DULUTH, Ga. (AP) — Uche Izoje scored 23 points and grabbed 10 rebounds to lead Syracuse to a 70-59 victory over Cal on Thursday in the ACC Tournament.
It marked Syracuse’s first ACC Tournament win since 2021 and sent the Orange to the quarterfinals after doubling last season’s conference win total.
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The Orange struck quickly, going on a 9-0 run to start the game and never trailing. At halftime, Syracuse expanded the score to 37-16, and the California offense was in trouble.
The Golden Bears shot 25% in the first half and committed 10 turnovers, resulting in their lowest halftime score of the season.
The California team launched a counterattack in the second half and narrowed the gap to 21 points. Midway through the fourth quarter, Lulu Twidale hit a three-pointer to bring the Bears to 56-52.
Syracuse responded behind Izoye, who scored in the decisive moment late in the game. Laila Phelia connected on an alley-oop from Izoje to extend the lead to 61-53 with just over 3 minutes left.
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The Bears couldn’t get any closer and went without a field goal for the final two and a half minutes before Syracuse ended the game at the free throw line.
Filia scored 17 points for the Orange, while Sophie Burrows made her 16th consecutive game with a 3-pointer. Izoje, the ACC Rookie of the Year, appeared in 11 of 19 games.
Sakima Walker led California with 19 points. Twidale scored 14 points and Gisella Maul scored 13 points.
Next
Syracuse will face second-seeded Louisville in the quarterfinals on Friday.
California is awaiting an invite to the postseason.
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