Playing in front of more than
10,000 fans, most of them rooting for the host, Louisiana State University, the
Stanford women’s basketball team went toe-to-toe with the undefeated and then-ranked
No. 5 LSU on Dec. 5 only to lose 94-88 in overtime.
Except for the first 15 seconds,
when LSU hit a three-pointer, Stanford surged ahead and led 28-15 at the end of
the first quarter. The team held a lead until the fourth quarter’s final seconds,
when LSU scored two points to tie at 80-80.
Sophomore forward Nunu Agara led
the charge with 29 points and 13 rebounds. According to Sports Reference, Nunu
is the first DI player to have 29 points and 13 rebounds in a true road game
against an AP top-five opponent since Nov. 21, 2021.
Three of her teammates scored in
double digits with 19 by senior guard Brooke Demetre, 16 by senior guard Elena
Bosgana and 15 by redshirt junior guard Jzaniya Harriel.
The four top scorers were again
joined in the starting lineup by junior guard Tess Heal, filling in for junior
guard Talana Lepolo, who reportedly has knee and ankle problems. The TV
announcer said she didn’t make the trip to Baton Rouge.
Her absence left 13 available
players, with eight getting into the game.
Stanford out-rebounded LSU, but 15
turnovers led to 14 LSU points. It also hurt that Brooke was bothered by leg
cramps in the final moments.
The visitors made nine 3’s, with
three each by Brooke and Jzaniya, two by Nunu and one by Elena.
Among those cheering for Stanford
was Nneka Ogwumike, ’12, who plays professionally with the WNBA’s Seattle
Storm. She was wearing a Stanford sweatshirt.
The next game is at 7 p.m. Dec. 13
at Cal, just an easy drive across the bay. This will be the team’s first ACC
contest.
The team stays home to host UT San
Antonio at noon Dec. 16, and then takes a bus to Chase Center in San Francisco to
play Ohio State at 5:30 p.m. Dec. 20 before the holiday break.
ACCNX will stream the Cal and UTSA
games, while FS1 will carry the Ohio State game.
