GREENSBORO, NC. — The California Golden Bears dominated against the Virginia Cavaliers, winning 75-58 to advance to the quarterfinals in the ACC Tournament. The Golden Bears took charge from start to finish, while the Cavaliers could never find their footing in the contest. With the win, Cal is rewarded with a date against the ninth-ranked Notre Dame Fighting Irish in the quarterfinals on Friday, March 7th, at 5 PM EST.

The Bears threw the first punch to start the game, leading 24-13. Ugonne (Michelle) Onyiah (On-YUH) led the scoring with eight points, to go along with three rebounds and one block in the quarter. Ionna Krimili (YONNA Kri-MEELEE) also made a big impact out of the gate, with six of her nine points coming in the first, adding three assists as well. For the Cavaliers, Breona Hurd scored seven points on 3/4 shooting from the field (75%). Cal shot better than Virginia did in the first quarter, but they grew their lead by smoking them in the rebounding battle, 17-6. They were able to gain a big advantage on the boards, which carried over into the rest of the half.

 As the teams headed into the locker room, the Golden Bears maintained control of the game, leading 41-25. Marta Suarez (SWAR-Ez) played a big role, finishing the half with 11 points, six rebounds, and one block. Paris Clark and Edessa Noyan each scored six points before the break as the Cavs used their production to get back in the game. While Virginia improved their shooting in the second quarter, they couldn’t stop Cal from scoring with them. In addition to being down on the scoreboard, the Cavs entered the locker room short-handed as Latasha Lattimore took a hard fall in the first eight minutes of the contest. She was unable to return to the game. With the result favoring the Golden Bears, they cruised in the second half to secure the easy victory.

Like the first half, Cal did more of the same damage in the second to become victorious. They hurt Virginia with their three-point shooting, hitting six threes at a 50% clip. Lulu Twidale showed out in the second half, scoring 14 of her 16 points to go along with two rebounds and one assist. After a dull first half, Kymora Johnson scored 14 of her 18 points in the second half to get Virginia back into the game. Although it wasn’t enough, the Cavaliers showed an effort to try and make the game close. However, Cal finished the job that needed to be done.

The Golden Bears won their game in wire-to-wire fashion, earning another shot to prove themselves in their new conference. As Cal is set to face a team with star talent and championship aspirations, they must be prepared as their journey continues.