A headline-worthy win

Lexie is all alone as she adds a trey to  her 21 points.

While watching a Stanford women’s basketball game, I’ll sometimes think of a headline for my report.

During the third quarter of the team’s 88-69 victory over the visiting Buffalo Bulls on Nov. 24, for example, I thought of “Hot-handed Hull” after sophomore guard Lexie Hull went on a spree to help boost the score from a tight 49-45 at the 5:01 mark to a more comfortable 56-45 at 3:27. Altogether she scored 11 points during that quarter.

I scrapped that headline because everyone had contributed in some way by the time the final buzzer sounded.

“A great win,” Tara says

“This was a great win for us,” head coach Tara VanDerveer said during the Behind the Bench that followed the game.

Lexie wound up with 21 points, three rebounds, four assists and one block during her 31 minutes.

Going for a layup, Ashten soars over her defender.

Freshman forward Ashten Prechtel, a major force under the basket, recorded her career-first double-double with 17 points, 10 rebounds, three assists, two blocks and one steal in 22 minutes.

Also in double figures was junior guard Kiana Williams with 14 points, five rebounds and seven assists in 39 minutes. There were loud cheers for her and Lexie when they returned to the bench with about minute left to go.

Finally, freshman guard Haley Jones was in double figures, too, with 10 points, seven rebounds, four assists, two blocks and a steal in 26 minutes.

Team makes a dozen 3’s

The now 5-0 team showed its 3-point shooting prowess with a total of 12: four by Lexie, three by freshman guard Hannah Jump, two each by Kiana and junior forward Estella Moschkau, and one by junior forward Alyssa Jerome.

Alyssa gets her hand on an attempt by Buffalo's Theresa Onwuka.

It also buffaloed the Bulls in several categories: rebounds, 44-38; assists, 21-14; and blocks, 10-0.

On the other hand, Stanford had 15 turnovers to Buffalo’s 10 and only five steals to Buffalo’s 10.

Free-throw shooting was mediocre at 6-of-13, or 46.2 percent.

The starters were senior forward Nadia Fingall, Alyssa, Lexie, senior guard DiJonai Carrington and Kiana. All 13 available players got into the game.

Mikaela (left) and Maya rebound for their teammates during warmups.

Junior forward Maya Dodson was still wearing a boot, but senior forward Mikaela Brewer had shed hers.

Associate head coach Kate Paye started the Behind the Bench by saying, “We have a tremendous amount of respect” for Buffalo.

Buffalo keeps the game tight most of the way through

Although Buffalo never led, it kept the game tight with the first quarter ending at 19-17, the second at 35-32 and the third at 63-52. It was during that quarter that the Bulls launched a full-court press that was only partially effective and was soon abandoned.

This game was “a great experience for our team,” Kate said.

She was joined by three of the freshmen, Hannah, Haley and forward Fran Belibi. They said they call themselves the Funky Four. (Ashten arrived a few minutes later after a press conference.)

Although they were highly touted during their recruitment, “they’re better than advertised,” Kate said. They caught on fast to the college game, and “they each bring different strengths to the game.”

The Stanford women cheer as Fran dunks during warmups.

Unlike her classmates, who said they had started playing basketball in about third or fourth grade, Fran said she didn’t start until her freshman year. Now she can dunk.

Both Kate and Tara praised the returning players for their leadership in helping the freshmen. “It’s really fun to see how much they’re improving,” Tara said, referring to the freshmen.

Hannah said she was surprised at how quickly they became friends with the rest of the team.

One fan asked why DiJonai has played limited minutes – 16 in this game. Noting that she had off-season surgery and couldn’t practice during the summer, Tara said, “DiJonai will be there when we need her.”

Estella

Reflecting on the game, Tara said, “The highlight for me was Estella’s two 3’s.”

Estella usually doesn’t get much playing time, but she made the most of her six minutes in this game, making both of her 3’s, much to the delight of her teammates.

