Florida State star Ta'Niya Latson delivered a remarkable defensive highlight during the Seminoles' 82-70 loss to No. 24 California on Sunday. At the 6:41 mark of the second quarter, California's Kayla Williams made an impressive pass to forward Marta Suarez, setting up what seemed to be an easy layup. However, Latson denied it with a stunning right-handed block, one of her two blocks in Sunday’s game.
Ta’Niya Latson, who entered the game leading the nation with 27.7 points per game, contributed an all-around performance of 13 points, five rebounds, two assists, two blocks, and a steal on 3-of-11 shooting.
The game at Haas Pavilion was challenging for FSU from the start, marking their worst defeat of the season and concluding a tough two-game road trip with losses to both Stanford and California.
"We let them just get things just way too easy. So yeah, you can't take anything for granted, and this is a good learning lesson. It's still early, so I'm confident we can learn from it and be better," FSU coach Brooke Wyckoff said (per Tallahassee Democrat).
The Seminoles' offensive funk was evident in the first quarter as they missed their first seven field goal attempts. They managed to stay in the game by forcing 13 turnovers and 16 fouls from Cal, converting 17 of 25 free throws and scoring 14 points off turnovers.
In the first half, FSU committed 12 turnovers, leading to 15 points for Cal, and shot just 26% (8 of 31) from the field, including 2 of 10 from beyond the arc. By the end of the game, FSU had shot 24 of 63 overall and 5 of 19 from three-point range.
Cal Bears deliver dominant two-way performance against FSU
The Golden Bears (16-2, 4-1 ACC) extended their winning streak to three games with an impressive all-around effort from their 11-player rotation.
The starting lineup excelled before the home crowd in Berkeley, CA. Lulu Twidale led the way with five three-pointers, finishing with 19 points and four assists. Ioanna Krimili contributed 18 points, seven rebounds, three assists and two steals while Marta Suarez added 17 points, seven rebounds and three assists.
Ugonne Onyiah chipped in 11 points, three rebounds and two steals while Kayla Williams had a balanced outing with seven points, seven rebounds, four assists and two steals. Off the bench, Natalia Ackerman and Gabrielle Abigor provided a spark, combining for 10 points, six rebounds and two blocks.
Defensively, the Bears held Florida State, the nation’s second-highest-scoring team, to 24 points below their season average. California grabbed 38 rebounds, recorded 10 steals and two blocks, and capitalized on FSU’s 16 turnovers, turning them into 21 points. The team also made 10 of 14 free throws off 19 fouls.
This marks Cal's best start since the 2012-13 season, when the Bears won 28 of their first 30 games and reached the Final Four. They opened the season with six straight victories before a narrow six-point loss to Michigan State, followed by another seven-game win streak before an 11-point defeat to Clemson.
The Bears, aiming for their first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2019, challenge No. 14 Duke (13-4, 4-1) on Thursday at the Cameron Indoor Stadium in Durham, North Carolina.
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