Happy holidays with two more wins

 

The team celebrates after defeating Oregon. (Supryia Limaye/ISI Photos)

Heading into the Christmas break, the Stanford women’s basketball team racked up two more wins, upping its record to 11-2.

Washington fell 67-62 on Dec. 19, followed by Oregon 64-53 on Dec. 21.

No Nunu, no problem against Washington

Well, maybe a few, but Stanford came out on top, defeating No. 22-ranked Washington 67-62 at home on Dec. 19.

Despite being short-handed – Nunu was out along with freshman forward Nora Ezike and sophomore center Kennedy Umeh, minus the sling on her right arm – all eight of the players who got into the game scored. Four of them were in double figures.

They were led by freshman forward Lara Somfai with 14 points. She was followed by freshman guard Hailee Swain with 13, junior forward Courtney Ogden with 12 and junior guard Chloe Clardy with 11.

Junior forward Mary Ashley Stevenson replaced Nunu in the starting lineup. She was joined by Lara, Hailee, Courtney and senior guard Talana Lepolo.

Stanford led the game for just over six minutes. The lead changed nine times, and the score was tied seven times.

The fourth quarter was decisive as Stanford outscored Washington by 13 points after trailing by eight points at the end of the third quarter.

One fourth-quarter highlight came with just under five minutes to go. Sophomore guard Shay Ijiwoye was driving to the basket when she was fouled and sent sprawling to the floor.

An official review ruled the foul a flagrant one. That meant that the Stanford coaches could choose any player to try two free throws and that Stanford would get the ball afterward.

Talana stepped up to the line and made both free throws, giving Stanford a 2-point lead.

Some deliberate fouls by Washington gave Stanford more free throws that helped to secure the win. For the game, Stanford made 14 of 18 free throws, compared with Washington’s four of five.

Washington capitalized from the three-point line by sinking eight treys, while Stanford had only three – two by Chloe and one by Talana.

Washington also outrebounded Stanford 36-29 but had more turnovers, 16 vs. 10.

Prior to tipoff, new Stanford president John Levin was introduced. Then the video board featured Bri Roberson, ’17, recalling when Stanford beat Washington 72-68 there on Jan. 29, 2017, before a crowd of some 10,000, according to my records.

During the third quarter, the camera zoomed in on Krista Rappahahn Birnie,’06, a Stanford Medicine pediatrician, with her husband and children.

Cardinal drop Ducks

Although her scoring was limited to 5 points, Nunu returned to action and snared 11 rebounds as the team defeated Oregon 64-53 in the Invisalign Bay Area Women’s Classic in San Francisco’s Chase Center on Dec. 21.

Kennedy and Nora were still unavailable, but 10 players got into the game, reflecting a team effort in the win.

Four players scored in the double digits, led by Courtney with 20. She was followed by Lara with 14, Chloe with 11 and Hailee with 10.

Stanford led for more than 36 minutes in a game that saw only three lead changes and two ties.

Still, the game didn’t seem firmly in Stanford’s hands until the fourth quarter, when the Cardinal outscored the Ducks by 8 points, 20-12.

It was a somewhat sloppy game with both teams committing 16 turnovers, but Stanford had more assists and steals. Three-point shooting was mediocre with four by Stanford: Lara with two and Courtney and Chloe with one each.

What’s on tap

After a quick Christmas break, Stanford closes out its pre-conference schedule by hosting Cornell at 1 p.m. Dec. 28.

Then it’s across the country for a New Year’s Day date with North Carolina State at 11 a.m., followed by North Carolina at 10 a.m. Jan. 4. 

Both games will be streamed on ACC, while the North Carolina game also will be shown on ESPN.

The team will have to hustle back to campus for the start of winter quarter classes on Jan. 5.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Courtney leads team to victory over Cal

 

Courtney shoots on her way to 25 points. (Bob Drebin/ISI Photos)

Buoyed by junior forward Courtney Ogden’s career-high 25 points, the Stanford women’s basketball team defeated cross-bay rival Cal 78-69 on Dec. 14 in Maples.

