Looking back: Part 3 of 3

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    Players celebrate Hannah's buzzer-beating 3 against Sacred Heart. (Scott Strazzante/SF Chronicle)

Going into the Pac-12 tournament in Las Vegas, the No. 1 seed Stanford women’s basketball team downed No. 9 seed Oregon 78-65 on March 2. Stanford opened the game on a 7-0 run before Oregon’s first score at the 6:30 mark. The Cardinal held the lead for the rest of the game.

Even though her playing time was limited by fouls, junior forward Cameron Brink was in double figures by about halfway through the second quarter. She went on to lead the team with 22 points plus 11 rebounds but no blocks.

One day later, on March 3, the team was sent packing by No. 5 seed UCLA, which won 69-65.

The game started well with the Cardinal leading in each of the first three quarters, but UCLA edged ahead in the fourth.

Cameron posted a double-double with 19 points and 11 rebounds. Senior guard Haley Jones also had a double-double with15 points and 10 rebounds.

Players garner honors

Although the championship eluded Stanford, five players earned Pac-12 season honors.

Senior guard Hannah Jump was named Scholar-Athlete of the Year and was named to the All-Pac 12 Team along with Cameron and Haley. Cameron was named Defensive Player of the Year. Guard Talana Lepolo and center Lauren Betts earned honorable mention on the All-Freshman Team.

A few days later, before the NCAA tournament started, Haley and Cameron were named All-Americans for the second year. Hannah was named an Academic All-American.

As a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament, Stanford earned the right to host first and second round games.

NCAA play starts with easy win

Round one went well with an easy 92-49 victory over 16-seeded Sacred Heart on March 17 even though Cameron was absent because of illness. Redshirt freshman guard Jzaniya Harriel also was missing.

In the team’s 100^th NCAA tournament win, five players posted double figures: Haley, 17, Hannah and senior forward Fran Belibi, 12 each plus 10 rebounds for Fran; freshman guard Indya Nivar, 11; and Lauren, 10.

Because the team was doing so well, no one played more than 25 minutes (Haley), and all 13 available players got in. When freshman guard Stavi Papadaki and walk-on freshman guard Lauren Green, who usually didn’t play much, got in with just under 3 ½ minutes to go, they were greeted by loud cheers.

NCAA play ends with tough loss

Two days later, on March 19, the unexpected happened. No. 8-seeded Ole Miss downed the Cardinal 54-49, thus ending the season and hopes of advancing.

Ole Miss took the opening tip and never looked back. Stanford trailed by as many as 13 points in the third quarter and tied the game, 49-49, only briefly in the fourth quarter, but didn’t score after that.

Everyone was available after Cameron and Jzaniya had missed the Sacred Heart game.

As reported by head coach Tara VanDerveer, Cameron was not at full strength after a stomach bug. Nevertheless, she led the team with a double-double of 20 points and 13 points plus seven blocks in 34 despite being harassed and sometimes manhandled by the Ole Miss defense. Half of her points came from the free throw line, where she was a perfect 10-10.

Haley played all 40 minutes and had 16 points and eight rebounds.

Despite the loss, the fans cheered the players loudly as they left the Maples court for the last time this season. This was an especially poignant moment for the Funky Four seniors: Haley, Hannah, Fran and forward Ashten Prechtel. However, Hannah will return next season with the extra year granted because of COVID disruptions.

The team finished with a 29-6 overall record.

Afterward, there were more honors for Cameron: WBCA Division I Defensive Player of the Year, WBCA All-American, AP All-American and one of five Wooden Award All-America finalists. Haley also was named an AP All-American.

At the annual awards banquet on April 5, Tara thanked everyone who had helped the team and saluted each player.

Later that week, it was announced that Lauren, Indya and junior guard Agnes Emma-Nnopu had entered the transfer portal. .

During the WNBA draft on April 10, Haley was drafted sixth by the Atlanta Dream, and Ashten was drafted 34^th by the Connecticut Sun.

With Stanford’s spring quarter under way, returning players are working out and looking forward to next season

 

Looking back: Part 2 of 3

 

Fran spins Cameron around after the win over UCLA. (Carlos Avilia Gonzalez/SF Chronicle)

Before scattering for the Christmas break, the Stanford women’s basketball team started the Pac-12 season by defeating Cal 90-69 on Dec. 23 at home.

