Home stand yields two wins

 

Chloe had 14 points and a team-high 12 assists against Syracuse. (Supriya Limage/ISI Photos)

The Stanford women’s basketball team completed its penultimate home stand by notching two wins: 79-58 over Syracuse on Feb. 13 and 80-75 over Boston College on Feb. 16, thus raising its season record to 13-12.

No Nunu? No problem

Just over 2,900 people braved the Bay Area’s latest atmospheric river by going to Maples on Feb. 13.

They were rewarded by seeing the team defeat the visiting Syracuse Orange.

Redshirt junior guard Jzaniya Harriel was in uniform after missing several games, but she didn’t play.

Sophomore forward Nunu Agara was still out after falling hard early in the Notre Dame game and missing the Louisville game the previous weekend. Freshman forward Harper Peterson and sophomore guard Talana Lepolo were out, too.

Nunu had been the team’s leading scorer, but there was plenty of scoring in this game as five players were in double figures.

Senior guard Elena Bosgana led the way with 18 points plus 11 rebounds and both of the team’s two blocks.

Junior guard Tess Heal was right behind her with 17 points.

Senior forward Brooke Demetre and sophomore guard Chloe Clardy both had 14 points. Chloe also had a team-high 12 assists. Two of her points came from free throws during the fourth quarter after Syracuse head coach Felisha Legette-Jack was assessed a technical foul.

Sophomore forward Mary Ashley Stevenson completed the quintet of double-figure players with 12 points.

Another reason to cheer this victory is that Brooke broke out of a recent shooting slump by making three 3’s in a row during the first quarter.

Tess also had three 3’s. Chloe and Elena each had two of the team’s 10 3’s.

The Cardinal led the entire way, ending each quarter with a double-digit lead.

Freshman guard Shay Ijiwoye had, from my perspective, what should have been a game highlight when she made a buzzer-beater to end the first quarter, but the referees ruled it was too late.

Stanford dominated in most statistics except turnovers, committing 12 to Syracuse’s 11. Notably, Stanford had a 21-8 advantage in assists.

In honor of Black History Month, the Stanford Federal Credit Union handed out commemorative T-shirts.

Preceding the usual national anthem, which was sung by a trio of Black students, a Black woman student sang “Lift Every Voice and Sing,” considered the Black national anthem.

Tess led the scoring against Boston with 23 points. (Al Chang/ISI Photos)

Boston College keeps things close

Things weren’t quite as easy Feb. 16 when Boston College came to visit. Stanford eked out an 80-75 win.

It looked easy about halfway through the first quarter when the home team had a 10-point edge, but Boston rallied to take a 21-20 lead when the buzzer sounded.

The lead bounced around after that, leaving no one a chance to sit back and relax – much less the players.

For example, each team had 11 3’s. Tess had five for Stanford, followed by Brooke with three. Chloe, Elena and sophomore forward Courtney Ogden each had one.

Tess led the team overall scoring with 23 points. Also in double digits were Brooke with 21 and Elena with 15.

Nunu didn’t start, but she came in to applause about midway through the first quarter. However, she played less than a total of seven minutes for the game and added two rebounds and an assist.

Jzaniya also saw limited action, just over three minutes, and had two assists. Talana and Harper were still out, but Harper wasn’t wearing a boot.

Assists were an area where Stanford dominated, 20-9. On the other hand, it had 18 turnovers to BC’s 15. BC’s 11 steals contributed to Stanford’s turnovers.

The game ended on an almost comical note because of clock issues. The clock initially showed 3.2 seconds left with Stanford in possession.

However, it didn’t start right away, so the referees did a review to see how much time actually was left. They said 2.5 seconds, but the clock managers varied it from too little to too much time until finally hitting upon right setting.

At that point, Tess made two free throws to ice the win.

Because it was National Girls and Women in Sports Day, women from other Stanford sports oversaw activities for youngsters in the concourses before the game.

