Although it was only an exhibition game against an
overmatched team, the Stanford women’s basketball 85-50 victory over Cal State
LA on Oct. 29 offered some hints of what’s to
come.
One positive note from the start is that all 15
players were available, and all played, albeit with limited minutes for a few.
Right off the bat, head coach Kate Paye inserted two
of the five freshmen – forward Lara Somfai and guard Hailee Swain – into the
starting lineup.
They joined two juniors – forwards Nunu Agara and Courtney
Ogden – along with senior guard Talana Lepolo as starters.
However, Kate substituted liberally throughout the
game, probably to give everyone a taste of competition and to get a sense of
what the rotation might look like in the coming season.
Four players were in double figures, led by junior
guard Chloe Clardy with 20 points, followed by Nunu with 17, Lara with 13 and
Hailee with 10. Lara also led the team with 10 of its 60 rebounds.
While Stanford has nine players 6 feet tall or taller,
Cal State has only four. However, its players are quick and can force
turnovers. Still, both sides had 13 turnovers, but some by Stanford were just
miscues.
Free throws were a plus with 18 of 19, but 3-pointers
were a minus, only three of 18. Chloe had two, and Talana had one.
Another plus was assists – 17 – some of them coming
near the basket as a player with the ball would make a quick pass to a teammate
for a score.
It was good to see Talana back at the point after she
had missed most of last season with an injury. As has been her wont, she wasn’t
a prolific scorer, but she did contribute seven points, distribute the ball
well and play tough defense.
Another player back after missing most of last season
was sophomore forward Harper Peterson, who played just under six minutes,
scoring and snaring a rebound.
With Stanford enjoying a substantial lead by the end
of third quarter, some of the 1,976 fans began to file out.
Because it was an exhibition, there were no student
support groups like the band, cheerleaders, Dollies and Tree. Nor was there any
halftime entertainment.
Still, it was a tantalizing look at what might lie
ahead in the season, starting with UNC Greensboro on Nov. 3 and Santa Clara on
Nov. 6, both at 7 p.m. and both at Maples.