Team to travel north to Canada for Thanksgiving

Looking ahead to the Greater Victoria Invitational tournament in British Columbia during the Thanksgiving break, Nov. 28-30, Tara said it “will be extremely competitive. That’s what we want in November.”

Stanford will play California Baptist at 7:30 p.m. Thanksgiving Day and either Syracuse or Houston on Nov. 29 and another game on Nov. 30. Times for the second two games will be determined by the outcomes of preceding games.

Also in the tournament are Green Bay, Bowling Green, Mississippi State and the University of San Francisco.

After Dead Week for final academic preparations and finals the week of Dec. 9-13, the Cardinal will return to Maples to play Ohio State at 5:30 p.m.  Dec. 15 and Tennessee at 7 p.m. Dec. 18. Both will be televised by Pac-12 Networks.

 (Photos by Erin Chang/ISIPhotos.com)

Revenge of the nerds

Lexie goes for a jump shot over two Bulldog defenders. (Mike Rasay/isiphotos.com)

In a game that was a nail-biter right down to the last few seconds of overtime, the Stanford women’s basketball team gutted out a 76-70 victory over the visiting Gonzaga Bulldogs on Nov. 17.

Sophomore guard Lexie Hull, who with her twin, Lacie, shares her hometown of Spokane with Gonzaga, helped greatly by scoring 8 points and making an important rebound in the final three minutes of OT.

Anna 

Senior guard Anna Wilson then helped to ice the game by making three free throws during the final minute or so to score her only points of the night – but they were crucial, too.

Thus the Cardinal remained unbeaten at 4-0 and avenged a 79-73 loss to Gonzaga in Spokane in December.

Lead changes, ties keep the game tight

It was a tight game from start to finish. The lead changed 10 times, and the score was tied 13 times.

Gonzaga prevailed 17-16 after the first quarter and 31-28 at the half. 

Then the Cardinal returned from the locker room with seemingly renewed purpose, prevailing 45-43 after the third quarter and tying the score at 62-62 after the fourth quarter to send the game into the five-minute OT.

Gonzaga’s biggest lead was 5 points with just over a minute to go in the second quarter, while Stanford enjoyed its largest lead, 8 points, with under a minute left in overtime.

Lexie drives to the basket. (George Nikitin, AP)

Kiana, Lexie, Haley all in double figures

Lexie finished with 20 points in 41 minutes, while junior guard Kiana Williams had a team- and game-high of 22 points in 43 minutes. Freshman guard Haley Jones also was in double figures with 11. Some fans in the southwest corner held up posters spelling out “HALEY” every time she was in action.

The game lasted nearly 2 ½ hours, in part because of numerous jump balls plus all the fouls, 25 for Gonzaga and 26 for Stanford, indicative of a very physical game that saw players hitting the deck time and again.

Two Gonzaga players fouled out, as did sophomore guard Lacie Hull. There also were numerous time outs, especially in the last few minutes.

Hannah returns with face mask

Freshman guard Hannah Jump, wearing a face mask, was back in action after missing the last game. She played only four minutes but had 2 points. Senior forward Maya Dodson and senior guard Mikaela Brewer, both wearing walking boots, were still out.

The starters were Kiana, Lexie, junior forward Alyssa Jerome, senior forward Nadia Fingall and junior guard DiJonai Carrington.

In keeping with the close score, rebounds were almost even with 40 by Gonzaga and 39 by Stanford. Gonzaga had 14 turnovers, while Stanford had 15.

Each team managed five 3-pointers. Lexie and Kiana had two each while Lacie had one.

Free throws prove problematical

The game probably wouldn’t have been nearly as close if Stanford had had more success with free throws. The Cardinal hit only 17 of 29, or 58.6 percent, while the Bulldogs made 23 of 29, or 79.3 percent. That’s 12 points that the Cardinal potentially could have had.

