Team ends season on a high note

 

Lara Somfai goes for a layup against SMU.

The Stanford women’s basketball team completed its regular season on a three-game winning streak that it will take into the ACC tournament.

The tournament bracket shows the Cardinal as the No. 13 seed facing Miami, the No. 12 seed, at 8 a.m. PST March 4 in Duluth, Ga. The game will be shown by ACCN and ESPN app. Playing in Miami on Feb. 19, Stanford lost 51-66.

The current winning streak started with a 77-61 victory at Florida State on Feb. 22 and continued with two home wins: 87-57 over SMU on Feb. 26 and an even more decisive 85-50 victory over Clemson on March 1.

Taken together, Stanford won these three games 249-168, an 81-point difference.

Stanford easily downs Southern Methodist U

Stanford rode to an easy 87-57 win over the SMU Mustangs on Feb. 26.

The first quarter told much of the story as Stanford was ahead 10-0 before SMU finally scored about halfway through the quarter. The host team led 31-6 when the quarter ended.

“The 31 points were the most the Cardinal has scored in any quarter this season, and the six points allowed were the fewest it has surrendered to an opponent in any period,” Stanford Athletics reported.

After that, Stanford’s lead never fell below 20 points. Even when SMU scored 4 more points than Stanford in the second quarter, the Cardinal still were ahead 50-29 when halftime began.

Head coach Kate Paye began pulling the regulars early in the fourth quarter and inserting players who have seen little or no action, starting with freshman forward Nora Ezike. She was followed by freshman guard Carly Amborn, sophomore forward Harper Peterson and senior guards Stavi Papadaki and Lauren Green.

Nora delighted the bench and the crowd of nearly 2,800 by scoring twice. And then when Carly hit a 3-pointer with under three minutes to go, the cheers were deafening.

She was among three players accounting for the team’s six 3’s. Junior forward Courtney Ogden had three and freshman forward Lara Somfai had two.

SMU was short-handed with only eight available players while Stanford had 13. Sophomore center Kennedy Umeh was there but not in uniform. Senior guard Talana Lepolo was still missing although she was uniform in a video promoting the upcoming Senior Day.

Five players were in double figures led by Lara with 19. She was followed by Courtney with 15, freshman guard Hailee Swain with 14 (10 in the first quarter), junior forward Nunu Agara with 13 and junior guard Chloe Clardy with 12.

Starters were Nunu, Lara, Courtney, Hailee and sophomore guard Shay Ijiwoye.

Besides the score, Stanford dominated in most of all the other positive stats, and had seven fewer turnovers than SMU.

Before tipoff, the video board showed Brooke Demetre, ’25, who reportedly attended the game, encouraging the team and praising Stanford.

Kids joined the traditional conga line after the first quarter, and dozens of fans joined an on-court Zumba session at halftime while others danced in the stands.

As I was leaving Maples after the game, I spotted a small girl, probably around kindergarten age, wearing a T-shirt reading “I’m Nunu’s littlest fan.”

Seniors Laureen Green (left), Stavi Papadaki and Talana Lepolo were honored with flowers 
from Stanford and leis from Talana's family.

Senior Day celebrated with big win over Clemson

On paper it looked as if Clemson had the edge with a slightly better record than Stanford, but paper didn’t count in the final score: an 85-50 victory on March 1, Senior Day.

The Cardinal had a 9-point lead after the first quarter, and the margin widened after that. Stanford scored first with a basket and free throw from Courtney, and it stayed ahead for the entire game.

While Clemson had only one player in double figures, 10 points, Stanford had four. Nunu was tops with 24 points and 10 rebounds, another double-double for her.

She was followed by Hailee with 20, Courtney with 15 and Lara with 11.

Eight 3-pointers helped the cause with three by Hailee, two by Courtney and one each by Nunu, Lara and freshman forward Alex Eschmeyer.

Stanford dominated in all statistics. One of the more notable numbers was 21 assists and only nine turnovers.

Before the game began, the team’s three seniors – Talana, Stavi and Lauren – were introduced. They were accompanied by family or friends and hugged by retired head coach Tara VanDerveer, who had recruited them.