She was joined in the double-digit ranks by two fellow juniors, guard Chloe Clardy with 13 and forward Nunu Agara with 12. Freshman forward Lara Somfai had her fourth double-double of the year with 12 points and 13 rebounds along with a career-high three blocks.

For their efforts, Courtney was named ACC Co-Player of the Week while Lara was voted ACC Rookie of the Week for games played between Dec. 8 and 14, according to Stanford Athletics.

Nevertheless, victory didn’t come easily. It was a rough-and-tumble affair with seven lead changes and six ties. Each team had just over 17 minutes with the lead, but Stanford’s 26-14 advantage in the fourth quarter clinched the game.

The Cardinal showed improvement from some earlier games with eight 3’s and only six turnovers to go with 13 assists.

The 3’s came courtesy of Chloe with three, Lara with two and one each from Courtney, freshman guard Hailee Swain and senior guard Talana Lepolo.

The crowd of 2,957 included a busload of Cal fans who were given yellow leis as they got off the bus. Few Stanford students were in evidence because the fall quarter had ended two days earlier.

Sophomore center Kennedy Umeh’s right arm was still in a sling, but everyone else was available.

During one timeout, the video board featured a pep talk by Lindy La Roque, ’12, who’s now head coach at UNLV. The video showed one of her most memorable plays when she fell but passed the ball to a teammate who scored.

Later, Fran Belibi, ’23, also gave a pep talk as the video showed one of her signature dunks.

With classes and finals in the rear view mirror, the team has time off from academics to focus on practice and the next two games: Washington at home at 7 p.m. Dec. 19 and Oregon in Chase Center, San Francisco, at 3 p.m. Dec. 21.

Then there’s a quick Christmas break before the team hosts Cornell at 1 p.m. Dec. 28.

 

 

 

Last-minute hopes dissolve as Tennessee wins 65-62

 Renewing a former long-standing rivalry, the Stanford women’s basketball team hosted No. 19–ranked Tennessee but lost 65-62 on Dec. 4.

Analysts could cite numerous reasons for the loss.

Chief among them were Stanford’s season-worst 30 turnovers, compared with 16 by the Vols.

Then there was Tennessee’s stifling, physical defense and its full-court pressure on Stanford’s inbound plays. Just getting the ball past the center-court line took great effort.

Some in the crowd of nearly 5,000 might also point to the officiating, which they might say didn’t help Stanford.

With a starting lineup of senior guard Talana Lepolo, junior forwards Nunu Agara and Courtney Ogden along with two freshmen, forward Lara Somfai and guard Hailee Swain, Stanford enjoyed a 16-14 lead after the first quarter. Then, Tennessee outscored the Cardinal in the next three quarters.

Still, it was a back-and-forth game with six ties and five lead changes.

Although Stanford trailed 62-57 with just over three minutes to go in the fourth quarter, it still had hope.

With just under a minute to go, Nunu scored a 3-pointer to make the score 62-60 in Tennessee’s favor.

Lara could have tied the game but missed two free throws. Instead, Nunu rebounded and scored to secure the tie with just over 12 seconds left.

Tennessee scored again with 6.7 seconds left, giving Stanford the ball. But when Lara committed her fourth foul with 5 seconds left, Tennessee made a free throw for one more point. Game over.

Both Nunu and Hailee scored 14 points to lead the team. Nunu also had 11 rebounds for a double-double. Junior guard Chloe Clardy added 12 points while Lara had 10.

Courtney was limited by fouls and fouled out with just over eight minutes to go in the fourth quarter.

Tennessee’s coach employed a platoon-style substitution strategy, frequently changing all five players.

Stanford had 14 available players. Sophomore center Kennedy Umeh, who had a sling on her right arm, was unavailable.

The crowd included some Tennessee fans, while Stanford students packed the lower north section.

Among those students was the women’s gymnastic team, the reigning 2024 ACC champion, which led Conga on the Court after the first quarter.

A camera panning the stands during the second quarter showed new football coach Tavita Pritchard with his family.

Shortly thereafter, the football team paraded onto the court showing off the Axe trophy, which it had regained by recently defeating Cal in the 128^th Big Game.

The crowd had a chance to cheer the 2025 ACC champion women’s volleyball team during the third quarter.

