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.

 

 

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.