 |
| Shay battles for the ball. (Scott Strazzante/SF Chronicle) |
The Stanford women’s basketball team mounted a strong
comeback, but it wasn’t quite enough as the visiting Cal team won 75-72 on Jan.
23.
Still, it represented a significant improvement from
the Dec. 13 shellacking the team suffered at Cal, which won 83-63.
The game at Maples looked as if it might turn out the
same when Cal held a 19-point lead about halfway through the third quarter.
However, Stanford ramped up its defense, using a
full-court press to force Cal turnovers that led to Stanford baskets, cutting
the deficit to 13 points by the end of that quarter. This defense also forced
the shot clock to wind down when Cal had possession, leading to some
desperation shots.
Stanford outscored Cal by 10 points in the fourth
quarter and edged ever closer to a win, but it wasn’t to be.
In addition to the tougher defense later in the game, there
were other bright spots, such as sophomore guard Chloe Clardy’s game-high and
career-high 22 points.
And freshman guard Shay Ijiwoye continued to improve,
scoring eight points and chipping in with three assists and three steals while committing
only two turnovers. However, she fouled out late in the fourth quarter.
That foul came with less than three minutes left to play and Stanford just two points behind. A Cal player went to the foul line. Shay and a Cal player both fell, and the Cal player was temporarily hurt (but returned later). After refs had reviewed the play, they called a flagrant foul on Shay. Thus Cal got two made foul shots, possession and another basket, ending the comeback.
As usual, sophomore forward Nunu Agara was a key factor with her 19 points, six of them from her two 3’s late in the game. Sophomore guard Courtney Ogden and senior guard Elena Bosgana each had one.
Elena’s trey was the first score by either team,
lending some hope to the evening.
Overall, Cal had 18 turnovers to Stanford’s 17. The
referees whistled Cal for 23 fouls and Stanford for 21. Both numbers led to
some dissatisfaction among the nearly 4,600 fans, including a vocal Cal
contingent.
Cal’s fouls included a technical on head coach Charmin
Smith late in the third quarter.
Redshirt junior guard Jzaniya Harriel was back with
the team after missing the two games in North Carolina. She played less than a
minute and was on the exercise bike when the team returned from the halftime
break. There was no report on her status.
The team gets to stay home another week with
Pittsburgh scheduled to visit at 7 p.m. Jan. 30 and North Carolina visiting at
noon Feb. 2. ACCNX will stream the Pittsburgh game. The North Carolina game
will be available on CW.
