Florida State women’s basketball (9-18, 4-11 ACC) couldn’t withstand a late surge Thursday night, surrendering a fourth‑quarter avalanche in a 75-63 loss to California (17-11, 8-7) at the Donald L. Tucker Civic Center.
The Seminoles entered the final period with a 53-50 lead but were outscored 25-9 in the fourth, fading after three competitive quarters. The loss keeps FSU at No. 14 in the ACC standings with three games remaining. The Seminoles sit just ahead of Wake Forest (three ACC wins) and SMU (two), clinging to one of the final spots in the conference tournament picture.
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Cal’s LuLu Twidale took over late, scoring 17 of her 30 points in the fourth quarter. She finished 10 of 20 from the field with nine rebounds and six assists in 40 minutes.
FSU senior guard Sydney Bowles provided a spark off the bench, leading the Seminoles with 16 points on 6-of-12 shooting, including 4 of 7 from deep. Sole Williams added 13 points, 11 of them coming in the third quarter as FSU briefly seized control.
The Seminoles opened strong, hitting 7 of 9 free throws in the first quarter and generating five of their eight steals in the first half. Bowles closed the opening period with a buzzer-beating 3-pointer for an 18-16 lead, but Cal responded and carried a 32-30 advantage into halftime.
FSU regained momentum in the third, outscoring the Golden Bears 23-18 behind Williams’ scoring burst. But the Seminoles stalled late, unable to slow Twidale or match Cal’s execution down the stretch. The Bears built their largest lead—13 points—in the final minute as FSU’s offense went quiet.
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With only three games left and the postseason picture tightening, the Seminoles will need to regroup quickly to preserve their ACC tournament spot.
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What’s next for FSU basketball
With the Seminoles looking to secure their spot in the ACC tournament, they return to the Tucker Center to host Stanford on Sunday, Feb. 22, at 2 p.m.. This will be their final home game of the season.
The following week, they will be in North Carolina to face No. 9 Duke on Feb. 26 at 8 p.m., and conclude their regular season at Wake Forest on the first day of March at 4 p.m.
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2025-26 FSU Women’s Basketball Regular Season Schedule
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Nov. 3 Florida A&M, W, 112-39
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Nov. 6 Georgia Southern W 80-72
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Nov. 9 at UConn L, 99-67
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Nov. 12 Nicholls State W, 89-64
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Nov. 16 Indiana L, 76-72
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Nov. 20 at Florida, L 89-67
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Nov. 23 Illinois L 86-63
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Nov. 28 vs. Missouri State W 85-75
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Nov. 30 vs. No. 8 Oklahoma L 109-91
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Dec. 3 Georgia, L 80-60
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Dec. 7 Notre Dame L, 93-58
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Dec. 14 College of Charleston L 75-70
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Dec. 18 Virginia Tech L 79-54
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Dec. 20 South Carolina State W 89-41
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Jan 1 at Syracuse L, 82-72
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Jan. 4 Virginia L, 91-87 double OT
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Jan. 11 at Miami L 89-73
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Jan. 15 at Pittsburgh W 69-65
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Jan. 18 North Carolina L 82-55
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Jan. 22 at SMU W 73-51
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Jan. 25 Georgia Tech L 80-69
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Feb. 1 at Clemson L 77-58
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Feb. 5 at NC State L 88-55
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Feb. 12 Boston College W 85-76
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Feb. 15 at Louisville L 88-65
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Feb. 22 Stanford Tallahassee, Fla. – 2 PM | ACCN
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Feb. 26 at Duke Durham, N.C. – 8 PM | ACCN
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March 1 at Wake Forest Winston-Salem, N.C. – 4 PM | ACCN
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Peter Holland Jr. covers Florida State athletics for the Tallahassee Democrat. Contact him via email at PHolland@Gannett.com or on X @_Da_pistol.
This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: FSU women’s basketball falls to Cal after fourth-quarter collapse