Kate gave flowers to Clemson’s seniors.

As the two teams lined up for the national anthem, they first heard the Greek national anthem in honor of Stavi, who’s from Greece.

This format differed from past Senior Days that occurred after the game and featured tributes from teammates. Instead the tributes are posted on the team’s Facebook page, which can be accessed on the Fast Break Club site, www.stanfordfbc.org.

The need to travel to Georgia on March 2 for the early game on March 4 likely led to the change.

Senior practice players and senior cheerleaders were saluted during the game.

All of Stanford’s available players (Kennedy and Talana still were out of action) got into the game although the bench wasn’t entirely cleared until just over a minute to go.

Stanford finished the season with a 19-12 record overall and 8-10 in the ACC.

(Photos by ISI/Photos)

 

 

Split decision in the Sunshine State

 

The Feb. 22 victory at Florida State helped Mary Ashley Stevenson celebrate her 21st birthday. (Stanford Athletics)

After a disheartening 66-51 loss at Miami on Feb. 19, the Stanford women’s basketball team bounced back to a decisive 77-61 win at Florida State on Feb. 22.

This win brought the team’s overall record to 17-12, exceeding last season’s win total of 16. Its ACC record is 6-10.

Blown away by the Hurricanes

Losing 66-51 at Miami on Feb. 19, the Cardinal shot only 31.7 percent for the game. Its 20 first-half points were the fewest of the season, Stanford Athletics reported.

It led the game for less than 2 minutes and tied twice.

It was outscored in every quarter except the third, when it had a 7-point run and bested the Hurricanes by 3 points. That gave Stanford fans some hope, which quickly faded in the fourth quarter when Miami scored 8 more points than its visitors.

The game was sparsely attended with only 833 people.

Two of them were SWBB alums, Cameron Brink, ’24, and Lexie Hull, ’22, seated behind the Stanford bench. Both are WNBA players competing in the off-season Unrivaled League.

Freshman guard Hailee Swain had 16 points to lead the Cardinal, while junior forward Nunu Agara had 11. Freshman forward Lara Somfai had 10 rebounds.

The team made only three of its 21 3-point attempts. Hailee and two juniors, forward Courtney Ogden and guard Chloe Clardy, each had one.

Turnovers were another problem with 17, leading to 19 Miami points.

ACCN’s telecast was delayed because the Virginia Tech-North Carolina game, which North Carolina won, went into overtime.

When Stanford’s game came on with 3:45 left in the first quarter, the team was down 8-6.

Swamping the Seminoles

Traveling north to Tallahassee on the Florida Panhandle, the team defeated Florida State 77-61 on Feb. 22.

With the win, Stanford clinched a berth in the Ally ACC Women’s Basketball Tournament that starts March 4 in Duluth, Ga., Stanford Athletics reported.

Except for the first few seconds of the game, Stanford led all the way.

The third quarter was a bit dicey as FSU went on an 8-point run and outscored Stanford by 8 points overall, but the Cardinal countered with an 11-point run to preserve its lead.

Although FSU’s zone defense was sometimes problematic, four players finished in double figures. Nunu and Courtney teamed up to lead the way with 22 and 21 points respectively. Nunu also had 14 rebounds for a double-double.

Also in double figures were freshman forward Lara Somfai with 15 and Chloe with 12.

Junior guard Mary Ashley Stevenson celebrated her 21^st birthday in front of the crowd of 1,686 with six rebounds and 2 points.

Sophomore guard Shay Ijiwoye moved into the starting lineup as Chloe moved to the bench for a time.

Eight 3’s helped the cause with three each by Lara and Courtney and two by Chloe.

On the other hand, 17 turnovers led to 17 points by FSU.

The Cardinal will wrap up the regular season at home, playing SMU at 7 p.m. Feb. 26 and Clemson at 11 a.m. March 1, Senior Day. ACC will show both games.