And then there was a quick glimpse of SWBB great Jayne Appel-Marinelli, ’10, with her family during the fourth quarter.

The team has a break from competition to focus on academics with classes ending Dec. 5 and finals through Dec. 12.

Competition resumes at 1 p.m. Dec. 14 when Cal visits, followed by Washington at 7 p.m. Dec. 19. Both games will be streamed on ACCNX. The team will play Oregon at 1 p.m. Dec. 21 in San Francisco’s Chase Center. ESPN will televise this game.

 

Las Vegas trip leaves team at 8-1

 After Florida Gulf Coast dealt the Stanford women’s basketball team its first loss of the season, 66-62 on Nov. 28, the Cardinal bounced back to do the same against Colorado State, 62-60, on Nov. 29.

Therefore, score 62 points one day, you lose; score 62 points the next day, you win.

Both games were part of the Resorts World Las Vegas Classic.

Starters for both games were senior guard Talana Lepolo, freshman guard Hailee Swain, junior forward Courtney Ogden, junior forward Nunu Agara and freshman forward Lara Somfai.

FGCU controlled most of the Nov, 28 game, which saw five lead changes and six ties.

When Stanford was down 8 points with just over three minutes to go, it started fouling in hopes of regaining the ball and the advantage, but the strategy didn’t work.

Nunu led the team with 22 points. Junior guard Chloe Clardy with 16 points was her only teammate in double figures.

Despite the loss, Stanford controlled the boards and was 16-18 on free throws, but committed 18 turnovers to FGCU’s 16.

The team’s four 3’s came from Nunu, Lara, Courtney and Chloe.

Big comeback fuels win

A similar scenario seemed to be playing out Nov. 9 against Colorado State, but this time some last-minute heroics saved the day.

The team was down 53-45 with just under seven minutes to go before going on a 13-0 spurt over the next 5:02.

Courtney “had a mini 7-0 spurt right in the middle, and when she hit a 3-pointer to put the Cardinal up 54-53 and force a Ram timeout with 3:10 to go, Stanford had its first lead in nearly 10 minutes,” Stanford Athletics reported.

With two-tenths of a second left, Chloe hit a driving layup to ice the win.

As with FGCU, Stanford trailed most of the game in a seesaw battle with seven lead changes and eight ties.

Nunu led the team with 18 points followed by Courtney with 15.

Lara, who earlier in the week had been named National Freshman of the Week, had nine points and a career-high 16 rebounds, “the best single-game rebounding performance for a Cardinal freshman since Kaylee Johnson had 17 against Washington on Feb. 2, 2015,” Stanford Athletics reported.

Nunu, Courtney, Talana and freshman guard Carly Amborn accounted for the team’s four 3’s.

Next up: Stanford hosts longtime rival Tennessee at 6:15 p.m. Dec. 3. The game will air on ESPN2.

The last day of classes is Dec. 5 followed by a week of finals before the winter quarter starts Jan. 5.

Two more wins leave team''s record perfect at 7-0

 

The Stanford women’s basketball team kept its record perfect at 7-0 after defeating UC Davis 70-45 on Nov. 20 and Lehigh 98-43 on Nov. 23, both at home.

In the team’s 70-45 victory over UC Davis, the dynamic duo of junior forward Nunu Agara and freshman forward Lara Somfai produced two double-doubles: 16 points, 16 rebounds by Nunu and 14 points, 12 rebounds by Lara.

Junior guard Chloe Clardy completed the double-digit club with 11 points.  

In this season’s first six games, “the Cardinal limited its opponent to fewer than 60 points in all six, the program’s longest stretch holding six consecutive opponents under 60 since Feb. 24 – March 28, 2022,” according to Stanford Athletics.

Senior guard Talana Lepolo, freshman guard Hailee Swain, junior forward Courtney Ogden, Nunu and Lara were the starters.

Senior guard Lauren Green, sophomore center Kennedy Umeh and freshman forward Nora Ezike again were unavailable, but the other 12 players got into the game, and most contributed in some way.

The game started slowly with no score for the first three minutes until Lara netted a 3-pointer. The first Aggies basket came shortly after.