One statistic that really stands out in Stanford’s favor is blocks. Gonzaga had none, while Stanford had seven, thanks to one each by Alyssa, Nadia, DiJonai, Haley, freshman forward Ashten Prechtel, freshman forward Fran Belibi and sophomore guard Jenna Brown. Stanford also had nine steals (three by Kiana) to Gonzaga’s six.

Although attendance was only 2,863, the crowd was often loud, sometimes to express displeasure with the officiating, but more often to appreciate good plays or to urge the team toward success, especially near the end.

It was a long afternoon for some fans who had attended the women’s volleyball game against UCLA at noon. However, they saw both teams win, as the volleyball team outscored UCLA 3-0.

After a well-deserved week off from competition, SWBB players will return to action by hosting Buffalo at 2 p.m. Nov. 24.

Cakewalk for the Cardinal

On her way to 19 points, Lacie goes for a layup. (Photo by Karen Ambrose Hickey/Stanford Athletics)

Except when Northern Colorado took the opening tipoff, the outcome was never in doubt as the Stanford women’s basketball team coasted to a 90-36 home win on Nov. 14.

Even before the game began, the players were in high spirits, cheering as freshman forward Fran Belibi delivered her usual dunk just before the round of free throws. Then they devised a team dance as the band played “All Right Now.”

Haley 

Head coach Tara VanDerveer altered the starting lineup, giving the nod to senior forward Nadia Fingall and freshman guard Haley Jones for the first time this season. Three more guards started – senior DiJonai Carrington, junior Kiana Williams and sophomore Lexie Hull – giving a four-guard look to the lineup.

Off to a fast start

Although the Bears took the opening tip, they didn’t score their first point, a free throw, until about three minutes into the game. By then the Cardinal had already scored 9 points.

After two more free throws, the visitors from the state school in Greeley finally made their first basket about a minute and a half later, making the score 13-5.

During the first quarter, the team got a bit of a scare when DiJonai left the floor shaking her hand after a fall. She consulted with trainer Katelin Knox and continued shaking and raising her arm for a few minutes before returning to the huddle during a time out. To everyone’s relief, she returned to action with just over four minutes to go in the quarter.

The first quarter ended 27-12. By then, Tara had sent in 11 of the 12 available players. Junior forward Maya Dodson and senior guard Mikaela Brewer had already missed games, but freshman guard Hannah Jump joined them in street clothes at the end of the bench.

Estella

About halfway through the second quarter, junior guard Estella Moschkau got in on the action.

Team tops opponents by 54 points

That quarter ended 55-19. By the end of the third quarter, the lead had ballooned to 72-33. Dogged defense by everyone held the visitors to only 3 points in the final quarter, leading to the 90-36 final score, a 54-point advantage.

Because the score was so lopsided and the team so deep despite injuries, no one played more than 22 minutes (sophomore guard Lacie Hull).

Besides the score and the use of all available players, one of the fun things about this game was that some players who normally are more in the background stepped up and showed what they can do.

Thus when Estella made a 3-pointer, her teammates on the bench were ecstatic. She wound up with 7 points on 3-for-3 shooting to go with a rebound in her 15 minutes.

Lacie becomes a leader

Lacie, who’s usually outscored by her twin, Lexie, was the team- and game-high scorer with 19 points plus five rebounds, three assists, a block and a steal in her 22 minutes.

Haley showed why she had started for the first time when she scored 11 points and had two rebounds plus three assists and one steal.

DiJonai was the only other player in double figures with 11 points, four rebounds and a steal in just 10 minutes, the fewest that night.

Senior Anna Wilson was the only Cardinal who didn’t score, but she contributed in other ways with four rebounds, two assists and, with her dogged defense, four steals in 19 minutes.

Although Stanford had only nine turnovers and the Bears had 19, four of Stanford’s turnovers came from steals by the visitors. Several others came from passes that were too high or that went astray.

Three-point production down

The Cardinal had fewer 3’s, only four, less than their average of 11.25 per game during the four previous games, including the exhibitions. Besides Estella, the 3-pointers came from Kiana, Lacie and freshman forward Ashten Prechtel.