 

 

 

Team loses to visiting squads from Virginia

 

Returning to action, Nunu goes up against a Virginia defender. (Maddie Hinkley ISI Photos)

The Stanford women’s basketball team lost a pair of home games: 79-67 to Virginia Tech on Feb. 12 and Virginia 75-69 on Feb. 15.

These two losses left the Cardinal with a 16-11 record overall and 5-9 in the ACC.

Third quarter is Stanford’s undoing against Virginia Tech

The Virginia Tech game on Feb. 12 was competitive until about the middle of the third quarter. That’s when the wheels came off, leading to a 79-67 loss for Stanford.

Once again Stanford was short-handed with only 11 available players, seven of whom got into the game. Virginia Tech used 10 players.

Junior forward Nunu Agara was back with the team after missing the trip to Georgia. She wasn’t in uniform, but she briefly took part in a drill with junior forward Mary Ashley Stevenson and seemed to be in good spirits.

Forward Harper Peterson and center Kennedy Umeh, both sophomores, were also back with the team but unavailable. However, starting senior guard Talana Lepolo again wasn’t there.

Because the game was a celebration of Black History Month, it began with the singing of the Black anthem, “Lift Every Voice and Sing,” by Tamara Dunn, who followed with “The Star-Spangled Banner.”

The game itself started inauspiciously with a Stanford turnover followed by a Virginia Tech basket. However, freshman forward Lara Somfai countered with a 3-pointer.

After that, the first quarter went back and forth and ended with Stanford up by 2 points. The same was true of the second quarter.

The score remained close until that fateful mid-third quarter. That’s when VT surged ahead by 8 points and outscored the host team in the fourth quarter to win the game.

Overall, the game had 14 lead changes and nine ties.

Stanford had seven 3’s with four by junior Chloe Clardy, two by Lara and one by junior forward Courtney Ogden.

Chloe led Stanford with 20 points. Courtney and Lara both had 15 points, and Lara pulled down 15 rebounds.

Stanford outrebounded VT, but the Cardinal’s 13 turnovers were costly to the tune of 11 VT points.

Halftime was highlighted by the Stanford Soul Line Dancers as emcee Anthony Scott Knox spoke about the timeline of Black History Month going back to 1926. The video board also showed some prominent Black people, including Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J, a Stanford grad.

After the dancers’ first number, they were joined by the cheerleaders, band members, fans and others.

Good news – Nunu’s back, but team still loses

Making her first appearance since Jan. 25, Nunu returned to the starting lineup to loud applause and led the team with 21 points. But that wasn’t enough as Virginia won 75-69 on Feb. 15.

Harper, Kennedy and senior guard Lauren Green were unavailable, and Talana was absent again,

Nunu scored the team’s first five points. Virginia didn’t get its first basket until about two and half minutes into the game.

The game was competitive most of the way with five lead changes and three ties. Stanford led by as many as eight points in the first quarter, but was outscored by 10 points in the second.

Otherwise, Stanford tied with Virginia in third-quarter scoring and outscored the Cavaliers in the fourth.

Stanford had fewer fouls, but free throws were a big difference maker with 28 by Virginia and 15 by Stanford.

For once, Stanford had fewer turnovers than the opponent, 13-17, but Virginia outrebounded the home team, 46-36.

In addition to Nunu, Cardinal players in double figures were freshman guard Hailee Swain with 13, Chloe with 12 and Courtney with 10.

Stanford had four 3’s with two by Courtney and one each by Lara and Chloe.

Because it was Girls and Women in Sports Day, the doors opened early to give the 3,358 fans a chance to enjoy activities set up by other Stanford women’s sports team in the concourses.

The PCPA dancers entertained them during halftime.

Looking ahead, the team takes to the road again, playing Miami at 6 p.m. Feb. 19 and Florida State at 11 a.m. Feb. 22. ACCN will show both games.\

 

Maddie ISI Photos

 

Good news, bad news from road trip

 

Lara, shown in the Pitt game, has again been named ACC Rookie of the Week. (Stanford Athletics)

Taking to the road again, the Stanford women’s basketball team had a mixed outcome: an 86-65 win over Pittsburgh on Feb. 5 and a 74-52 loss to Georgia on Feb. 8.