Betty Ann Hagenau, the usual announcer, wasn’t there. Andrew Scott Knox, who usually leads activities during breaks, filled in for her.

Among the more than 3,500 people at the game was Karlie Samuelson, ’17, sitting with retired head coach Tara VanDerveer and retired associate head coach Amy Tucker.

The team hits the road again with games at Virginia Tech at 5 p.m. PT Feb. 20 and Virginia at 3 p.m. PT on Feb. 23. ACCN will show both games.

Fans learn about Lifetime Cardinal

After the game, an information session about Lifetime Cardinal filled Kissick Auditorium.

Lifetime Cardinal was formed to provide financial support to Stanford student athletes. It responds to the changing collegiate athletic atmosphere that allows players to be paid for NIL, or name, image, likeness.

It has led to players being lured from one school to another with financial rewards.

“We want to have great players” and keep them, head coach Kate Paye said. “We have to be competitive.”

That’s where Lifetime Cardinal comes in. Fans can make tax-deductible donations and direct them to a specific team, such as women’s basketball.

For specific details and directions on donating, go to www.lifetimecardinal.com.  

 

 

 

Three time zones, two losses

 

Playing on Eastern time, which is three hours ahead of Pacific time, the Stanford women’s basketball team came away with two losses, dropping its season record to below .500, 11-12.

The team lost 96-47 to Notre Dame on Feb. 6 and 74-65 to Louisville on Feb. 9.

The loss at Notre Dame on Feb. 6 marked a record for the team, but it wasn’t a record anyone wanted: The Irish handed the Cardinal its largest margin of defeat in program history.

The previous record was a 96-51 loss to Long Beach State on March 10, 1983. The team’s 29 turnovers were just short of the 30-turnover record reached four times, most recently against UConn on Dec. 21, 2007, Stanford Athletics reported.

The team suffered another loss, too, when its leading scorer, sophomore forward Nunu Agara, fell hard onto her backside just five minutes into the game. Aided by trainer Katelin Knox, she was able to walk to the locker room.

She returned to the bench later but didn’t return to action. No word on her status was available.

The score was 9-6 in Notre Dame’s favor when Nunu went down, but the host team’s superior offense and relentless defense kept widening the gap in front of the crowd of more than 7,500.

The second quarter was perhaps the worst. Notre Dame outscored Stanford 33-7, giving the Irish a 50-15 lead at the half. It continued downhill after that. “There’s no space for Stanford to breathe offensively,” a TV announcer said.

With 10 points, junior guard Tess Heal was the only Cardinal in double figures. Making two of the team’s six 3’s boosted her total.

The other 3’s came from freshman guard Shay Ijiwoye, sophomore guard Chloe Clardy, senior guard Elena Bosgana and senior forward Brooke Demetre.

Stanford’s only statistical advantage was in rebounds, 38-35. Freshman center Kennedy Umeh contributed nine while sophomore forward Courtney Ogden had seven.

Louisville hands team another loss

After traveling south through Indiana and across the Ohio River to Louisville, Ky., the team made a better showing but still lost 74-65 on Feb. 9 before a crowd of more than 8,000.

Because Nunu was unavailable after her fall at Notre Dame, sophomore forward Mary Ashley Stevenson took her place in the starting lineup. She wound up being one of four Stanford players in double figures with 15.

That was just behind Chloe, who led the team with 16. Elena with 14 (plus 10 rebounds) and Tess with 10 also were in double figures.

Stanford actually led Louisville 15-13 after the first quarter and outscored the host team 31-22 in the fourth.

However, the second and third quarters were the team’s undoing, when Louisville amassed 39 points to Stanford’s 19.

Stanford stayed close in the final quarter but had to foul deliberately in hopes of getting the ball as the clock ticked down. That strategy backfired as Louisville made all but two of its free throws in the quarter. It also caused Elena to foul out with less than a minute to go.

Both teams had 18 turnovers, but Louisville grabbed more rebounds. It also had more 3’s, six. Stanford had only two, both by Chloe.