Cal’s only lead, 3-2, came less than a minute into the game. By the time just over four minutes had elapsed, senior guard Haley Jones had 8 points. When the first quarter ended, she had 12 on her way to a team- and game-leading 21 points and 10 rebounds.

Bench players added 26 points, and all 15 players saw action.

Returning from the holiday break and ending 2022, the team beat Arizona State 101-69 at home on Dec. 31. Starting 2023,  the visiting Arizona team fell 73-57 on Jan. 2.

Cal again was the opponent, this time at Cal on Jan. 8, when Stanford eked out 60-56 win. It was tight throughout as the lead bounced back and forth. Cal’s tight defense led to Stanford’s lowest point total so far in the season.

As the game clock ticked down to 14 seconds, Stanford was up 58-56. With five seconds to go, sophomore forward Brooke Demetre was deliberately fouled. She made both free throws to ice the win.

Junior forward Cameron Brink was the game’s star, logging 25 points, 17 rebounds and three blocks. For her effort, she was named again named Pac-12 Player of the Week. It was the sixth time in her career.

A win and a loss in SoCal

Traveling to SoCal, the team beat UCLA 72-59 on Jan. 13. It was a tight game with 10 lead changes and seven ties until the fourth quarter, when the Cardinal outscored the Bruins 21-10. Part of the difference was that Cameron had six of her seven blocks, and junior guard Agnes Emma-Nnopu came in to provide stellar defense along with 9 points, a rebound and a steal all in 10 minutes.

Haley led the team with 16 points and 12 rebounds.

Two days later, on Jan. 15, the team lost at USC 55-46. This loss dropped Stanford to AP’s No. 4 from the No. 2 ranking it had had since the start of the season. It also ended the team’s 39-game winning streak over Pac-12 teams and ended USC’s 14-game losing streak to Stanford.

Stanford’s 4 points in the first quarter were the fewest for any quarter so far. Cameron was the only Cardinal in double figures with 11 points plus 14 rebounds.

Returning home, Stanford beat then-No. 8 Utah 74-62 on Jan. 20.

It wasn’t until the fourth quarter that victory seemed secure. Stanford kept a lead, but Utah kept coming back.

Talana injured in Utah game

During the first quarter, freshman guard Talana Lepolo went out with an ankle injury and was replaced by freshman guard Indya Nivar at the point.

Three players accounted for 63 points, or 85 percent, of the final score. Haley and Cameron had 25 each, while senior guard Hannah Jump pitched in 13. Cameron also had 14 rebounds, Haley 12.

Still at home, the Cardinal defeated then-No. 24 Colorado 62-49 on Jan. 22. Following this weekend, Utah fell to No. 9, Colorado to No. 25.

Because of Talana’s injury in the Utah game, Indya replaced her in the starting lineup. Agnes replaced sophomore forward Kiki Iriafen as a starter in both games that weekend.

Hannah led the scoring with 21 points, 15 of them from 3’s. Cameron had 14 and Haley had 11 plus 18 rebounds. After the weekend, she was named Pac-12 Player of the Week and Naismith Trophy Player of the Week.

Elevator breaks down for Utah game

When the crowd of 4,122 people arrived for the Utah game, the elevator was out of service. Hence some people with mobility problems had to struggle upstairs or go home.

The elevator was working in time for fans to see Oregon State fall 63-60 on Jan. 27. It was a hard-fought game with several ties and lead changes. With the final seconds ticking down and Stanford clinging to a 62-60 lead, Haley made one of two free throws for the final winning score.

The drama didn’t end there, though. OSU had the ball with 18.7 seconds to go but couldn’t get off a tying shot. With 2.5 seconds to go, Stanford fouled, giving OSU the ball out of bounds, but Talana stole the ball when it was inbounded.

Cameron contributed 21 points, 13 rebounds and six blocks. Haley had 17 points.

Cameron posts triple-double against Oregon

Two days later on Jan. 29, Oregon was defeated 62-54.

Cameron racked up a triple-double thanks to a team- and game-leading 16 points, 11 rebounds and 10 blocks. Thus she again was named Pac-12 Player of the Week.

Eleven players got into the game, and eight scored. Bench players added 16 points. Brooke was 3-3 from behind the arc, adding to the team’s eight 3’s.

As a result of the weekend’s successes, the team moved up to AP’s No. 2 from No. 3.

