Team spreads holiday cheer with win over Tennessee

Her teammates, including Nadia (4), congratulate Kiana (23) as she  leaves the game shortly before it ended.

Santa arrived a week early for fans of Stanford women's basketball as his team of helpers delivered a sleigh full of goodies Dec. 18 during the 78-51 victory over the visiting Lady Vols of Tennessee, then ranked No. 23 in AP's national poll.

Senior forward Nadia Fingall, who usually scores closer to the basket, started the merriment on the team’s first possession by hitting a 3-pointer for a go-ahead score of 3-2.

This followed Tennessee’s taking the tip-off and scoring for its only lead. The visitors managed to tie the score for less than two minutes during the entire game. That was about as much hope as they could give their orange-clad fans seated behind the bench and scattered throughout the crowd of 4,676.

Kiana does a little victory dance in the locker room after the game.

Kiana scores her 1,000^th point

Later, during the fourth quarter, junior guard Kiana Williams made a free throw that gave her 1,000 points for her collegiate career, the 41^st player to do so in the program’s history.

Upping their season record to 10-0, the team looked entirely deserving of AP’s No. 1 spot by expending terrific effort both offensively and defensively.

The only missteps were 13 turnovers, still an improvement from previous games. Several came from travel calls and one from three seconds in the key.

Tennessee’s coaching staff didn’t help the Vols’ cause by getting a technical foul in the third quarter. Cardinal head coach Tara VanDerveer sent freshman Hannah Jump out for the free throws, both of which she made.

Amy chats with Fran in the locker room.

Fran fouls out

While Tennessee had 14 fouls, Stanford had 13, five of them by freshman forward Fran Belibi. She had to leave the game late in the fourth quarter, but not before contributing 7 points, three rebounds and three blocks in 14 minutes.

Maybe one of the coaches should do what women’s basketball administrator Amy Tucker did as associate head coach early in the stellar career of forward Jayne Appel, '10. On Jayne's locker she attached a sign that said, “Thou shalt not foul.”

Before the game started, the Lady Vols went through various stretches and other warm-up exercises joined by the young son of head coach Kellie Harper and assistant coach John Harper. The boy wore a warm-up shirt with 14 and Harper on the back.

USA Basketball honors Fran, Kiana

Just after the national anthem sung by the Greene Middle School choir of Palo Alto, Tara presented plaques to Fran and Kiana honoring their playing on USA Basketball teams during the summer.

The starters were Nadia, Kiana, junior forward Alyssa Jerome, sophomore guard Lexie Hull and freshman guard Haley Jones.

Senior guards DiJonai Carrington and Mikaela Brewer along with junior forward Maya Dodson were again in street clothes, but sophomore guard Lacie Hull, who had missed the Ohio State game with an injury, was back in action.

The first quarter ended 20-12 after Stanford held the visitors scoreless for just over five minutes.

The advantage widened to 34-24 during the half, when Luna Dance Studio of Palo Alto provided entertainment.

In addition to Hannah’s free throws following Tennessee’s technical, a third-quarter highlight came when the timeout camera focused on several members of the men’s basketball team who were there to back the women. When the quarter-ending buzzer sounded, the score had again widened, this time to 58-40.

Kiana led the team in scoring with 19 points in a game-high 34 minutes. She also had four rebounds, seven assists and one steal.

Ashten makes one of her three blocks.

Lexie, Ashten join Kiana in double figures

Lexie with 11 points (plus nine rebounds, two assists, one block and three steals in 29 minutes) and freshman forward Ashten Prechtel with 10 also were in double figures. In addition, Ashten contributed eight rebounds, three assists, three blocks and a steal.

In all, the team had 11 3’s: two each by Nadia, Lexie, Kiana, Ashten and Hannah plus one by senior guard Anna Wilson.

All 12 available players got in on the fun, and most contributed in one or more ways. Thus they gave their team advantages in shooting, 42.6-27.8 percent; free-throw shooting, 75-54.5 percent; rebounds, 50-44; assists, 14-7; blocks, 9-5; and steals, 7-6.

The team travels to Kiana’s home state of Texas to take on the Longhorns at 10 a.m. Dec. 22 before taking a short holiday break. ESPN2 will air the game.

The pre-conference season ends with UC Davis visiting at 2 p.m. Dec. 28 followed by a Behind the Bench.

Photos by Stanford Athletics