Returning to Maples, Stanford will host Syracuse at 7 p.m. Feb. 13 (on ACCN) and Boston College at 2 p.m. Feb. 16 (ACCNX).

 

 

 

Home stand yields mixed results

Lion dancers entertain the crowd at the Pitt game. (Karen Hickey/ISI Photos)

The Stanford women’s basketball completed a home stand by defeating Pittsburgh 58-46 on Jan. 30 and nearly upsetting the University of North Carolina, then-ranked #15 by the AP, 67-69 on Feb. 2.

The Pitt game marked the host team’s fewest points so far this season, but it still had some bright spots.

One was 100 percent accuracy at the free-throw line, 15-15. Rebounds were another with career highs for sophomore forward Courtney Ogden with nine and sophomore guard Chloe Clardy with seven of the team’s 42.

Senior forward Brooke Demetre tied a career high with three of the team’s five blocks.

Elena welcomes her parents from the family's home in Greece. (Karen Hickey/ISI Photos)

Chloe and senior guard Elena Bosgana led with team with 14 points each. Elena’s parents, Elisavet and Georgios Bosgana, came from her home country of Greece to visit her and see her play at Stanford for the first time in her collegiate career.

Courtney and sophomore forward Nunu Agara also were in double figures with 10 points each.

The starting lineup for both games featured Nunu, Chloe, Brooke, Elena and freshman guard Shay Ijiwoye.

Three players – junior guard Talana Lepolo, redshirt junior guard Jzaniya Harriel and freshman forward Harper Peterson – were with the team but unavailable for both games, leaving Stanford with 11 active players. Harper was in a boot.

Scoring was anemic in the first quarter with Stanford ahead only 11-8. Each team scored only eight points in the second quarter, and neither team hit a trey in the first half.

Elena electrified the crowd of just over 2,800 by scoring a buzzer-beater after a fast break to end the half. By then the score was only 19-14.

Chloe broke the 3-point ice shortly into the third quarter. The team went on to add three more 3’s in that quarter and another in the fourth for a total of five. Chloe and Courtney had two 3’s each while Elena had one.

Pitt was 0-15 from behind the arc.

Marking the start of the Lunar New Year, Stanford handed out red fans with a Year of the Snake logo. The Stanford Lion Dance Team of four lions with two dancers each plus two percussionists entertained the crowd at halftime.

Oh so close in UNC game

Stanford trailed by as many as 15 points in the third quarter of the UNC game but nearly pulled off the upset before losing 67-69 on Feb. 2.

The score tightened considerably in the fourth quarter and actually was tied, 62-62, with under four minutes to go.

Nunu drives to the basket against UNC. .(Supriya Limage/ISI Photos)

Nunu had game highs with 22 points and 14 rebounds. Chloe also was in double figures with 15 points.

UNC did much of its damage by making nine 3’s while Stanford had only three with one each from Nunu, Chloe and Elena.

On the other hand, Stanford made 18 of 19 free throws while UNC made two of four.

Commenting at the Behind the Bench after the game, assistant coach Heather Oesterle said, “We’re building something really special here.” She was referring to improvements the team and individual players have made.

Talana (left), Jzaniya and Harper show off their Pink Game T-shirts.(Supriya Limage/ISI Photos)

It was the annual Pink Game for breast cancer awareness. The players wore black warm-up T-shirts reading “Play for Kay” on the back, referring to the late North Carolina State coach who died of breast cancer.  “Hope, Strength, Courage” were on the front.

Fans received pink baseball caps.

Halftime entertainment for the crowd of more than 4,100, featured Grace Good, an “America’s Got Talent” winner who showed her ability to twirl several hoops at once, sometimes while standing on a large ball.

The team hits the road for the next two games, playing Notre Dame in South Bend, IN, at 5:30 p.m. PT Feb. 6 and Louisville at 9 a.m. PT Feb. 9. ESPN will televise the Notre Dame game. The Louisville game will be on ESPN2