Mixed results in Evergreen State

Traveling north to the Evergreen State, Stanford enjoyed a decisive win over Washington State 71-38 on Feb. 3 and a painful upset loss to Washington 72-67 on Feb. 5, thus dropping to No. 6 in the AP poll.

Defense and depth led to the domination over Washington State, who had never defeated the Cardinal in 72 games.

Eleven players scored as the bench added 37 points, more than half the total. Haley led with 13, while Cameron and freshman center Lauren Betts had 10 each. Lauren also had three rebounds, two assists and a steal with no fouls in 16 minutes.

Fans watching at home endured a blank screen for several minutes in the third quarter and missed seeing the team score another 7 points.

Two wins in the desert

The team stayed on the road the next weekend, defeating Arizona and Arizona State. These two wins, combined with losses by higher-ranked teams, elevated the Cardinal to AP’s No. 3 from No. 6.

In defeating Arizona 84-60 on Feb. 9, Stanford got 18 points each from Cameron and Haley, who also had 12 rebounds.

In all, the team had 31 bench points, including 12 from Lauren plus four rebounds in 21 minutes.

Cameron had an unusually low two blocks, but they were enough for her to break her own Stanford season record with 92 – and counting.

Fans watching the game on ESPN missed about the first 5 ½ minutes while a hockey game wrapped up. When it came on, Stanford was up 10-5.

The ASU game, which Stanford won 96-94 on Feb. 12, saw major contributions from bench players. Agnes led the team with 17 points that included going 5-6 on 3’s. Lauren added 13 points. Her performance in the two desert games earned her the honor of Pac-12 Freshman for the Week for the first time.

Returning home, the team defeated USC 50-47 in a physical game on Feb. 17, thus avenging the 55-46 it had suffered at USC on Jan. 15.

Cameron was the only Cardinal in double figures with 12 points plus 10 rebounds. She also had six blocks, raising her career total to 278 and surpassing the 273 that Jayne Appel, ’10, tallied in four years. She broke the record about halfway through the second quarter.

Fran, Hannah, Haley and Ashten were honored at Senior Night after the UCLA game. (Stanford Athletics)

Seniors honored after UCLA game

Because the UCLA game, which Stanford won 71-66 on Feb. 20, was the last home game, it also was Senior Day. Therefore, after the game, the four seniors – Hannah, Haley, forward Ashten Prechtel and Fran – were saluted by their families and teammates.

The game was tough. For example, the lead shifted several times in the fourth quarter. Two free throws each by Cameron and Talana in the final minute or so assured the win.

Cameron led all scorers with 25 points, including a perfect 15-15 on free throws. These 15 free throws without a miss were the most by any Cardinal since 1999.

Beating Colorado takes two OT’s

The regular season wrapped up on the road with mixed results: a 73-62 win over No. 21 Colorado in double overtime on Feb. 23 and a 84-78 loss to No. 8 Utah on Feb. 25.

Thus Stanford and Utah shared with regular season championship, but Stanford had the top seed in the Pac-12 tournament in Las Vegas.

Before the double OT win over Colorado, the team’s schedule had allowed only three days between the UCLA game at home Feb. 20, and that included a travel day. Then there were the one-hour time change and the thin air at high altitude.

It was a nerve-wracking affair with numerous ties, lead changes and turnovers, but neither team would give up.

Aiding Stanford’s cause were Haley with 23 points plus 11 rebounds in all 50 minutes, Hannah with 14 in 41 minutes and Lauren also with 14 points plus eight rebounds in 29 minutes.

After some problems in previous game, Hannah regained her long-range touch with four 3’s, one of them late in the second OT to help assure the win.

Because of foul trouble, Cameron was limited to 21 minutes, scoring 8 points, snaring six rebounds and adding four blocks to her ongoing record. She fouled out in the first OT.

Travel troubles in Colorado

Going into the Utah game, Stanford had limited rest because its two-hour flight from Boulder to Salt Lake City was delayed, not leaving until after 4 a.m. Feb. 24. Thus the players didn’t get to bed in their hotel until about 7 a.m.

Stanford held a 17-15 lead after the first quarter, but Utah prevailed after that to win 84-78 on Feb. 25. Twenty-one turnovers by Stanford were costly, especially the three in the final minute of play.