Once again senior guard Talana Lepolo and junior forward Nunu Agara, both starters, didn’t make the trip. Forward Harper Peterson and center Kennedy Umeh, both sophomores, also weren’t with the team.

The two games left the team with a 16-9 record overall and 5-7 in the ACC. The 16 wins match the team’s total last season, when it went 16-15 overall.

Team excels against Pitt

Standout performances highlighted the team’s 86-65 victory at Pittsburgh on Feb. 5.

For one, freshman forward Lara Somfai poured in 15 points and snared 23 rebounds while adding eight assists and three blocks.

Her rebounds were “an ACC freshman record, the most by any freshman in the country this season, and the most for any ACC player since Sarah Imovbioh (Virginia) had 24 against Ohio State on Nov. 14, 2014.

“Her rebounding total is tied for third in Stanford history, trailing only 24-rebound performances from Cameron Brink at Oregon State on Feb. 29, 2024, and Chiney Ogwumike at Oregon on Feb. 24, 2013,” Stanford Athletics reported.

Moreover, her “six double-doubles this season are the most for a Stanford freshman since Chiney had a school-record 11 in 2010-11,” according to Stanford Athletics.

However, her 15 points didn’t lead the team. Instead that honor went to junior guard Chloe Clardy, who had a season-high 26.

Junior forward Courtney Ogden was close behind with 23 points to go with eight assists. Freshman guard Hailee Swain had a career-high16 points.

Stanford’s score was boosted by 12 treys, the most this season. They came courtesy of Chloe with a career high of six, Courtney with three, Hailee with two and Lara with one.

And here’s a number that stands out for many fans: only five turnovers.

Playing in front of a meager crowd of 571, Stanford led for almost the entire game, highlighted by its 21-point lead in the fourth quarter.

The Cardinal dominated most of the stat sheet, including rebounds, assists and blocks

Both Chloe and Courtney played the entire 40 minutes, and Lara was only a few seconds shy of 40 minutes.

Not much to like in loss to Georgia Tech

The team came to earth with a thud when Georgia Tech prevailed 74-52 on Feb. 8.

Georgia Tech came right out of the starting gate by nailing a 3-pointer followed by another basket before freshman forward Alex Eschmeyer could counter with a Cardinal basket.

In all, GT had a devastating nine 3’s, while Stanford had six. They came courtesy of Lara with three, Courtney with two and Eschmeyer with one.

Lara led the team with 19 points and nine rebounds while Hailee had 10 points.

Stanford trailed the entire game. There was some reason to hope in the third quarter when Stanford scored 6 quick points to start and outscored GT by a point, but it wasn’t enough to overcome the host’s previous scoring.

The team’s 14 turnovers didn’t help either.

Stanford fans got a scare in the final seconds of the second quarter when Lara was injured, had to be helped to the bench and then was charged with a foul.

However, she was back for the start of the third quarter and didn’t appear to be suffering an ill effects.

The crowd of more than 3,050 included family and friends of Hailee and Courtney, who both hail from Georgia.

Based on her performance in the two road games, Lara was again named the ACC Rookie of the Week.

The team returns home to host Virginia Tech for a celebration of Black History Month at 7 p.m. Feb. 12 and then Virginia for National Girls & Women in Sports  Day at 11 a.m. Feb. 15. Both games will be shown by ACC.

 

Losing streak hits four as Louisville, Notre Dame prevail

The sophomores, from left, forward Harper Peterson, guard Shay Ijiowye and center Kennedy Umeh, were honored at the Louisville game and posed for selfies afterward. (iconsportwire) 

 

The Stanford women’s basketball team extended its losing streak to four games after falling 84-66 to Louisville on Jan. 29 and 78-66 to Notre Dame on Feb. 1, both at home.

The team’s record is now 14-8 overall and 4-6 ACC.

“Stanford has now lost four consecutive games the same season for the first time since January and February 1987. The Cardinal has also lost its last three at home for the first time since 1985-86,” Stanford Athletics reported.

