Cal Bears Marta Suarez is double teamed by the Virginia Cavaliers in ACC Tournament action in Greensboro NC on Thu Mar 6, 2025 (Cal Bears X photo)

By Morris Phillips

The Bears’ 30 points in the first 13 minutes of their ACC Tournament opener emphatically stated that they were more than happy to participate in a conference tournament 3,000 miles from campus.

And from that point, things got better still.

“I was really proud of how we started the game,” coach Charmin Smith said. “We came out with the intensity that we needed and were able to jump on Virginia right away and then kind of never looked back.”

The Cal women played fast from the start, and were forceful in getting the ball into Michelle Onyiah against a Cavaliers’ defense that was light in the post. The higher-seeded Bears hit just two 3-pointers in their opening run, but finished with nine, which demonstrated how their early aggressiveness opened up their complete attack.

Four Bears finished with double digits in points, including Lulu Twidale, Marta Suarez and Onyiah, who each scored 16. Cal again enjoyed a healthy edge on the glass, outrebounding Virginia 46-28.

The Bears advance to Friday’s quarterfinal round and a meeting with Notre Dame at 2pm.

Virginia was led by Kymora Johnson with 18 points and Paris Clark with 15. They finish the regular season at 17-15 and will be eligible for an invitation to the WNIT.