Hannah led the team with 24 points, 18 of them from six 3’s. With 14 points, 11 rebounds and four blocks, Cameron was the only other Cardinal in double figures. Foul trouble limited her to 28 minutes. Haley also played 28 minutes but fouled out late in the fourth quarter after adding 9 points and eight rebounds.

The team finished the regular season with a 27-4 record overall and 15-3 in the Pac-12.

Up next: Part 3, tournaments

 

Looking back: Part 1 of 3

 

Fran (left) and Haley (right) congratulate Brooke after she scored 17 points, with 15 from 3's, in the Gonzaga victory on Dec. 4. (Stanford Athletics)

The Stanford women’s basketball team and its fans had high hopes for the 2022-23 season, aiming for another trip to the Final Four and perhaps another national championship, but things didn’t turn out that way.

The optimism started even before the first game. Senior forward Fran Belibi, sophomore forwards Kiki Iriafen and Brooke Demetre, and redshirt freshman Jzaniya Harriel were on USA Basketball’s 3x3 team in May and made it to the semifinals.

Senior guard Hannah Jump played for England’s 3x3 Europe Cup qualifiers in June. Freshman guard Indya Nivar was on the US National U18 team that won gold.

Sophomore guard Elena Bosgana played for her native Greece’s U20 team in July. Another Greek, freshman guard  Stavi Papadaki, had a chance to play for her country’s U18 team but decided to go to summer school to adjust to all that is new.

Jeannette joins staff in new post

Jeannette Pohlen, ’11, joined the staff in a new position, director of player development. Among other things, she assumed the duties of retired women’s basketball administrator Amy Tucker.

To increase student attendance, lower level sections 14-16 were reserved for students, causing some season ticket holders to move.

Fans got their first looks at the team during a scrimmage Oct. 29 followed by an open practice Nov. 1.

The team’s first chance to face another team came in an exhibition game Nov. 2, when the Cardinal breezed to a 102-25 win over Vanguard. Starters were junior forward Cameron Brink, Hannah, senior guard Haley Jones at the point, Kiki and junior guard Agnes Emma-Nnopu. All 15 players saw action.

Two wins open the season

Season competition officially began with home wins over San Diego State 86-48 on Nov. 7 and Cal State Northridge 104-40 on Nov. 9. Freshman center Lauren Betts made a strong impression in the latter game with a game high 18 points, 16 of them in the fourth quarter.

The season’s first road trip brought wins over Pacific 98-44 on Nov. 11 and Portland 87-47 on Nov. 13.  Kiki led the team against Pacific with 15 points. Three-pointers hit a season high of 12 thanks to 4-4 by Hannah and the rest by six others.

In the Portland game, freshman guard Talana Lepolo started for the first time, replacing Agnes.

Back in Maples, the team upped its season record to 5-0 by defeating Cal Poly 80-43 on Nov. 16. Hannah was the game’s headliner, matching her career highs of 24 points and eight 3’s. She electrified the crowd by making three in a row during the third quarter.

First loss comes against South Carolina in OT

The initial winning streak ended Nov. 20 when the South Carolina, the defending national champion, defeated Stanford 76-71 in overtime. Stanford had the edge for most of the nationally televised game, but committed some costly errors in the overtime. After the game, associate head coach Kate Paye introduced the five freshmen: Talana, Lauren, Indya, Stavi and walk-on guard Lauren Green.

Back to its winning ways, the team spent the Thanksgiving break in Honolulu for the Rainbow Wahini Showdown and left with three wins: 93-69 over Florida Gulf Coast on Nov. 25, 87-50 over Grambling State on Nov. 26 and 65-39 over Hawaii on Nov. 27.

Besides winning the tournament championship and wearing leis, the players enjoyed some fun things like parasailing.

Back in Maples, the team defeated Gonzaga 84-63 on Dec. 4. Brooke was the high scorer with 17 points, 15 of them from five 3’s, including three in a row in the second quarter. In all, the team had 15 3’s.

After the game, associate head coach Kate Paye introduced Elena, the team’s first European player. Elena conceded she had felt some homesickness, but it helped that countrywoman Stavi has joined her, allowing them to converse in Greek.

Two wins end nonconference schedule

Wrapping up its nonconference schedule, the No. 2-ranked Cardinal defeated Tennessee 77-70 on Dec. 18 and Creighton 72-59 on Dec. 20, both at home.

Stanford had to come from behind to defeat the Lady Vols after lagging by as many as 8 points after a scoring drought in the third quarter. Cameron helped to narrow the gap with a trey in the last few seconds.