In the two home games, two starters – senior point guard Talana Lepolo and junior forward Nunu Agara, the team’s leading scorer – were absent.

Two more players, center Kennedy Umeh and forward Harper Peterson, both sophomores, were there but not in uniform.

Thus Stanford had only 11 available players.

Filling in for Nunu, freshman forward Alex Eschmeyer got her first two collegiate starts. Junior guard Chloe Clardy once again filled in for Talana, as she had in the Cal game on Jan. 25.

Louisville leads the entire game

In the Louisville game on Jan. 29, Stanford lagged right from the opening buzzer and went on to lose 84-66.

Louisville made a 3-pointer in its first possession and went on to stay ahead the entire game.

Nevertheless, the Stanford players didn’t back down. They outscored Louisville by a point in the third quarter and nearly equaled the visitors in the fourth, but they couldn’t overcome Louisville’s 18-point dominance in the first half, and that was Louisville’s advantage at the end.

Stanford was hampered by its 22 turnovers, which led to 26 Louisville points. Assists were lacking with only six.

Also a problem were missed layups and Louisville’s aggressive defense.

Four Stanford players were in double figures, led by junior forward Courtney Ogden with 16. She was followed by Chloe and sophomore guard Shay Ijiwoye with 15 each. Freshman guard Hailee Swain scored 12 points.

Six Stanford 3’s were produced by Shay and Hailee with two each. Courtney and freshman forward Lara Somfai had the other two.

The crowd of nearly 2,600 included the cheerleaders, Dollies, Tree and band, whose leader often conducted from an inflatable dragon.

Team doesn’t quit, but loses to Notre Dame

Before the 78-88 loss to Notre Dame on Feb. 1, a video showed Nadia Fingall, ’20, encouraging Stanford from Spain.

The video board also showed a photo of retired head coach Tara VanDerveer’s mother, Rita, who died Jan. 8 at the age of 99. She was honored by a moment of silence.

Since it was the annual Breast Cancer Awareness game, Stanford players wore pink and fans were given pink bucket hats.

Later during the third quarter, junior forward Mary Ashley Stevenson’s mother, Ashley, visiting from New York City, was introduced and honored as a survivor of breast cancer.

When the game started, Stanford won the tip but turned the ball over, allowing Notre Dame to score. Courtney countered by stealing the ball, scoring, being fouled and making the free throw.

She went on to lead the team with a double-double of 23 points and 10 rebounds.

Also in double figures were Chloe with 16, Alex with 13, and Hailee with 10.

Stanford kept the score close during the first three quarters, but Notre Dame outscored the Cardinal by six points in the fourth to seal the win.

Turnovers were close with 13 by Stanford and 12 by Notre Dame, but Notre Dame scored four more points than Stanford from those miscues. Notre Dame also outrebounded Stanford.

While Stanford has a relatively young team with five freshmen and only three seniors on the roster, Notre Dame is more experienced with five graduate students, three seniors and only one freshman.

Notre Dame also has seemingly unstoppable junior guard Hannah Hildalgo, who scored 37 points before fouling out with less than a minute to go.

The crowd of more than 4,100 included several dozen Notre Dame fans.

Next up, the team travels cross country again to play Pittsburgh at 3 p.m. Feb. 5 and Georgia Tech at 11 a.m. Feb. 8. Both games will be televised by ACC.

In other WBB news, associate head coach Tempie Brown has a new title and responsibilities in addition to coaching.

She has been named the team’s general manager. Her “new responsibilities will include management of name, image and likeness (NIL) and revenue strategy, roster and scholarship optimization, and operational and infrastructure alignment. The role will work closely with campus leaders across Stanford departments,” Stanford Athletics reported.

 

 

Cal game goes into OT; Bears win

 

Alex defends against a Cal player. (Eakin Howard/Getty Images)

It’s too bad that the Stanford women’s basketball team’s game at Cal on Jan. 25 didn’t end after the first quarter.

If it had, Stanford would have won by 10 points, which just happened to be its biggest lead of the game.