Fran was the leading rebounder with 13 to go with 8 points and two assists in 19 minutes.

During the second quarter, the 2,361 fans in attendance were asked to guess Who Am I? In this case, it was the former player who is 9^th all-time in scoring and second in rebounds and who missed only one game, DePaul, when she was a senior. The answer: Kayla Pedersen, ’11.

Up next, Stanford hosts Gonzaga at 5 p.m. Nov. 17.

Stanford, USF make history at Chase Center

Lexie drives toward the basket.

Fans of Stanford and the University of San Francisco women’s basketball teams had a chance to take part in Bay Area history when their teams played the first college game ever at the Golden State Warriors’ new Chase Center in San Francisco on Nov. 9.

USF was the home team, but the visiting team recorded the first collegiate win in the arena with a 97-71 score.

Lexie leads the team with 27 points

Wearing their black road uniforms, the Cardinal were led by sophomore guard Lexie Hull, who poured in a game-high 27 points, boosted in part by shooting 5-for-7 on 3-pointers. She also had eight rebounds, three assists and one block.

DiJonai makes her way around a defender.

Also in double figures were senior guard DiJonai Carrington with 16 and junior forward Alyssa Jerome with 11. She was playing without a mask for the first time this season. Like Lexie, DiJonai had eight rebounds to go with two assists and one block.

Freshman forward Ashten Prechtel had the most rebounds, nine, to go with 8 points and one assist.

The starters were freshman forward Fran Belibi, who dunked during warmups; Alyssa; Lexie; DiJonai and junior guard Kiana Williams. The bulk of the minutes went to Kiana with 29, Lexie with 28 and DiJonai with 27.

Stanford has advantage of more players

While Stanford was able to field all 13 available players (junior forward Maya Dodson and senior guard Mikaela Brewer are still recovering from injuries), USF used only eight.

Stanford’s depth undoubtedly was an advantage as head coach Tara VanDerveer could send in fresh legs.

In all, Stanford had 14 3’s, led by Lexie’s five. Alyssa had three. DiJonai and sophomore guard Lacie Hull had two each. Senior guard Anna Wilson and freshman guard Haley Jones had one each.

Although the Cardinal had more points, rebounds (49-39), assists (22-4) and blocks (3-1), both teams had five steals. On the negative side, the Cardinal had more turnovers (15-12) and more fouls (14-11).

USF’s Stanford connections

The Lady Dons’ coaching staff has two Stanford WBB alumnae with Molly Goodenbour, ’93, as head coach and Katy Steding, ’90, as an associate coach.

Because Chase Center is so vast, 18,064 seats, the crowd of 3,025 was widely dispersed. Many of those fans were backing Stanford, but they were without the band, Tree, Dollies and cheerleaders, who most likely were at the Stanford football game at Colorado. 

Perhaps attendance was higher for the nightcap, which featured the USF men vs. Princeton. Tickets 

were good for both games.

With Stanford  players in the foreground, the teams warm up before the game at Chase Center.

What it’s like to go to Chase

Just being at Chase Center is an experience in itself. For those parking in one of its garages, the experience starts at the entrance, where the driver is ordered to put the car in neutral and turn off the engine while a police officer and his bomb-sniffing dog go around the car.

For those taking public transportation, there’s a Muni stop right next to the arena.

Before the doors open, fans can stroll around a plaza to admire the architecture or buy Warriors merchandise at the Warriors store. 

More security is in order at the doors where items like purses and other bags are screened and patrons pass through a metal detector.

Because it’s likely that most fans were there for the first time, many of them went sightseeing around its corridors and then went on a hunt for their seats.

Friendly staff people are a big plus

All along the way there were friendly, helpful staff people to answer questions and steer visitors in the right direction. These workers were one of the biggest contributors to making the visit a pleasant one.

On the other hand, the music before the game and during the half was at ear-splitting levels. I was lucky to have earplugs, so I didn’t leave with a headache as some fans did.

