Women's Basketball: Lulu Twidale Powers Cal Over Pitt, 95-80

Plus video clips of Gisella Maul's multi-faceted play from the past couple games

The Pitt Panthers are not having a good season. Pitt has lost seven straight games to fall to 8-16 overall, 1-10 in ACC play. Today’s game provided the Bears the chance to get to 6-6 in conference play after their 0-4 start. Cal would need to stay focused and take care of business to maintain their spot on the fringe of the NCAA Tournament bubble.

Image Courtesy Cal Athletics

There would be no letdown today. Gisella Maul picked up where she left off on Thursday against Georgia Tech. Maul connected on two early 3-pointers on her way to 11 first quarter points as the Bears raced out to a 28-17 lead. The Pitt defense was losing track of the perimeter players in transition, giving Maul and Lola Donez too much space on the outside. Cal shot 11-of-15 for the quarter and outrebounded Pitt 11 to 6. Puff Morris made her return to the court at the end of the period, her first court time since late December. Morris played with a sturdy left knee brace as she continues her journey back to full strength.

Pitt’s zone defense gave too much space to Cal’s shooters. Lulu Twidale was 4-of-4 from long range in the second quarter as Cal pushed their lead to 54-32 at halftime. Cal could not miss, shooting 66% overall, 57% from long range. Ten different Bears played in the first half of the game as the comfortable lead allowed Coach Smith to give playing time to the bench. Cal’s defense was OK, outrebounding Pitt by eight and holding the Panthers to 34% shooting for the half.

Pitt’s shooting vastly improved in the third quarter. The Panthers were 12-of-17 for the quarter, including 4-of-5 from long range to close the gap to 78-60 going into the final period. The Bears cooled off slightly, but still shot 56% for the quarter to maintain the large lead.

Pitt opened the quarter on a 5-0 scoring run to close to 13 points as the crowd was starting to get curious. Lulu Twidale ended the mini-drought with a running layup to extend the led to 78-65 with eight minutes remaining. Pitt shortly after cut the led to eleven. Twidale once again had the answer, nailing a top of the key 3-pointer to push the lead to 85-71 with four minutes left. Pitt was able to once again cut the lead to 11 with one minute left. Cal hit free throws to close out the 95-80 win.

Cal’s 95 points are a season high. Four different Bears scored in double figures, led by Lulu Twidale’s 32 points and 7 assists. Gisella Maul added 20 points and 11 rebounds for a consecutive double-double. Sakima Walker scored 18 points, Mjracle Sheppard added 14 points and 8 assists. Lulu Twidale’s 3-pointer near the beginning of the third quarter gave her over 1,000 points for her career. She’s the 29th Golden Bears to surpass 1,000 points.

Cal’s defense went from OK in the first half to subpar in the second half. The Panthers scored 48 points in the half while shooting over 55%. While the game was never seriously in doubt, Pitt cut the lead down to 11 on multiple occasions; forcing a response from the Bears. Cal had a size and positioning advantage but lost the second half rebounding battle. Coach Smith needs to hammer home the importance of 40 minutes of focus ahead of next week’s crucial homestand against fellow bubble mates Virginia and Virginia Tech.

On an annoying note, the ACC announcing crews still need to do a better job of familiarizing themselves with Cal and Stanford. While it is better than last year where Cal and Stanford were treated like visiting teams from an energy and excitement level, there is still work to do on the homework side of things. Lead announcer Jeff Hathhorn referred to Lulu Twidale as ‘Lulu Twiman’ on multiple occasions. After a steal by sophomore Lola Donez, color announcer Brianne O’Rourke Kelly said, “What an amazing play. Just a freshman, Donez.”

On the Play of Gisella Maul

Nick provided an excellent summary of Gisella Maul’s journey and her recent ascendance to primary offensive threat for this Cal team. Maul is multi-faceted and team oriented, able to beat you at all levels and in multiple ways. She is dependable handling the ball and can drive and dish, has the size to dominate most guards and wings who defend her, and has the shooting range to make you pay if you lag off of her.

Early in today’s game, Maul fakes a shot and her defender falls for it, giving Maul the opportunity for a clean drive. When the defense collapses on her, Maul spots a nice bounce pass to Sakima Walker for an easy layup.

The below clip is from Thursday’s Georgia Tech game. Similar start to above, Maul fakes a shot to get her defender off her feet. When Maul drives, the help defender picks her up halfway. Maul is strong enough to finish through the contact to make the basket and draw the foul.

And, if she has a clean window, it does not take her long to aim and fire. Her range extends beyond the 3-point line by several feet.

---

Puff Morris played 13 minutes today, missing her two shot attempts while recording 3 assists and 1 rebound. It’s nice to have her back coming down the home stretch. Thursday night, the Virginia Cavaliers come to Haas Pavilion. Cal currently sits at #52 in NET rankings. The Cavaliers are at #38, while Virginia Tech is #43. A home sweep over the Virginia schools should move Cal past both of them and onto the right side of the bubble. See you there!