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| Haley keeps an eye on the action. (Godofredo A. Vasquez/AP) |
The Stanford women’s basketball team started its
Pac-12 schedule by beating Cal 90-69 on Dec. 23 in a home game attended by
3,970.
Sophomore forward Kiki scored first with two free
throws. A subsequent 3 by Cal gave the visitors their biggest and only lead
less than a minute into the first quarter.
By the time just over four minutes had elapsed,
senior guard Haley Jones already had 8 points. By the end of that quarter, she had 12 points on her way to a team- and
game-leading 21 points. Her 10 rebounds led both teams, too.
Hannah
gets back in the 3-point groove
Regaining her 3-point prowess, senior guard Hannah
Jump launched five treys plus two free throws, leading to 17 points. Junior
forward Cameron Brink also was in double figures with 11. Close behind with 9 each
were Kiki, freshman center Lauren Betts and sophomore guard Elena Bosgana.
Besides the five 3’s from Hannah, Cameron and Elena
also scored from beyond the arc to give the team seven total.
Unlike some previous games, the bench made a
significant contribution with 26 points. All 15 players saw action.
Stanford dominated in the paint with 56 points,
compared with Cal’s 24. The team out-rebounded Cal 48-25 and led in every
quarter.
Among the people there was the University of
Wisconsin-Whitewater, a Division III team that had defeated UC Santa Cruz 61-60
Dec. 20.
Starting the Behind the Bench, associate head coach
Kate Paye said the Cal game “was a great win for our team.”
Players
make holiday plans
With her were Cameron and junior guard Agnes Emma-Nnopu. Cameron said that she and her mother, who was at the game, were flying home to Oregon for the holiday. Agnes, who is Australian, said she was going to fly to Los Angeles to meet relatives for a family Christmas.
Joining Kate, head coach Tara VanDerveer said, “we have
some spectacular young players.” She noted that her mother, Rita, who lives in
Colorado, was at the game along with Tara’s brother.
The team’s Greek players, Elena and freshman guard
Stavi Papadaki, were going to Sacramento to spend the holiday with Stavi’s
parents, who were visiting from Greece.
Since seven players are Californians, they’re likely
to get home with no problem. Given the horrible weather affecting the rest of
the country and disrupting travel, getting home might be harder for the four
from east of the Sierra.
The team has a four-day break before returning Dec.
28 to prepare for Arizona State at 6 p.m. Dec. 31 and Arizona at 11:30 a.m.
Jan. 2, both at home. Pac-12 will show the first game, Pac-12 Networks the
second.