And probably because the arena wasn’t anywhere near capacity, only two food stands were open, both offering the same mostly unhealthful food to go with soft drinks and bottled water. Wine, beer and liquor were sold at other stands. No cash is accepted.

Inside the arena, the scoreboard showed only the score, time and each team’s fouls and time outs left. There was no way to keep track of individual and team stats.

The Cardinal return to the familiar environs of Maples Pavilion for games against Northern Colorado at 7 p.m. Nov. 14 and Gonzaga at 5 p.m. Nov. 17.

Photos by Stanford Athletics

Freshmen come up big in rout of Eastern Washington

Tara with the freshmen before the game. From left Haley, Hannah, Fran, Ashten. (Stanford Athletics)

After several sloppy minutes in the first quarter and probably a few choice words from head coach Tara VanDerveer, the Stanford women’s basketball team sharpened up, looked more like an elite squad and wound up beating Eastern Washington University 92-27 on Nov. 5 at Maples.

Freshmen led the way with forward Ashten Prechtel scoring 15 points. Forward Fran Belibi and guard Hannah Jump had 12 each. Also in double figures were junior guard Kiana Williams with 11 and sophomore forward Lexie Hull with 10.

The starters were Ashten, Lexie, Kiana, junior forward Alyssa Jerome and senior guard DiJonai Carrington.

During the first quarter, the Cardinal outscored the Eagles by 8, 18-10. After that,  the visitors from the state school in Cheney, Wash., never again reached double figures in a quarter, nor did any player score in double figures, leading to the 65-point loss.

Almost total dominance

Fran heads for the basket. (John P. Lozano/Stanford Athletics)

Stanford dominated in nearly every category, including rebounds, 59-32, with 15 by Fran for a double-double. The host team also did better in assists, turnovers, blocks and steals.

Ashten’s four blocks and senior guard Anna Wilson’s six assists led the team.  The one area where the visitors did better was fouls. They had nine, the Cardinal 13.

Sophomore guard Lacie Hull logged the most minutes, 20. Senior forward Nadia Fingall, cleared to play only a few days before, logged a team-low nine minutes yet tallied 6 points, two rebounds, two steals and one assist.

All 13 available players had a role in securing the win. Senior guard Mikaela Brewer and junior forward Maya Dodson were still out because of injuries.

Hot hands produce 13 treys

Helping to boost the score were 13 3-pointers. Hannah with her quick release had four, Ashten and Kiana three each, junior guard Estella Moschkau two and Anna one.

Besides superior fire power, Stanford also had better defense, often forcing the Eagles to take desperation shots just before the clock expired.

As they prepared to complete their warmups with free throws, Fran’s teammates formed an aisle for her to head for the basket and dunk, earning cheers from the crowd.

Helping to boost the home team were the band, Dollies, Tree and cheerleaders. One band member adorned the bell of his saxophone with a red flower amid greenery.

Fans get to guess the year

The video board featured a new contest of guessing the year. In this case, it was 2009-10.

That’s when the team, led by Jayne Appel, compiled a 36-2 record, averaged 76.1 points per game and fell to UConn 47-53 in the national championship game in San Antonio.  

Stanford fans still say their team would have won if Jayne hadn't been playing with a painful ankle injury.

Also harking back to the past, the game camera focused on another esteemed alum, Kate Starbird, ’97, with just under five minutes to go and Stanford up 76-21.

Next up: the team travels north to the city to face the University of San Francisco in the new Chase Center at 3 p.m. Nov. 9.

Team gets a chance to play against world's best

The two teams gather at center court before the game. (Bob Drebin/isiphotos.com)        

One of the biggest enticements luring young athletes to Stanford is the promise of a world-class academic education.

Stanford’s women’s basketball players got a different sort of world-class education when they hosted Team USA on Nov. 2 and lost 95-80.

Nneka shoots over Cardinal defenders. (Stanford Athletics)

They were schooled in particular by one of the best players ever to wear a Stanford WBB uniform -- Nneka Ogwumike, ’12. She had game-highs of 23 points and 12 rebounds in just over 27 minutes as she upped her Maples win-loss record to 65-0.

