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| From left: Stavi Papadaki, Carly Amborn and Harper Peterson cheer their teammates during the North Carolina game. (Stanford Athletics) |
After suffering a 74-46 loss at North Carolina State
on Jan. 1, the Stanford women’s basketball team rebounded with a 77-71 overtime
win at No. 16 North Carolina on Jan. 4.
Thus the team upped its season record to 13-3 and its
ACC record to 2-1.
Inauspicious
start to 2026
There’s no way to put a positive spin on it. North
Carolina State handed the Cardinal its worst loss of the season to date – 74-46
– as the team scored its fewest points of the season to start 2026.
Playing in front of a partisan crowd of 5,500, the
team made only 30 percent of its shots. At the 7:41 point in the third quarter,
for example, the team had scored only 2 points, while NC State had scored 6.
Turnovers were a problem – 21 by Stanford, compared
with 12 by NC State. However, NC State had 19 fouls, Stanford 11.
After missing the Cornell game because of illness,
junior guard Chloe Clardy didn’t make the cross-country trip. Sophomore center
Kennedy Umeh also was missing, as she has been for much of the season.
Two junior forwards were the only Cardinal players to
score in double figures – Nunu Agara with 16 points and Courtney Ogden with 12.
Freshman forward Lara Somfai had 16 rebounds.
Each team had only four 3’s. Stanford’s came from
Lara, Courtney, freshman guard Hailee Swain and sophomore forward Harper
Peterson.
Signature
win on the road
The story was much different when Stanford bested No.
16 North Carolina 77-71 in overtime Jan. 4.
Although Courtney scored 21 points to lead the team,
other players made significant contributions.
For example, senior guard Talana Lepolo scored only 4
points, but they all came from crucial free throws in overtime. She also had a
team- and game-high seven assists.
Sophomore guard Shay Ijiwoye also had only 4 points,
but she had five rebounds, some at critical points.
Freshman forward Lara Somfai was second on the team
with 13 points despite being hampered by four fouls.
Chloe returned to action after missing the previous
two games while in the concussion protocol, according to the TV announcers. She
added 12 points and a team-high nine rebounds off the bench.
Freshman forward Alex Eschmeyer, despite playing just
over seven minutes, contributed 10 points.
The game saw seven lead changes and seven ties as UNC
led for nearly 31 minutes. The Tar Heels were ahead after each of the first three
quarters, but Stanford scored more in the fourth quarter and overtime to seal
the win.
Nunu, usually the team’s leading scorer, played just
over 18 minutes and scored only 6 points. She was constrained by fouls,
collecting her fourth early in the fourth quarter and fouling out about three
minutes later.
Three-point shooting helped the Cardinal cause with a
total of eight treys. Lara had three, and Chloe had two. Courtney, Hailee and
Alex had one each.
Turnovers were a big problem as Stanford’s 22 yielded
16 points for UNC. During the first quarter, TV commentator Deb Antonelli
observed, “When Stanford’s not turning over the ball, they look pretty good.”
When it came to rebounding, Stanford did look pretty good
with 40 rebounds, compared with UNC’s 28.
The team could savor its win during the 2,800-mile flight
back to the Bay Area in time for the start of winter quarter classes Jan. 5.
Action resumes in Maples when Wake Forest visits at 7
p.m. Jan. 8 and Duke at 2 p.m. Jan. 11. Both games will be televised by ACC.
