Cal Women's Basketball Storms Past SMU on Senior Day

The Bears tie a program record in the win

Seniors Sakima Walker and Claudia Langarita Credit: Don Collier

From the jump, Cal Women’s Basketball was all over SMU. The Mustangs missed cut for the ACC Tournament and the Bears didn’t screw around on what can be a loaded time in Senior Day.

When the final buzzer sounded, it was a lopsided 78-34 win for Cal. Those 34 points given up tied a program record for the least amount of points given up to a conference opponent.

Head Coach Charmin Smith mentioned postgame that beyond the result, she appreciated the energy her team came with defensively compared to their previous two games, losses to Miami and Clemson.

“Wanted to get some momentum heading into the ACC Tournament. It was definitely a concerted effort to stop them from getting to the rim and we did that.” - Cal Women’s Basketball HC Charmin Smith

Cal held SMU to 20% shooting from the floor and never let them get comfortable throughout. Lulu Twidale outscored the Mustangs by herself in the first quarter, 12-10.

At no point could SMU matchup as the Bears got loose to go 15/30 from the three point line in the runaway victory. Sakima Walker and Claudia Langarita, the two seniors honored throughout the day, received nice ovations as they exited the floor potentially for the final time this season.

When asked if Cal has played its best basketball this season, Twidale stated that they haven’t but that its exciting to see that in distance with a heightened sense of desperation on the horizon in the ACC Tournament.

“I don’t think we’ve played our best basketball yet. We’ve beaten some really good teams, but when in those games we’ve had opportunities to be better. I still think we have our best basketball ahead and that’s really exciting.” - Cal G Lulu Twidale

The Bears currently sit on the outside looking in of a NCAA Tournament bid. A run to the ACC Tournament Final at minimum will put them into a spot for an at large bid.

But it will be a tough task as Cal is the No. 10 seed, playing on the first day of the tournament against No. 15 Wake Forest. The Bears will have to go the distance of five games in five days to make it happen.