Team USA features some of the nation’s best professional players vying to play in next summer’s Olympics. Nneka was joined in the starting lineup by Seimone Augustus, Sylvia Fowles, captain Sue Bird and Diana Taurasi, who talked to some Stanford players on the court after the game.

Also with the 10-member squad that afternoon were A’ja Wilson, Skylar Diggins-Smith, Layshia Clarendon, Napheesa Collier and Allisha Gray. Other big names will join them later.

Susan King Borchardt, ’05, who was SWBB strength and conditioning coach for two years, is serving in the same capacity for Team USA and the WNBA’s Seattle Storm.

Exhibitions to prepare Team USA for Olympics

Team USA is preparing for the Olympics by playing exhibition games against some of the country’s best college teams, including Stanford. Next up are Oregon State on Nov. 4, Texas A&M on Nov. 7 and Oregon on Nov. 9.

More college games are planned for early next year with the schedule to be announced later.

Stanford’s starters were freshman forward Fran Belibi, junior forward Alyssa Jerome, sophomore guard Lexie Hull, senior guard DiJonai Carrington and junior guard Kiana Williams.

By game’s end, all 13 available players had a chance to see what it’s like to go against the pros. Junior forward Maya Dodson and senior guard Mikaela Brewer are recovering from injuries and didn’t play.

DiJonai and Kiana led Stanford’s scoring with 17 points each. Lexie also was in double figures with 11.

Kiana makes five 3-pointers

Kiana attempts a layup. (John Hefti / Associated Press)

Kiana’s five 3-pointers played a big role in her score. Also scoring from long range were Lexie, DiJonai, sophomore guard Lacie Hull, freshman guard Haley Jones and freshman guard Hannah Jump, all with one each.

Stanford fans had much to cheer for, especially when the Cardinal came out strong and led 20-15 at the end of the first quarter. USA led by only 7 points, 37-44, at the half. Stanford outscored USA 25-24 in the third quarter, ending down by only 6, 68-62, but USA surged ahead to win by 15.

This group of Team USA players had had only one practice before the game. It was the previous day at Stanford with Briana Roberson, ’17, among others facing them on the scrimmage team. Bri works in the IP and litigation departments at Fenwick&West LLP.

Excitement filled the air even before the game began with a long line of people buying Team USA gear at Roscoe’s Corner.

The crowd of 4,119 included the band, Tree, cheerleaders and Dollies as well as a large contingent in the student section. Also on hand was head coach Tara VanDerveer’s mother, Rita.

Loud cheers for players on both teams

Loud cheers erupted as each member of Team USA was introduced, with the loudest saved for last, when Nneka was introduced to a standing ovation. If possible, the cheers were even louder for Stanford.

Senior forward Nadia Fingall and Alyssa served as team captains. When she was playing, Alyssa wore a protective face mask. She reportedly suffered a broken nose while playing for Canada at the Pan American games in Lima, Peru, during the summer.

The teams then exchanged gifts, presumably T-shirts, before the Stanford Mendicants, nine men in red jackets, sang the national anthem.

Some of the other alumnae at the game included Chiney Ogwumike, ’14, who was introduced during the half.

Nneka goes to Stanford bench before leaving game

Nneka, followed by Sue Bird, hugs DiJonai after the game. (Karl Mondon/Bay Area News Group)

When Nneka left the game with just over a minute left, she again was loudly cheered. But instead of heading to the Team USA bench, she went over to the Stanford bench, where she hugged the coaches and high-fived each player.

Afterward, she was interviewed by the Pac-12 Network’s Mary Murphy and said, “It’s great to be back here.” She also complimented the Stanford players:  “This team looks amazing.”

She and Chiney then headed for the Stanford locker room, presumably to address the team.

The games count for real starting at 7 p.m. Nov. 5 when Stanford hosts Eastern Washington.