# 2024–25 California Golden Bears women's basketball team

The 2024–25 California Golden Bears women's basketball team will represent the University of California, Berkeley during the 2024–25 NCAA Division I women's basketball season. The Golden Bears will be led by sixth-year head coach Charmin Smith and will play their home games at Haas Pavilion. They will compete as first year members of the Atlantic Coast Conference.

## Previous season

The Golden Bears finished the season 19–15, 7–11 in Pac-12 play to finish in a tie for eighth place. As an eighth seed in the Pac-12 women's tournament they defeated Washington State in the First Round before falling to first-seed Stanford in the Quarterfinals. They received an at-large invitation to the WBIT where they defeated Hawaii in the First Round before losing to Saint Joseph's in the Second Round.

## Offseason
### Departures

California Departures :
| Name | Num. | Pos. | Height | Year | Hometown | Reason for departure |
| Leilani McIntosh | 1 | G | 5'5" | Graduate Student | Phoenix, Arizona | Graduated |
| Ila Lane | 12 | F/C | 6'4" | Graduate Student | Moraga, California | Graduated |
| Alma Elsnitz | 14 | G | 5'11" | Senior | Stockholm, Sweden | Graduated |
| Kemery Martín | 15 | G | 6'0" | Junior | Sandy, Utah | Transferred to BYU |
| Mia Mastrov | 21 | G | 5'11" | Junior | Lafayette, California | Graduated |
| McKayla Williams | 24 | G | 6'1" | Senior | Los Angeles, California | Graduated |
| Ornela Muca | 31 | G | 5'7" | Senior | Athens, Greece | Transferred to Pepperdine |

### Incoming Transfers

Incoming Transfers :
| Name | Num | Pos. | Height | Year | Hometown | Previous School |
| Jayda Noble | 2 | G | 5'11" | Graduate Student | Spokane, Washington | Washington |
| Kayla Williams | 4 | G | 5'7" | Graduate Student | Los Angeles, California | USC |
| Gisella Maul | 12 | G | 5'11" | Sophomore | Cedar Park, Texas | Texas |

### Recruiting

Source:
College recruiting information :
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight |
| Gabrielle Abigor C | Walnut Creek, California | Berean Christian | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | N/A |
| Star ratings: Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A ESPN: N/A ESPN grade: NR ||||||
| Sofia Bowes G | San Ramon, California | San Ramon Valley | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) | N/A |
| Star ratings: Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A ESPN: N/A ESPN grade: NR ||||||
| Lola Donez G | Lahaina, Hawaii | Lahainaluna | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) | N/A |
| Star ratings: Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A ESPN: N/A ESPN grade: NR ||||||
| Kamryn Mafua G/F | Folsom, California | Folsom | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | N/A |
| Star ratings: Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A ESPN: ESPN grade: 94 ||||||
| Zahra King G | Brooklyn, New York | Westtown | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) | N/A |
| Star ratings: Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A ESPN: ESPN grade: 92 ||||||
| Overall recruiting rankings: ||||||
| Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: ||||||

## Schedule and results

| Date time, TV | Rank$^#$ | Opponent$^#$ | Result | Record | High points | High rebounds | High assists | Site (attendance) city, state |
| Exhibition |||||||||
| October 31, 2024* 7:00 p.m. | | Vanguard | W 83–47 | – | – | – | – | Haas Pavilion Berkeley, CA |
| Regular season |||||||||
| November 4, 2024* 6:00 p.m., ACCNX | | Saint Mary's | W 90–58 | 1–0 | 24 – Twidale | 8 – Suárez | 6 – Williams | Haas Pavilion (1,231) Berkeley, CA |
| November 7, 2024* 11:00 a.m., ACCNX | | Idaho State | W 88–36 | 2–0 | 18 – Krimili | 8 – Onyiah | 6 – Twidale | Haas Pavilion (5,066) Berkeley, CA |
| November 9, 2024* 1:00 p.m., MW Network | | at San Jose State | W 82–53 | 3–0 | 18 – Krimili | 10 – Onyiah | 2 – Tied | Provident Credit Union Event Center (1,228) San Jose, CA |
| November 14, 2024* 6:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | at Gonzaga | W 86–65 | 4–0 | 25 – Williams | 6 – Onyiah | 6 – Williams | McCarthey Athletic Center (5,060) Spokane, WA |
| November 20, 2024* 7:00 p.m., ACCNX | | Grambling State | W 86–63 | 5–0 | 19 – Twidale | 7 – Ackerman | 6 – Krimili | Haas Pavilion (1,153) Berkeley, CA |
| November 22, 2024* 6:00 p.m., ACCNX | | Auburn | W 63–59 | 6–0 | 22 – Twidale | 8 – Tied | 6 – Krimili | Haas Pavilion (1,341) Berkeley, CA |
| November 26, 2024* 11:00 a.m., TruTV | | vs. Michigan State Acrisure Holiday Invitational semifinal | L 72–78 | 6–1 | 20 – Twidale | 11 – Suárez | 5 – Krimili | Acrisure Arena (325) Palm Springs, CA |
| November 27, 2024* 11:00 a.m., TruTV | | vs. Arizona Acrisure Holiday Invitational-Third Place Game | W 74–62 | 7–1 | 25 – Onyiah | 13 – Onyiah | 6 – Tied | Acrisure Arena (315) Palm Springs, CA |
| December 5, 2024* 6:00 p.m., ESPNU | | No. 19 Alabama ACC–SEC Challenge | W 69–65 | 8–1 | 21 – Williams | 9 – Onyiah | 6 – Suárez | Haas Pavilion (1,432) Berkeley, CA |
| December 7, 2024* 2:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | at Pacific | W 74–66 | 9–1 | 22 – Krimili | 5 – Tied | 6 – Williams | Spanos Center (819) Stockton, CA |
| December 13, 2024 7:00 p.m., ACCNX | | Stanford | W 83–63 | 10–1 (1–0) | 21 – Suárez | 7 – Tied | 6 – Suárez | Haas Pavilion (3,189) Berkeley, CA |
| December 15, 2024* 2:00 p.m., ACCNX | | Austin Peay | W 71–45 | 11–1 | 18 – Williams | 8 – Williams | 6 – Williams | Haas Pavilion (1,428) Berkeley, CA |
| December 21, 2024* 5:00 p.m., ACCNX | No. 24 | Fordham Raising the B.A.R Invitational semifinal | W 69–53 | 12–1 | 19 – Krimili | 6 – Tied | 4 – Krimili | Haas Pavilion (1,856) Berkeley, CA |
| December 22, 2024* 5:00 p.m., ACCNX | No. 24 | Temple Raising the B.A.R Invitational championship game | W 89–63 | 13–1 | 20 – Tied | 7 – Tied | 5 – Williams | Haas Pavilion (1,912) Berkeley, CA |
| January 2, 2025 4:00 p.m., ACCNX | No. 20 | at Clemson | L 58–69 | 13–2 (1–1) | 18 – Krimili | 10 – Onyiah | 4 – Williams | Littlejohn Coliseum (1,143) Clemson, SC |
| January 5, 2025 3:00 p.m., ACCN | No. 20 | at SMU | W 81–66 | 14–2 (2–1) | 19 – Suárez | 6 – Suárez | 7 – Williams | Moody Coliseum (1,323) University Park, TX |
| January 9, 2025 7:00 p.m., ACCNX | No. 24 | No. 21 NC State | W 78–71 | 15–2 (3–1) | 17 – Suárez | 12 – Suárez | 6 – Williams | Haas Pavilion (1,874) Berkeley, CA |
| January 12, 2025 2:00 p.m., ACCNX | No. 24 | Florida State | W 82–70 | 16–2 (4–1) | 19 – Twidale | 7 – Tied | 4 – Tied | Haas Pavilion (2,311) Berkeley, CA |
