarter, with Taylor Barnes’ follow shot with 49 seconds remaining in the half tying the game.

Twidale led Cal with 10 points in the first half, while Chloe Cardy had 13 for the Cardinal, with 10 of Clardy’s points coming in the first quarter, which ended with the Cardinal holding a 19-9 lead.

Key Notes

Both teams were without their starting point guards. Cal freshman Puff Morris missed her seventh straight game, and it is unclear when or if she will return this season. Stanford’s Talana Lepolo was sidelined for the first time this season after starting the Cardinal’s first 20 games at point guard.

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