Berkeley, CA (SportsNetwork.com) - Imani McGee-Stafford scored 20 points and pulled down 11 rebounds as the Texas Longhorns held on for the 73-70 win over the California Golden Bears in the second round of the Albany Region of the NCAA Tournament at Haas Pavilion.
Also scoring in double figures for the fifth-seeded Longhorns (24-10) were Brooke McCarty with 16 points and Kelsey Lang with 14 off the bench, followed by Empress Davenport with 11 points, five rebounds and five assists, although she was also charged with half her team's 14 turnovers as well.
With the win, Texas will now have to take on the survivor of the UConn/Rutgers meeting in the next round this coming week.
The fourth-seeded Golden Bears (24-10) were paced by Mercedes Jefflo with a game-high 22 points, shooting 6-of-12 behind the 3-point line but only 2-of-9 from the floor otherwise. Brittany Boyd came within a rebound of a triple- double with her 17 points and game-high 10 assists, followed by Courtney Range with 12 points and six boards in a reserve role.
California led by as many as eight points in the first half, despite shooting only 37.0 percent from the floor, yet even with a mere 1-of-4 effort on the perimeter through the first 20 minutes of action, Texas was able to tie the score at the break, 27-27.
The offense opened up for both teams following intermission, the visitors hitting on 50.0 percent from the floor and withstanding a 7-of-14 showing by Cal beyond the arc, en route to the narrow win.
Texas, which outscored the Golden Bears in the paint by a 46-18 margin, forced 20 turnovers in order to help overcome a mere 1-of-8 shooting on the perimeter.
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