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| Players on the bench help cheer their teammates to victory. |
Playing at home, the Stanford women had their way
against Washington and won 91-54 on
on Jan. 18.
All 11 available players joined the action for at
least six minutes, and no one played more than 29 minutes.
 |
| Alanna goes for two. |
Even so, senior forward Alanna Smith poured in 27
points and had 13 rebounds to go with three blocks. Sophomore guard Kiana
Williams wasn’t far behind with 22 points and four steals.
Junior guard DiJonai Carrington had 12 points, 11
rebounds and five assists. Junior guard Anna Wilson (five points) also had five
assists to add to the team’s total of 18.
By way of contrast, the Huskies had only eight
assists and, hounded by smothering defense, no one in double figures. They
snagged only 32 rebounds compared with the Cardinal’s 45.
After
Kiana’s three, team surges ahead
Stanford led from start to finish as Kiana scored
from beyond the arc almost immediately. By the time the final buzzer sounded,
Stanford had made 13 three’s, led by Kiana’s four. Alanna had three.
Freshman forward Lacie Hull had two, as did
little-used junior guard Mikaela Brewer in just six minutes. Anna and freshman
forward Lexie Hull had one each.
Washington had 22 turnovers compared with
Stanford’s 13, several of which seemed to come from passes that went astray.
Kiana accounted for two of Washington’s turnovers
in a row as she sped down the court for easy layups.
The starting lineup was familiar with Alanna,
DiJonai, Lacie, Kiana and sophomore forward Alyssa Jerome.
Still missing in action were senior guard Marta
Sniezek, who hasn’t played at all because of a hand injury; junior forward
Nadia Fingall, who has a season-ending torn ACL; and sophomore forward Maya
Dodson, who has a foot injury. She’s expected to return, but there’s been no
specific timetable. Unlike past games, she was walking without a boot.
The crowd of 2,535 was bolstered by the full
student contingent of band, Tree, Dollies and cheerleaders.
Everything started on the right note when the
Fisher Middle School choir of Los Gatos sang a harmonious national anthem.
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| Girls wearing the colorful headbands join the team at attention during the national anthem. |
Bright
new source of red for fans
Then there was a new note to the starters’
introduction. Stanford Federal Credit Union, the game’s sponsor, had set up a mobile
branch outside the southwest entrance and tables in the concourse to hand out
unique souvenirs. They were black plastic headbands to which were attached long
red ribbons and red translucent tubes that flashed.
They were a big hit with fans, some of whom wore
them around their necks to drape down their chests like flashing bibs.
When the lights dimmed for the starters’
introduction, announcer Betty Ann Hagenau asked fans to make sure their
headbands were turned on. The result was an awe-inspiring sea of blinking red
throughout Maples.
Now with a 15-1 overall record and an unbeaten
record at home, the team hopes to continue that streak when Washington State
visits at noon Jan. 20.
If the Cardinal prevail, head coach Tara VanDerveer
will have notched 900 wins on the Farm. Her overall win total is more than
1,000.
The team heads for the mountains to play Colorado
at 6 p.m. Jan. 25 and Utah at 11 a.m. Jan. 27.
Photos
by Karen Hickey/Stanford Athletics
