Dai Dai Ames' four-point play in final seconds lifts Cal to 72-71 victory over Notre Dame

Updated: Jan 3, 2026, 05:42 pm

BERKELEY, Calif. -- — Dai Dai Ames had a four-point play with five seconds left, scoring 18 of his 23 points in the second half to rally California to a 72-71 victory over Notre Dame on Friday night.

Ames' heroics also included a 3-pointer with 11 seconds remaining that cut Notre Dame's lead to 69-68. The junior made 9 of 16 shots — 4 of 9 from beyond the arc.

Chris Bell had 15 points and Justin Pippen scored 14 for the Golden Bears (13-2, 1-1 Atlantic Coast Conference). Lee Dort had 11 rebounds.

Braeden Shrewsberry sank five 3-pointers and scored 21 to pace the Fighting Irish (10-5, 1-1). Shrewsberry was 6 for 6 at the free-throw line, while his teammates made 10 of 20. Jalen Haralson had 17 points and Cole Certa made three 3-pointers and scored 16 off the bench. Carson Towt had 15 rebounds to go with eight points.

Certa hit a 3-pointer to give the Fighting Irish their largest lead at 25-13 with 8:36 left before halftime. Semetri Carr's only basket of the half was a 3-pointer with two seconds left, cutting the Golden Bears' deficit to 31-27 at the break.

Pippen hit a 3-pointer to finish a 17-11 run at the start of the second half and Cal moved ahead 44-42 — its first lead since 5-2 — with 14:13 left to play.

The Bears played with a lead until Certa hit back-to-back 3-pointers to give the Irish a 65-63 lead with 3:10 remaining.

The Irish beat the visiting Bears 112-110 in four overtimes in March — their first matchup as ACC rivals.

Up next

California: At No. 21 Virginia on Wednesday.

Notre Dame: Hosts Clemson on Jan. 10.

------

Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here and here (AP News mobile app). AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball