Another split with teams from North Carolina

Nunu's 27 points helped in defeating Wake Forest.

 After splitting its two games in North Carolina the previous week, the Stanford women’s basketball team did the same at home by defeating Wake Forest 55-43 on Jan. 8 and losing to Duke 67-60 on Jan. 11. Both teams call North Carolina home.

Not a great game, but it’s a win and we’ll take it

There’s no sugar coating it. Neither team played well when Stanford beat its Wake Forest visitors 55-43 on Jan. 8.

Both teams shot just under 30 percent for the game. Both often shot in desperation as the shot clock ran down. Both had nearly the same number of turnovers: 15 for Wake Forest, 14 for Stanford.

But Stanford had something, or someone, that Wake Forest didn’t: junior forward Nunu Agara. She poured in 27 points, nearly half of her team’s total output.

Neither team scored during the first three minutes of the game. Nunu broke into the scoring column first and then second – an early harbinger of her value to the team.

Freshman guard Hailee Swain was the only Cardinal in double scoring figures with 10 points. Freshman forward Alex Eschmeyer also was in double figures, snaring 11 of the team’s 51 rebounds, and blocking six shots. (Wake Forest had 32 rebounds.)

Alex is in good company. According to Stanford Athletics, her “six blocks were the most for a Stanford player since Cameron Brink (’24) had seven in the 2024 Sweet 16 against NC State and the most for a Cardinal freshman since Brink had six in the 2021 Final Four against South Carolina.

“She’s the first Stanford freshman with 11 rebounds and six blocks in available records dating back to 2002-03 and the only freshman in the country to have those numbers in a game this season.”

Senior guard Talana Lepolo scored only 4 points, all of them from free throws during the game’s final minute. Even though victory was out of reach for the Demon Deacons, they fouled deliberately, most of the time targeting Talana as she tried to bring the ball up.

Eight 3’s helped Wake Forest stay in the game. Stanford had five, courtesy of Hailee with two, while Nunu, junior forward Courtney Ogden and sophomore guard Shay Ijiwoye had one each.

Stanford led throughout the game. The high was 17 points in the third quarter. Otherwise the team held an advantage of 11 or so points for much of the game.

Lara goes for another block against Duke.

Turnovers lead to undoing against Duke

The Duke game, which was a 67-60 loss on Jan. 11, began well with Nunu stealing the ball and racing to 2 points, igniting the crowd of just over 3,900, most of them Stanford fans but a smattering of blue-clad Duke fans.

The second quarter, though, was marred by Stanford’s turnover total rising to 11, while Duke had only three.

Freshman forward Lara Somfai did get a buzzer-beater, but Stanford still lagged 31-28 at the half.

The third quarter was highlighted by the introduction of incoming freshman Jordyn Wheeler.

Stanford racked up another turnover in the fourth quarter when it couldn’t inbound the ball in time.

Junior guard Chloe Clardy appeared to be hurt after a fall and walked slowly to the bench. However, she re-entered the game a couple of minutes later.

For the game, Stanford committed 19 turnovers that led to 21 Duke points. By comparison, Duke had only eight turnovers that gave Stanford 12 points.

Stanford had more rebounds, 43-38. Otherwise, most of the other stats for both teams were similar.

The game had three ties and five lead changes.

Nunu led the team with her double-double of 17 points and 10 rebounds.

The only other Cardinal players in double figures were Courtney and Chloe, both with 11 points, while Alex had 10 and continued her shot-blocking run with four of the team’s nine.

These two home games left the team with a 14-4 record overall and 3-2 in the ACC.

It’s back on the road again with the Cardinal visiting Boston College at 3 p.m. Jan. 15 and Syracuse at 11 a.m. Jan. 18. Both games will be shown on ACCN.

                                                                                                                        Stanford Athletics photos

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mixed results on first cross-county trip

 

From left: Stavi Papadaki, Carly Amborn and Harper Peterson cheer their teammates during the North Carolina game. (Stanford Athletics)

After suffering a 74-46 loss at North Carolina State on Jan. 1, the Stanford women’s basketball team rebounded with a 77-71 overtime win at No. 16 North Carolina on Jan. 4.

Thus the team upped its season record to 13-3 and its ACC record to 2-1.

Inauspicious start to 2026

There’s no way to put a positive spin on it. North Carolina State handed the Cardinal its worst loss of the season to date – 74-46 – as the team scored its fewest points of the season to start 2026.

Playing in front of a partisan crowd of 5,500, the team made only 30 percent of its shots. At the 7:41 point in the third quarter, for example, the team had scored only 2 points, while NC State had scored 6.