| January 16, 2025 5:00 p.m., ACCN | No. 18 | at No. 16 Duke | L 38–72 | 16–3 (4–2) | 8 – Williams | 7 – Suárez | 3 – Tied | Cameron Indoor Stadium (2,428) Durham, NC |
| January 19, 2025 11:00 a.m., ACCNX | No. 18 | at Wake Forest | W 67–55 | 17–3 (5–2) | 16 – Suárez | 10 – Onyiah | 5 – Tied | LJVM Coliseum (1,123) Winston-Salem, NC |
| January 23, 2025 7:00 p.m., ACCNX | No. 22 | at Stanford | W 75–72 | 18–3 (6–2) | 18 – Williams | 7 – Suárez | 4 – Twidale | Maples Pavilion (3,599) Stanford, CA |
| January 30, 2025 7:00 p.m., ACCNX | No. 19 | No. 15 North Carolina | L 52–65 | 18–4 (6–3) | 20 – Krimili | 8 – Suárez | 4 – Tied | Haas Pavilion (2,866) Berkeley, CA |
| February 2, 2025 2:00 p.m., ACCNX | No. 19 | Pittsburgh | W 84–53 | 19–4 (7–3) | 16 – Tied | 9 – Onyiah | 4 – Krimili | Haas Pavilion (2,733) Berkeley, CA |
| February 6, 2025 5:00 p.m., ACCN | No. 21 | at Louisville | L 63–70 | 19–5 (7–4) | 15 – Onyiah | 11 – Onyiah | 4 – Williams | KFC Yum! Center (7,093) Louisville, KY |
| February 9, 2025 11:00 a.m., ACCN | No. 21 | at No. 3 Notre Dame | L 52–91 | 19–6 (7–5) | 14 – Twidale | 8 – Suárez | 3 – Tied | Purcell Pavilion (8,864) Notre Dame, IN |
| February 13, 2025 7:00 p.m., ACCNX | | Boston College | W 72–63 | 20–6 (8–5) | 21 – Onyiah | 11 – Onyiah | 6 – Williams | Haas Pavilion (2,007) Berkeley, CA |
| February 16, 2025 3:00 p.m., ACCNX | | Syracuse | W 75–69 | 21–6 (9–5) | 21 – Williams | 6 – Tied | 5 – Williams | Haas Pavilion (3,849) Berkeley, CA |
| February 20, 2025 4:00 p.m., ACCNX | | at Virginia | W 76–70 | 22–6 (10–5) | 18 – Tied | 11 – Onyiah | 5 – Tied | John Paul Jones Arena (5,496) Charlottesville, VA |
| February 23, 2025 11:00 a.m., ACCN | | at Virginia Tech | L 84–87 | 22–7 (10–6) | 20 – Suárez | 10 – Suárez | 5 – Tied | Cassell Coliseum (6,051) Blacksburg, VA |
| February 27, 2025 7:00 p.m., ACCNX | | Georgia Tech | W 79–65 | 23–7 (11–6) | 24 – Onyiah | 10 – Onyiah | 6 – Twidale | Haas Pavilion (1,933) Berkeley, CA |
| March 2, 2025 2:00 p.m., ACCNX | | Miami | W 82–63 | 24–7 (12–6) | 26 – Onkyiah | 10 – Tied | 6 – Twidale | Haas Pavilion (3,295) Berkeley, CA |
| ACC Women's Tournament |||||||||
| March 6, 2025 2:00 p.m., ACCN | (7) | vs. (10) Virginia Second round | W 75–58 | 25–7 | 26 – Tied | 10 – Tied | 4 – Tied | Greensboro Coliseum (5,828) Greensboro, NC |
| March 7, 2025 2:00 p.m., ESPN2 | (7) | vs. (2) No. 6 Notre Dame Quarterfinals | L 64–73 | 25–8 | 16 – Twidale | 11 – Suárez | 4 – Krimili | Greensboro Coliseum (7,108) Greensboro, NC |
| NCAA Women's Tournament |||||||||
| March 22, 2025 2:30 p.m., ESPN2 | (8 S4) | vs. (9 S4) Mississippi State Round of 64 | | | | | | Galen Center Los Angeles, CA |
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. S4=Spokane 4. All times are in Pacific Time. |||||||||
Source:

## Rankings

Ranking movements Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking — = Not ranked RV = Received votes :
| | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week |
| Poll | Pre | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | Final |
| AP | — | — | — | — | — | RV | 24 | 21 | 20 | 24 | 18 | 22 | 19 | 21 | RV | RV | RV | RV | RV | RV | |
| Coaches | RV | — | — | — | — | RV | RV | 24 | 23 | 25 | 18 | 21 | 18 | 21 | RV | RV | RV | RV | RV | RV | |