In all, the Cardinal had five 3’s. In addition to Lara, who added another later in the game, they came from Talana, Chloe and sophomore forward Harper Peterson.

The score was tied at 5-5 with about five minutes to go in the first quarter. Stanford surged ahead then and never looked back.

UC Davis did produce a highlight moment during the final seconds of the third quarter when an Aggies player scored from behind the center court line just before the buzzer.

On hand to watch the game was Lara’s father, who had flown in from their home in Australia.

Absolute dominance over Lehigh

With a 3-pointer by Lara, the team started fast and didn’t look back in its 98-43 defeat of Lehigh on Nov. 23.

Nunu led the team with 24 points on perfect 10-10 shooting.

Joining her in the double-digit club were Lara with 15 points, Hailee with 12, and junior forward Mary Ashley Stevenson and freshman guard Carly Amborn, both with 10.

Only Kennedy was still unavailable. Otherwise everyone else got into the game.

The team’s seven 3’s came from Chloe and Carly with two each, along with one each by Nunu, Lara and sophomore guard Shay Ijiwoye.

There was perfection at the free-throw line, 15-15.

In an interesting reversal of numbers, the home team had 17 assists and nine turnovers, while the team from Bethlehem, Pa., had 17 turnovers and nine assists.

“As a team, the Cardinal shot 66.7 percent from the floor (38-of-57), the third-best mark in program history,” according to Stanford Athletics.

After Nunu’s standout performances against UC Davis and Lehigh, she was named ACC Player of the Week on Nov. 24.

The team will spend the Thanksgiving holiday in Las Vegas to play Florida Gulf Coast at 5 p.m. Nov. 28 and Colorado State at 5 p.m. in the Resorts World Classic. Both games will be shown on FloCollege.

After that, it’s back home to host Tennessee at 6:15 p.m. Dec. 3.

The last day of classes is Dec. 5, followed by finals week.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Team moves to 5-0 after two wins in Washington

 

Freshman Hailee Swain led the win against WSU with 10 points. (Stanford Athletics)

Chalk up two more wins for the Stanford women’s basketball team after its first road trip of the season took it to the Evergreen State

That’s where Washington State fell 54-46 in Pullman on Nov. 14 and Gonzaga lost 65-52 in Spokane on Nov. 16.

Thus the team maintained an unblemished record of 5-0.

Starters for both games were freshman guard Hailee Swain, junior forward Nunu Agara, freshman forward Lara Somfai, junior forward Courtney Ogden and senior guard Talana Lepolo.

The victory over Washington State was nothing like the previous three wins that had opened the season. Those games were dominant, high-scoring affairs in which multiple Stanford players recorded double points.

This time only one player, Hailee with 10 points, was in double digits. However, eight of the nine players who got into the game contributed points and rebounds.

Three-pointers weren’t going in for Stanford. The team had only two of 18, both of them by junior guard Chloe Clardy.

Both teams had their share of miscues, with 15 turnovers by Stanford and 16 by WSU.

Stanford’s best lead was 13 points during the third quarter, but WSU kept edging closer – not enough to take the lead, but enough to keep the visitors and their fans nervous.

With the win, the Cardinal moved to 76-0 all-time against the Cougars, according to Stanford Athletics, which also reported that last season Stanford didn’t win its first road game until Jan. 16 and managed only two all season.

Two days later against Gonzaga, Stanford lagged behind in both the first and second quarters but edged ahead to a 6-point lead after the third quarter and a 13-point lead, 65-52, to end the game.

The four juniors led the way with a total of 54 points, starting with Chloe, who had 20. Nunu had 16 plus 11 rebounds for a double-double.

Courtney logged 14 points, and forward Mary Ashley Stevenson had 4 points.

Once again the team had only two 3’s. Once again they were by Chloe.

Turnovers led to Gonzaga’s undoing with Stanford scoring 23 points off the host’s 20 miscues. Stanford had 14 turnovers resulting in 12 Gonzaga points.