Instead, the game went the full four quarters plus overtime, and Stanford lost 78-71.

Because the starting point guard, senior Talana Lepolo, wasn’t at the game, junior guard Chloe Clardy got the nod, played the full 45 minutes and scored 15 points, second-highest on the team. She got going right away by nailing a trey.

Junior forward Nunu Agara was hurt early in the fourth quarter and lay on the floor for several minutes before being helped to the locker room. She returned later but didn’t play. She scored only 6 points in just over 27 minutes.

Leading the scoring were two freshmen forwards – Lara Somfai and Alex Eschmeyer – both with 16 points. Lara also led the team in rebounds with nine and made a crucial trey to send the game into overtime. Both players were hampered by fouls, and Lara fouled out with only a few seconds left in overtime.

Another freshman, guard Hailee Swain, had 10 points. Hence, the three freshmen combined for 42 points, more than half of the team’s total.

All told, the game was tied four times, and the lead changed eight times.

Stanford had 17 turnovers to Cal’s 19, but Cal scored 5 more points than Stanford on those turnovers. Stanford also had an unusually low number of assists, only eight, while Cal had 19.

The Cardinal left the game with a 15-6 record overall and 4-4 in the ACC.

Coming up, Stanford hosts Louisville at 5 p.m. Jan. 29 and Notre Dame at 1 p.m. Feb. 1.

 

Road trip yields one win, one loss

Lara had 10 points at Boston and then scored a career-high of 17 points at Syracuse. (Stanford Athletics)

There was another split decision on the road as the Stanford women’s basketball team beat Boston College 77-52 on Jan. 15 and then lost to Syracuse 69-58 on Jan. 18, leaving its record at 15-5 overall and 4-3 in the ACC.

Lopsided win at Boston College

Junior forward Nunu Agara immediately scored six unanswered points, and the team was off and running to a 77-52 victory at Boston College on Jan. 15.

Stanford led throughout the game and was up by 42 points in the third quarter.

The Cardinal dominated the first three quarters but was outscored by 17 points in the fourth quarter when players with limited experience were on the court. Even though they were outscored, it was gratifying to see that every one of the 14 available players got into the game.

Freshman guard Hailee Swain led the scoring with 15 points. She was followed by junior forward Courtney Ogden with 13, while Nunu and freshman forward Lara Somfai had 10 each.

Close behind with 8 points each were junior guard Chloe Clardy, sophomore guard Shay Ijiwoye and junior forward Mary Ashley Stevenson, who recorded one of her better performances of the season.

While the Eagles had six 3’s, the Cardinal had only three: one each by Courtney, Chloe and sophomore forward Harper Peterson.

On the other hand, Stanford had a big edge in rebounds, 44-24. It had 14 assists and 11 turnovers, an improvement from some past games.

Two other notable numbers: the team had 52 of its points in the paint, and the bench accounted for 29 points.

22 turnovers contribute to loss at Syracuse

Syracuse turned 22 Stanford turnovers into 24 points and went on to defeat the visitors 69-58 on Jan. 18.

Syracuse led for most of the game, forcing Stanford into playing catch up. Syracuse also had greater success at the free-throw line, scoring 19 points there, while Stanford garnered only 7 points.

Stanford was better than Syracuse when it came to rebounds, 40-32; assists, 13-10; and 3’s, 5-4.

Stanford’s treys were scored by Lara and Courtney, who had two each, and by Chloe with one.

Lara led the team with a career-high 17 points, while Nunu had a double-double with 14 points and 13 rebounds. They were the only Cardinal players in double figures. Chloe came close with 9 points.

Stanford led for only a bit more than three minutes, while the Orange was on top almost 36 minutes.

Now the team will have a two-week reprieve from cross-country, cross-time zone trips. Instead, it will make the short journey across the bay to face Cal at 3 p.m. Jan. 25.

It then hosts Louisville at 5 p.m. Jan. 29 and Notre Dame at 1 p.m. Feb. 1.

The Cal and Notre Dame games will be shown on ACC. ESPN will show the Louisville game.

 

 

 

 

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.