California Golden Bears Athletics
Sunday, October 25
Los Angeles, CA
2:00 PM PT
California
at
USC (Exhibition)
Lulu Twidale drives for two of her game-high 25 points at USC.
10/25/2026 6:02 PM | Women's Basketball
Lulu Twidale Posted Game-Highs Of 25 Points, 9 Rebounds
LOS ANGELES – The California women's basketball team gave No. 3 USC everything it could handle and nearly sent the game to overtime in a 78-76 loss at the Galen Center in Los Angeles on Sunday afternoon. Down 76-73 with 10 seconds left, Lulu Twidale was able to get away from her defender on the Golden Bears' inbounds play and had an open look from about 30 feet but couldn't get it to fall.
Twidale paced all scorers and rebounders with 25 points and nine rebounds. Shannon Dowell and Taylor Barnes rounded out the Bears in double figures with 17 and 15 points respectively. Cal outshot USC nine to three from beyond the arc and had a 45-39 rebounding edge.
Both teams struggled offensively in the first quarter, but the Bears held a 6-4 lead midway through with Twidale accounting for four early points. Cal held USC to a stretch of 1-for-7 from the field during that span. After Dowell gave Cal an 8-6 lead the Trojans answered with a 6-0 run before Barnes scored on a reverse layup to end it. The Bears held the Trojans to 30.0% from the floor but went into the second quarter down 14-10.
USC opened the second quarter hitting 4-of-5 from the field before Zara Russell and Ruby Perkins drilled back-to-back triples to get Cal to within 22-18 with 6:29 to go. After the Trojans appeared to take control of the game, the Bears responded with an 11-2 run powered by three triples and capped by a Twidale 3-pointer to give Cal a 29-28 lead with just under four minutes left in the half. Dowell hit four straight free throws to end the half with both teams knotted at 33-33 going into the break.
Neither team could gain separation in the third quarter and the score remained tied at 46-46 with under 3:30 to go before USC scored five straight to re-take the lead. Barnes ended the run with a strong take through the lane for a layup to get Cal to within 51-48 at the 2:37 mark. The Bears would take a 55-51 deficit into the fourth quarter.
Barnes opened the fourth quarter with back-to-back layups to give her an extended run of 5-of-6 from the field going back to the end of the third quarter to keep the Bears within striking distance. With the Bears down by six, Twidale found Perkins on the wing for a deep triple at the 7:06 mark and Twidale's 3-pointer at the 2:13 mark tied the game at 71-71. Down by two with 30 seconds left, Cal had three looks at the rim off of offensive rebounds, but couldn't get the ball to drop. The Bears had one more chance to tie the game as USC's Jazzy Davidson missed a free throw to keep it a one possession game at 76-73, but Twidale was unable to hit a 3-pointer on Cal's next possession.
NEXT UP
Cal finishes exhibition play by hosting Vanguard on Oct. 29 at 6 p.m.
STAY POSTED
For further coverage of Cal women's basketball, follow the Bears on Twitter (@CalWBBall), Instagram (@CalWBBball) and Facebook (/CalWBBall/).
Twidale paced all scorers and rebounders with 25 points and nine rebounds. Shannon Dowell and Taylor Barnes rounded out the Bears in double figures with 17 and 15 points respectively. Cal outshot USC nine to three from beyond the arc and had a 45-39 rebounding edge.
Both teams struggled offensively in the first quarter, but the Bears held a 6-4 lead midway through with Twidale accounting for four early points. Cal held USC to a stretch of 1-for-7 from the field during that span. After Dowell gave Cal an 8-6 lead the Trojans answered with a 6-0 run before Barnes scored on a reverse layup to end it. The Bears held the Trojans to 30.0% from the floor but went into the second quarter down 14-10.
USC opened the second quarter hitting 4-of-5 from the field before Zara Russell and Ruby Perkins drilled back-to-back triples to get Cal to within 22-18 with 6:29 to go. After the Trojans appeared to take control of the game, the Bears responded with an 11-2 run powered by three triples and capped by a Twidale 3-pointer to give Cal a 29-28 lead with just under four minutes left in the half. Dowell hit four straight free throws to end the half with both teams knotted at 33-33 going into the break.
Neither team could gain separation in the third quarter and the score remained tied at 46-46 with under 3:30 to go before USC scored five straight to re-take the lead. Barnes ended the run with a strong take through the lane for a layup to get Cal to within 51-48 at the 2:37 mark. The Bears would take a 55-51 deficit into the fourth quarter.
Barnes opened the fourth quarter with back-to-back layups to give her an extended run of 5-of-6 from the field going back to the end of the third quarter to keep the Bears within striking distance. With the Bears down by six, Twidale found Perkins on the wing for a deep triple at the 7:06 mark and Twidale's 3-pointer at the 2:13 mark tied the game at 71-71. Down by two with 30 seconds left, Cal had three looks at the rim off of offensive rebounds, but couldn't get the ball to drop. The Bears had one more chance to tie the game as USC's Jazzy Davidson missed a free throw to keep it a one possession game at 76-73, but Twidale was unable to hit a 3-pointer on Cal's next possession.
NEXT UP
Cal finishes exhibition play by hosting Vanguard on Oct. 29 at 6 p.m.
STAY POSTED
For further coverage of Cal women's basketball, follow the Bears on Twitter (@CalWBBall), Instagram (@CalWBBball) and Facebook (/CalWBBall/).
Players Mentioned
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/ Women's Basketball
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/ Women's Basketball
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/ Women's Basketball
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/ Women's Basketball
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