The Cardinal return home to host UC Davis at 7 p.m. Nov. 20 and Lehigh at 1 p.m. Nov. 23.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Another dominant win -- this time over Cal Poly

 

Lara Somfai was named ACC Rookie of the Week after the Cal Poly game. (Stanford Athletics)

Balanced scoring led to a third dominant win by the Stanford women’s basketball team. This time the score was 90-55 over Cal Poly on Nov. 9 at Maples.

Five Cardinal players scored in double figures led by junior forward Nunu Agara with 16 points.

She was followed by junior guard Chloe Clardy and freshman forward Lara Somfai with 14 each, plus 10 rebounds for Lara. Junior forward Courtney Ogden and freshman guard Hailee Swain had 12 points each.

Stanford outscored Cal Poly in every quarter and never trailed.

The taller home team dominated the visitors with 39 rebounds, 17 assists, 10 steals and five blocks. Turnovers were limited to 12 (vs. 21), and Stanford made 17 of 20 free throws.

The team showed hustle throughout the game. Just one highlight play came with only seconds left in the first quarter when Hailee ran across the court and scored.

Starters were Nunu, Hailee, Courtney, Lara and senior guard Talana Lepolo. All 12 available players got into the game. Unavailable were senior guard Lauren Green, sophomore center Kennedy Umeh and freshman forward Nora Ezike.

On hand among the 2,461 people at the game were the Tree, Dollies, band and cheerleaders.

The crowd had fun between the first and second quarters when Conga on the Court danced to “YMCA.”

After the game, associate head coach Tempie Brown was joined by Lauren and Nora, who answered audience questions.

When head coach Kate Paye joined the Behind the Bench, she noted that “our returners are leading the way.”

She said she expects the team to get better as the season continues. “We have a lot of weapons on our team.”

She then invited three alums to join her: Brooke Demetre, ’25; Cameron Brink, ’24; and Fran Belibi, ’23.

Next up the team goes north to play Washington State at 4 p.m. Nov. 14 and Gonzaga at 2 p.m. Nov. 16. Both games will be on ESPN+.

 

 

 

 

 

Balanced scoring leads to victory over Santa Clara

Talana led the team with 16 points. (Stanford Athletics)

 

If you had asked what I would write if the Santa Clara game had continued on the same path as the first quarter, I would have said something like, “It wasn’t pretty, but it was a win, and we’ll take it.”

Yes, it was a win but not ugly. Instead, the Stanford women’s basketball team coalesced and came up with a 79-58 victory over the visiting Broncos on Nov. 6.

Of the nine of 12 available players who got into the game, six – evenly divided between upperclassmen and freshmen -- scored in double figures.

According to Stanford Athletics, this was the first time that six players had scored in double figures since Dec. 31, 2023, against Morgan State.

This time they were led by senior guard Talana Lepolo with 16 points.

She was followed by freshman forward Lara Somfai with 14 points plus 13 rebounds, junior forward Nunu Agara and freshman guard Hailee Swain with 13 each, junior guard Chloe Clardy with 12 and freshman forward Alex Eschmeyer with 11 plus 12 rebounds.

Stanford Athletics reported that Talana’s 16 points were the most she had scored since a career-high 20 at Cal on Dec. 29, 2023.

Talana also had four of the team’s 11 3-pointers, including two in row during the third quarter. Chloe had three 3’s. One each came from Nunu, Lara, Hailee and Alex.

As for what I might had written if the game had followed the first-quarter path, Santa Clara had 4-point lead about halfway through the quarter.

Sloppy play marked the Cardinal’s effort during that time. The first 4 points came from free throws, and the team had logged three fouls. The first basket didn’t come until about the 4:41 mark when Talana scored.

The score was tied 8-8 at the 3:40 mark, but when the buzzer sounded, Stanford had managed to pull ahead 17-12.

Things looked up after that. Nunu opened the second quarter with a trey, and Lara bookended it with a trey to end the half at 38-27. The advantage widened during the next two quarters to give Stanford the win.

The taller Stanford team dominated the boards with 52 rebounds to Santa Clara’s 30.

The home team also prevailed in other areas, but turnovers continued to be a problem with 14 to Santa Clara’s nine.

The three unavailable players were senior guard Lauren Green, sophomore center Kennedy Umeh and freshman forward Nora Ezike, but they didn’t appear to be seriously impaired.