Although her playing time was limited by fouls, she led the team with 21 points and 17 rebounds. As a result, she was named Pac-12 Player of the Week.

After the game, the crowd got to meet players from Stanford’s 1990 national championship team coached by head coach Tara VanDerveer and including Kate on its roster.

In the Creighton game, Talana led the team with 17 points, including five 3’s.

Up next: Part 2, the Pac-12 season

Players, fans gather for one last time

The annual Awards Banquet on April 6 at the Arrillaga Alumni Center would more aptly be called the annual Appreciation Event.

No awards have been handed out in several years, and this time, unlike past years, there was no banquet. Instead there were drinks and desserts like ice cream and pastries like cookies, brownies and cream puffs.

Still, more than 100 people were there, including the players, staff and others associated with the team.  It was a chance to socialize with other fans and chat with the dressed-up players.

It also was a chance to see just how tall most of them are. Some wore high heels, making them even taller and towering over almost everyone else.

Head coach Tara VanDerveer opened the evening by ticking off the team’s accomplishments such as 10 wins against ranked opponents, the nation’s third longest streak of going to the NCAA tournament and second nationally in blocks as a team among many others.

Many thanks during the program

Throughout the program she thanked everyone who has helped the team in any way.

She also introduced the players and enumerated each one’s accomplishments,  starting with the freshmen. She noted that guard Stavi Papadaki will return to Greece during the summer to play for her country’s U20 team. Center Lauren Betts had the highest field goal percentage, more than 50 percent, on the team. Tara also praised walk-on guard Lauren Green and fellow guards Indya Nivar and Talana Lepolo.

Next came the sophomores. This group was missing guard Jzaniya Harriel, who is red-shirting after not playing last season and wasn’t feeling well.

Tara said that guard Elena Bosgana is always smiling and tripled her playing time from last year. Like Stavi, she will return to her native Greece during the summer to play for its national team.

Forward Kiki Iriafen played in every game and was fourth in scoring and third in rebounds. It was forward Brooke Demetre’s birthday, so the crowd sang “Happy Birthday” to her.

The juniors were next. Guard Agnes Emma-Nnopu increased her scoring five times from past seasons and shot 42 percent from beyond the arc, second on the team.

Forward Cameron Brink was the team’s leading scorer, rebounder and blocker. Her 297 blocks ranked second in the nation. She sank 85 percent of her free throws and made 48 consecutive free throws to end the season. As a Wooden Award finalist, she went to Los Angeles the next day in conjunction with the honor. The trophy went to Iowa’s Caitlin Clark.

Seniors honored

Finally, attention turned to the four seniors. Guard Haley Jones, who amassed an impressive record over her career, wasn’t there because she reportedly had already left for New York for the WNBA draft on April 10.

Calling themselves the Funky Four, the seniors compiled a 63-9 record in the Pac 12 over their four years.

Guard Hannah Jump set the single-season record for 3’s, making them in 31 of 35 games this season. Taking advantage of the extra year of eligibility granted because of pandemic disruptions, she said she plans to return next season, a statement that drew loud cheers from the crowd.

Forward Ashten Prechtel is graduating with both a bachelor’s and a master’s degree in management science and engineering. She has declared for the WNBA draft and has said that if she doesn’t get drafted, she hopes to play in Europe.

Forward Fran Belibi, who dunked in several games, also dunked as part of every pre-game warmup routine. A human biology major who wants to become a physician, she will attend grad school at Harvard.

She, like Hannah and Ashten, spoke to the fans and thanked them for their support throughout the years.

Players earn Pac-12 academic honors

When introducing the players, Tara noted that five are on the Pac-12 Academic Honor Roll: Elena, Brooke, Kiki, Agnes and Ashten. Hannah was the Pac-12 Scholar Athlete of the Year. Freshmen aren’t eligible for the honor roll.

A video of season highlights – and there were many -- concluded the program. It featured all of the players at various times and most of the games through the first round victory over Sacred Heart in the NCAA tournament. It concluded with some of the fun activities the players enjoyed during the season.

Tara closed the program with a look at next season when Duke and Indiana are scheduled.

Next season might have an unexpected look. The day after the banquet, it was reported that Agnes and Lauren Betts have entered the transfer portal. Later it  was reported that Indya also had entered the portal. Thus the roster suffers a big loss.