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