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| From left: Alyssa, DiJonai, Alanna and Kiana like what's happening in the UCLA game. (Don Feria/ISIPhotos.com) |
After finishing its pre-conference season 10-1 in
December, the Stanford women’s basketball team began 2019 and the Pac-12 season
by defeating USC 72-64 in a seesaw game at home Jan. 4.
It marked freshman forward Lexie Hull’s and junior
guard Anna Wilson’s return after injuries, but sophomore forward Maya Dodson was
out with a foot problem.
Worse, junior forward Nadia Fingall hyperextended
a knee in the third quarter and then hurt a knee in a collision with a USC
player in the fourth. The result was a torn ACL that kept her out for the rest
of the season.
UCLA came calling Jan. 6 and lost 86-80. Senior
guard Alexa Romano wasn’t there. During the Behind the Bench, head coach Tara VanDerveer
said Alexa “is not playing on our team due to personal reasons.” With Nadia and
Maya sidelined, sophomore forward Alyssa
Jerome got the starting nod.
Success
in the desert
Traveling to the desert, Stanford defeated Arizona
State 72-65 Jan. 11 and Arizona 78-48 Jan. 13.
The ASU game was highlighted by junior guard DiJonai
Carrington’s buzzer-beating three from beyond the half-court line to end the
third quarter. Moreover, the team made all 14 free throws. After those two
wins, senior forward Alanna Smith was again Pac-12 Player of the Week.
Playing at home Jan. 18, the team had its way
against Washington 91-54. This was the game where the Stanford Federal Credit
Union handed out black plastic headbands with long red ribbons and red,
flashing translucent tubes. They made an impressive sight when the lights were
dimmed for the starters’ introduction.
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| After the WSU game, Tara and the team celebrate her 900th Stanford win. (John Lozano/Stanford Athletics) |
Both Tara and Alanna recorded milestones when the
team defeated Washington State at home Jan. 20.
For Tara, it was her 900th victory in
her 33 years at Stanford and the 1,052nd in her 40 years of coaching.
Alanna scored a career-high 34 points and
spearheaded Human Trafficking Awareness day along with announcer Betty Ann
Hagenau, founder of the Bay Area Anti-Trafficking Coalition.
Lexie was Pac-12 Freshman of the Week after
scoring a total of 18 points, nine rebounds, three assists and five steals in
the two games.
Going to the mountains, Stanford knocked off
Colorado 80-69 Jan. 25. Watching the game was Tara’s 91-year-old mother, Rita,
who lives nearby and who celebrated both the win and Tara’s being named to the
Bay Area Sports Hall of Fame.
Utah ended Stanford’s 11-game winning streak by
defeating the visiting Cardinal 75-68 on Jan. 27.
Stanford suffered another loss, 81-80, at Cal Jan.
31. It was Maya’s first game back after missing eight.
Team
gets revenge against Cal
After that tough loss, the team turned the tables by
defeating its cross-bay rival 75-50 Feb. 2 at Maples.
The next visitor, Oregon State, fell 61-44 Feb. 8.
Maya had a career-high 10 rebounds.
Then came that 88-48 home loss to Oregon Feb. 10,
the worst loss in Tara’s 33 years on the farm and her 40 years of coaching.
Undaunted, the team went on the road to defeat
UCLA 65-51 Feb. 15. This was the team’s 187th conference win since 2007-08,
the most in the nation, and its 20th season win for the 17th
straight year, reported Stanford Athletics.
The 21st win came at USC 69-67 Feb. 19.
Alanna broke a fingertip in the first quarter but went on to post 23 points and
12 rebounds.
After that SoCal sweep, the team returned home to
host Arizona and eked out a 56-54 win Feb. 22. The team got an extra boost from
Stanford president Marc Tessier-Lavigne, who played saxophone with the band.
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| It's Senior Day for Alanna (11), Marta (gray shirt) and Shannon (not shown). (Cody Glenn/Icon Sports Wire) |
Before the 71-50 home win against Arizona State on
Senior Day, Feb. 24, the U.S. national anthem was preceded by the Australian
anthem to honor Alanna, the team’s first international player. Senior center
Shannon Coffee signed the words to the U.S. anthem.
Afterward, Alanna, Shannon and guard Marta Sniezek
were joined by their families to receive accolades from Tara, their teammates
and fans.
Wrapping up the conference season, the team scored
away wins March 1 over Washington State 67-42 and March 3 over Washington
72-53.
Part
2: The tournaments
