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| Players on the bench rejoice during the memorable win over Baylor. (Photo by Don Feria/ISIPhotos.com) |
Fans of women’s basketball are looking ahead while
reflecting on the success of the 2018-19 season.
Here are some highlights:
The team notched a 31-5 record, won the Pac-12
tournament and advanced to the NCAA tournament’s Elite Eight.
Perhaps its biggest win was its 68-63 home victory
over Baylor Dec. 15. It was the only loss for Baylor, which went on to take the
national championship.
Its biggest loss was also at home, an 88-48
thrashing by Oregon Feb. 10, but the Cardinal avenged the loss by defeating the
Ducks 64-57 March 10 to capture the conference trophy.
Now here are some details:
Most players arrived on campus June 23 for summer
classes starting June 25. They included the freshmen: guard Jenna Brown and
forward twins Lexie and Lacie Hull.
Senior guard Alexa Romano was in Peru for an
archeological project. Junior guard Anna Wilson was at home “trying to regroup”
after two seasons marred by injuries, said associate head coach Kate Paye.
Alyssa,
Jenna, Alanna play internationally
Then some players got international experience.
Sophomore forward Alyssa Jerome played for Canada’s Senior Women’s National
Team for a four-game exhibition series in China and Japan Aug. 1-7. She was the
team’s youngest player.
Jenna played with the USA U18 National Team that won
a gold medal in Mexico City in early August.
Later, senior forward Alanna Smith joined
Australia’s FIBA World Cup team that won silver in Spain on Sept. 30.
Fans got their first look at the team in open
practice Oct. 19. Senior guard Marta Sniezek was out of action with a right
hand injury that sidelined her all
season. Lexie didn’t participate but was running sprints on the sidelines.
Afterward, head coach Tara VanDerveer said, “We
have a really deep team,” that’s “a little ahead” of last year’s team at that
point.
String
of 7 wins in November
A better look came Nov. 1 with an 87-36 exhibition
defeat of visiting Vanguard. Jenna didn’t play because of what was reported as
a minor ankle injury.
The starters were Alanna, Lexie, junior forward
Nadia Fingall, junior guard DiJonai Carrington and sophomore guard Kiana
Williams. Alanna, DiJonai and Kiana were consistently the starters and high
scorers throughout the season.
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| Alyssa (10, Lacie (24) and Lexie (12) celebrate a good play against Davis. (Stanford Athletics) |
Competition started for real at home Nov. 7 when
UC Davis fell 71-43.
The team continued winning at home by toppling
Idaho 115-71 Nov. 11. That was the most points since 1994 and the fifth-highest
ever. The record is 122 against Cal State Fullerton in 1994.
Another home win came Nov. 15, 96-62 over the
University of San Francisco in a game honoring Native American Heritage Month.
The Nov. 18 home game against Ohio State was
canceled because of smoky air from wildfires to the north.
Three
wins in Honolulu tournament
Crossing the Pacific, the team chalked up three
more wins during a tournament in Honolulu: 88-65 over Florida Gulf Coast Nov.
23, 71-49 over American University Nov. 24 and 81-59 over the University of
Hawaii Nov. 25.
The last game was marred by an injury to Anna, who
had played in previous games, but she flew home with the team. On the plus
side, Lacie’s seven steals against American U. were the most by a Cardinal
since Candice Wiggins, ’08, against Old Dominion Nov. 24, 2007.
Still on the road, the team fell to Gonzaga 79-73
Dec. 2. SWBB also lost an important fan, Marian Cortesi, who died that morning
at age 88. She had been the devoted webmaster for the Fast Break Club website.
Baylor
falls to Stanford
After a break for finals, the team recorded its
landmark win over Baylor, 68-63, at home Dec. 15. After her team-leading 21
points, including five three’s, Alanna was named ESPNW and Pac 12 Player of the
Week.
Back on the road, Stanford beat previously
undefeated Tennessee 95-85 Dec. 18. DiJonai scored a career high 33 points
(plus 13 rebounds). Alanna was Ann Meyers Drysdale National Player of the Week.
Buffalo fell next, 62-55 there Dec. 21, giving the
team a 9-1 record for its best start since the 2013-14 season. Lacie was named
Pac-12 Freshman of the Week.
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| Maya gets instructions from Tara before returning to the Cal State Northridge game. (Stanford Athletics) |
Coasting to a 69-43 victory over Cal State
Northridge at home Dec. 29, the team finished its pre-conference season 10-1.
Sophomore forward Maya Dodson led the scoring with 16 points. Anna was out for
the fourth time after her injury in November, while Lexie missed her eighth
game because of a foot injury.
Part 2: Pac-12
play
