Pitt
Cal
Pitt Primed For Showdown With No. 19 Cal Sunday
2/1/2025 5:32:00 PM | Women's Basketball
PITTSBURGH – Seeking its first win over a ranked opponent since the 2014-15 campaign, the Pitt women's basketball team will travel to face No. 19 Cal Sunday evening at Haas Pavilion in Berkeley, Calif.
Tipoff is slated for 5:00 p.m. ET, and the game can be streamed via ACCNX.
Need to Know - Game 23
Pitt (9-13, 1-8 ACC) at Cal (18-4, 6-3 ACC)
Sunday, Feb. 2, 2025 – 5:00 p.m. ET
Berkeley, Calif. – Haas Pavilion
The Opening Tip
Faye Continues to Shine
Graduate center Khadija Faye is coming off a dynamic 21-point, 15-rebound performance against Stanford. Faye has been one of the best bigs in the ACC this season, averaging 17.7 points and 9.5 rebounds per game. Specifically in league play, she is averaging 18.9 points, 8.6 boards and 3.0 blocks.
From the Chalk
The Panthers have consistently gotten to the charity stripe, ranking fourth in the ACC with 379 free throw attempts this season. Faye has been the catalyst in that regard individually, ranking first in the ACC in free throw attempts (148).
Stifled the Cardinal
Defensively, the Panthers had arguably their best performance of the season Thursday, holding the Cardinal to just 19-of-59 (32.2 percent) shooting from the field and 5-for-29 (17.2 percent) from beyond the arc.
Of note, Pitt held Stanford to under 25 percent shooting from the floor in the first, second and fourth quarters, respectively.
Series History
- Sunday will mark the second all-time meeting between Pitt and Cal, as the Golden Bears lead the series (1-0).
- The only previous matchup between the two sides came during the Oakland Tribune Classic on Dec. 20, 1998.
- Pitt has never played a true road game at Cal.
Scouting the Golden Bears
- Cal has compiled an 18-4 record this season and is currently ranked No. 19 nationally.
- The Golden Bears are 6-3 in ACC play and coming off a 13-point loss to No. 15 North Carolina on Thursday.
- All five starters for Cal average 10+ points.
- Ionna Krimili leads the way at 15.4 points per game.
- The Golden Bears rank third in the ACC in 3-point field goal percentage at 36.2 percent.
- They also rank eighth in the league in scoring offense, averaging 74.0 points per contest.
Last Time Out - at Stanford
Pitt fell to Stanford, 58-46, Thursday evening at Maples Pavilion in Stanford, Calif.
Both sides came out strong defensively, as the two teams combined to shoot 3-of-15 from the field over the first five minutes of action. Despite holding Stanford to 0-of-10 shooting from 3-point range, the Panthers trailed 11-6 to close the first quarter.
The Panthers and Cardinal exchanged baskets to open the second frame, as Stanford held a 15-12 lead going into the under-five media timeout. Stanford outscored Pitt, 4-2, over the final four minutes of the quarter, taking a 19-14 advantage into the halftime break. Individually, the Panthers were paced by Faye – who logged four points, eight rebounds and five blocks in the first half.
A pair of Faye free throws opened the second half scoring, but the Cardinal immediately responded with a 7-2 burst. After trailing by nine at the 6:58 mark, Pitt scored back-to-back buckets to pull within five (29-24), forcing a Stanford timeout.
The Cardinal then went on a 10-4 spurt to take an 11-point lead with just over two minutes remaining in the third frame. Pitt cut its deficit to seven entering the fourth quarter at 41-34.
Led by Faye and Johnson, the Panthers continued to exchange baskets with Stanford in the fourth quarter but were unable to cut into the deficit – before ultimately falling, 58-46.
Up Next
The Panthers return home to face Boston College on Thursday, Feb. 6. Tipoff is slated for 6 p.m., and the game can be streamed via ACCNX.
