ASU gets a big dose of the O’s

More than 30 fans who couldn’t make it to the desert to watch the Stanford women’s basketball team take on Arizona State on Feb. 2 gathered at the Old Pro sports bar in downtown Palo Alto to watch the game.

There weren’t a lot of reasons to cheer during the first half, which ended in a 28-28 tie. Slightly more than eight minutes into the second half, the score was tied again at 40-40, but then Stanford took over, the fans cheered and the game ended with a 62-49 Stanford victory.

Much of the credit goes to the Ogwumike sisters – senior Nneka and sophomore Chiney. Nneka poured in 22 points, while Chiney added 20, and they pulled down 16 rebounds each. Thus the two forwards combined for 42 points and 32 rebounds.

The only other Cardinal to score in double figures was freshman forward Taylor Greenfield, whose 10 points came off one free throw and three 3-pointers. Hers were the team’s only 3’s. She also had four rebounds. As a team, the Cardinal had 48 rebounds to ASU’s 24.

The Fast Beak Club had the Old Pro’s upstairs room and multiple big-screen TVs to itself. Fans had a few anxious moments shortly before tipoff when those TVs were showing only the Direct TV logo. Then when the picture came on, there was no sound. At that point, the fans really didn’t need sound to cheer as Stanford players were shown leaving their bus. There also were some bemused comments as a “Fear the Fork” sign was shown. Hmm, I wonder where ASU got that idea.

The sound came on right after that, and the game was under way. Noise from both the Stanford fans and all the people packed into the main room downstairs limited how much of the commentary could be heard, though.

That’s why I was glad to go home and watch the recording afterward. Then I could be sure that I had heard head coach Tara VanDerveer correctly. Interviewed by commentator Mary Murphy right after the first half, Tara said, “I’m excited about how poorly we played and we’re tied.”

Several fans won T-shirts and a jersey that were raffled off during halftime. Throughout the game, they enjoyed good service from the Old Pro staff. They also got a 10 percent discount on their bills. Sliders and burgers seemed to be the most popular choice for dining, as well as some pizzas and salads. However, the only dessert choice is do-it-yourself s’mores.

Seating at the long tables is comfortable and conducive to conviviality as well as viewing. All in all, it was a good experience, especially with another Stanford win to savor.