Starters were Talana, Hailee, Courtney, Lara and Nunu.

Next up, the team will host Cal Poly at 1 p.m. Nov. 9 followed by a Behind the Bench.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Great start to the new season

 

Players who have finished their stints  cheer for a teammate's score. (Stanford Athletics)

In what was definitely not a nail-biter, the Stanford women’s basketball team opened its regular season with an 87-42 home win over UNC Greensboro on Nov. 3.

As had been true in the exhibition win over Cal State LA, the Cardinal’s superior height was a big factor.

Sparsely attended with only 2,068 fans, the game was never in doubt. The visitors’ first score, a 3-pointer, didn’t come until just over three minutes into the first quarter.

In the meantime, freshman forward Lara Somfai had already scored Stanford’s first three baskets. She wound up with 15 total points to lead the five Stanford players in double figures.

Also in the double-figure column were two other freshmen: forward Alex Eschmeyer with 13 and guard Hailee Swain with 12. Two juniors -- guard Chloe Clardy with 12 and forward Nunu Agara with 10 -- joined them.

All 12 available players got into the game and scored. Reflective of the team’s emphasis on sisterhood, players on the bench erupted in cheers as two less-used players – sophomore forward Harper Peterson and freshman guard Carly Amborn – scored late in the game.

The unavailable players were senior guards Stavi Papadaki and Lauren Green along with sophomore center Kennedy Umeh. None of them appeared to be seriously impaired.

Starters for the game were Nunu, Lara, Hailee, junior forward Courtney Ogden and senior guard Talana Lepolo.

Stanford’s height helped to snare 44 rebounds vs. the Spartans’ 23.

Of Stanford’s seven 3’s, Chloe had two. One each came from Nunu, Lara, Alex, Carly and junior forward Mary Ashley Stevenson.

Free-throw shooting was a Stanford plus with 14 of 16, so were the 15 assists.  Turnovers were a minus with 13.

Up next, Stanford hosts neighboring Santa Clara at 7 p.m. Nov. 6 followed by Cal Poly at 1 p.m. Nov. 9.

A preview of coming attractions

 

Although it was only an exhibition game against an overmatched team, the Stanford women’s basketball 85-50 victory over Cal State LA on Oct. 29 offered some hints of what’s to  come.

One positive note from the start is that all 15 players were available, and all played, albeit with limited minutes for a few.

Right off the bat, head coach Kate Paye inserted two of the five freshmen – forward Lara Somfai and guard Hailee Swain – into the starting lineup.

They joined two juniors – forwards Nunu Agara and Courtney Ogden – along with senior guard Talana Lepolo as starters.

However, Kate substituted liberally throughout the game, probably to give everyone a taste of competition and to get a sense of what the rotation might look like in the coming season.

Four players were in double figures, led by junior guard Chloe Clardy with 20 points, followed by Nunu with 17, Lara with 13 and Hailee with 10. Lara also led the team with 10 of its 60 rebounds.

While Stanford has nine players 6 feet tall or taller, Cal State has only four. However, its players are quick and can force turnovers. Still, both sides had 13 turnovers, but some by Stanford were just miscues.

Free throws were a plus with 18 of 19, but 3-pointers were a minus, only three of 18. Chloe had two, and Talana had one.

Another plus was assists – 17 – some of them coming near the basket as a player with the ball would make a quick pass to a teammate for a score.

It was good to see Talana back at the point after she had missed most of last season with an injury. As has been her wont, she wasn’t a prolific scorer, but she did contribute seven points, distribute the ball well and play tough defense.

Another player back after missing most of last season was sophomore forward Harper Peterson, who played just under six minutes, scoring and snaring a rebound.

With Stanford enjoying a substantial lead by the end of third quarter, some of the 1,976 fans began to file out.

Because it was an exhibition, there were no student support groups like the band, cheerleaders, Dollies and Tree. Nor was there any halftime entertainment.

Still, it was a tantalizing look at what might lie ahead in the season, starting with UNC Greensboro on Nov. 3 and Santa Clara on Nov. 6, both at 7 p.m. and both at Maples.