Turnovers were a problem – 21 by Stanford, compared with 12 by NC State. However, NC State had 19 fouls, Stanford 11.

After missing the Cornell game because of illness, junior guard Chloe Clardy didn’t make the cross-country trip. Sophomore center Kennedy Umeh also was missing, as she has been for much of the season.

Two junior forwards were the only Cardinal players to score in double figures – Nunu Agara with 16 points and Courtney Ogden with 12. Freshman forward Lara Somfai had 16 rebounds.

Each team had only four 3’s. Stanford’s came from Lara, Courtney, freshman guard Hailee Swain and sophomore forward Harper Peterson.

Signature win on the road

The story was much different when Stanford bested No. 16 North Carolina 77-71 in overtime Jan. 4.

Although Courtney scored 21 points to lead the team, other players made significant contributions.

For example, senior guard Talana Lepolo scored only 4 points, but they all came from crucial free throws in overtime. She also had a team- and game-high seven assists.

Sophomore guard Shay Ijiwoye also had only 4 points, but she had five rebounds, some at critical points.

Freshman forward Lara Somfai was second on the team with 13 points despite being hampered by four fouls.

Chloe returned to action after missing the previous two games while in the concussion protocol, according to the TV announcers. She added 12 points and a team-high nine rebounds off the bench.

Freshman forward Alex Eschmeyer, despite playing just over seven minutes, contributed 10 points.

The game saw seven lead changes and seven ties as UNC led for nearly 31 minutes. The Tar Heels were ahead after each of the first three quarters, but Stanford scored more in the fourth quarter and overtime to seal the win.

Nunu, usually the team’s leading scorer, played just over 18 minutes and scored only 6 points. She was constrained by fouls, collecting her fourth early in the fourth quarter and fouling out about three minutes later.

Three-point shooting helped the Cardinal cause with a total of eight treys. Lara had three, and Chloe had two. Courtney, Hailee and Alex had one each.

Turnovers were a big problem as Stanford’s 22 yielded 16 points for UNC. During the first quarter, TV commentator Deb Antonelli observed, “When Stanford’s not turning over the ball, they look pretty good.”

When it came to rebounding, Stanford did look pretty good with 40 rebounds, compared with UNC’s 28.

The team could savor its win during the 2,800-mile flight back to the Bay Area in time for the start of winter quarter classes Jan. 5.

Action resumes in Maples when Wake Forest visits at 7 p.m. Jan. 8 and Duke at 2 p.m. Jan. 11. Both games will be televised by ACC.

 

 

Team ends 2025 with win over Cornell

 

Lara was named ACC Rookie of the Week after securing a career-high 19 rebounds. (Stanford Athletics)

The Stanford women’s basketball team ended the calendar year and closed out its nonconference schedule by hosting and dominating Cornell 82-50 on Dec. 28.

The outcome seemed apparent to the crowd of almost 3,400 right from the start. Cornell didn’t make its first basket until about 6 ½ minutes to go in the first quarter. By then Stanford had already scored 8 points. Stanford led throughout the game.

When the final buzzer sounded, all 13 available Cardinal players had seen some action.

Junior forward Nunu Agara led a quartet of double-digit scorers with 19 points. She was followed by junior forward Courtney Ogden with 15 and by sophomore guard Shay Ijiwoye and freshman guard Hailee Swain with 12 each.

Freshman forward Lara Somfai snared 18 of the team’s 43 rebounds and came close to a double-double with 9 points.

Cornell’s score was boosted by its nine 3-pointers, six of them by one player, who had a total of 24 points.

Stanford had four 3’s: two by Courtney and one each by senior guard Talana Lepolo and freshman guard Carly Amborn.

The first quarter was highlighted by two fast break scores by Shay, who came up with another shortly thereafter. She then made a buzzer beater to end the quarter.

Pesky defense led to 17 steals. They contributed to Cornell’s 21 turnovers, while Stanford had 12.

Junior guard Chloe Clardy was not at the game. No reason was given. Sophomore center Kennedy Umeh again was not in uniform.

Freshman forward Nora Ezike returned to action after missing much of the season. She played only three minutes late in the fourth quarter but made two baskets in a row, much to the delight of her teammates. These baskets were the first of her career.

The team also was delighted when Carly hit her 3-pointer in the fourth quarter, her first this season.

The Cardinal will take its 12-2 record on the road by crossing the country to face ACC rivals North Carolina State at 11 a.m. PST New Year’s Day and North Carolina at 10 a.m. PST Jan. 4. The NC State game will be streamed on ACC. ESPN will televise the North Carolina game.

Then it’s a quick trip back to campus for the start of winter quarter classes on Jan. 5.

 

 

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+.