Exhibition win gives first look at team

The team gathers in a circle to celebrate. (SWBB photo)

Stanford women’s basketball launched its 2017-18 season with a 60-46 exhibition win over visiting UC San Diego Nov. 4, but it wasn’t always pretty.

The young team shot only 39 percent overall and just 16 percent from beyond the arc while logging 16 turnovers as it tried to adapt to the new offensive style that head coach Tara  VanDerveer calls Warriorized with more passing and less dribbling.

All 14 players were available, all saw action, and most contributed.

Tara went with a starting lineup of three guards – senior Brittany McPhee and juniors Marta Sniezek and Alexa Romano – and two forwards, senior Kaylee Johnson and junior Alanna Smith.

Sophomore guards DiJonai Carrington and Anna Wilson were first off the bench, followed by freshman forward Alyssa Jerome, freshman guard Kiana Williams and sophomore forward Nadia Fingall in the first quarter.

Alanna led the scoring with 13. Also in double figures were Alexa with 11 and Brit with 10. Brit undoubtedly would have scored more, but she tweaked her ankle late in the second quarter and limped to the locker room. She returned to the bench but didn’t play.

Three of the team’s four 3’s came from Alexa. Anna had one.

Some other stats of note: Marta and DiJonai each had four of the team’s 13 steals. Maya had three blocks to go with a team-leading seven rebounds.

After the game, season ticket holders were invited to partake of light refreshments in the practice gym followed by a Behind the Bench, where Tara introduced each player and the staff.

She called the game the “beginning of what we know will be a special year” and said the team can be better than last year’s, which went to the Final Four.

Here are her comments about each player:

Anna –Although she missed much of her freshman year because of injuries, “she’s picking up where she left off in high school,” when her team won a championship.

DiJonai – “She’s out there making big plays.” Tara is confident in her.

Kiana – She “has done nothing but impress.”

Nadia – “We’re counting on her to step up for us.”

Maya – She’ll “be an awesome player for us.” Maya, whose father was at the game, reminds Tara of Nneka Ogwumike, ’12.

Sophomore guard Mikaela Brewer – “She did some great things for us in Italy,” Tara said, referring to the team’s summer trip.

Alanna – “She had some good looks tonight.” She’s a leader who has improved.

Kaylee – She’s a leader who’s working hard.

Marta – She’s a spark on defense who “gives us good offense and defense.”

Junior center Shannon Coffee – She was the second-leading scorer in Italy.

Alyssa – She missed summer school because she was playing for her native Canada, but “what a pleasure it is to coach” her.

Freshman forward Estella Moschkau – She’s “incredibly disciplined” and an “excellent shooter.”

Alexa – She guarded Karlie Samuelson, ’17, in Italy, but if anything, “she’s too nice.” Still this was “a great game for her to start off with.”

Brit – “She is just competitive all the time. (We’re) expecting an outstanding senior year.”

Tara with her mother, Rita, and sister Heidi. (SWBB Photo

Since UCSD is coached by Tara’s sister Heidi, their mother, Rita, was at the game, visiting from Colorado.

Tara introduced the coaching staff and pointed out former associate head coach Amy Tucker, now WBB administrator, on the sidelines.

She stressed the players’ hard work all around, but added, “We’ve got a lot of work to do” with “arguably what could be the toughest start ever” to the regular season. The team travels to Columbus, Ohio, to play two powerhouses, Ohio State at 3 p.m. PST Nov. 10 and UConn at 10:30 a.m. PST Nov. 12.