 |
| Lara, shown in the Pitt game, has again been named ACC Rookie of the Week. (Stanford Athletics) |
Taking to the road again, the Stanford women’s basketball team had a mixed outcome: an 86-65 win over Pittsburgh on Feb. 5 and a 74-52 loss to Georgia on Feb. 8.
Once again senior guard Talana Lepolo and junior forward
Nunu Agara, both starters, didn’t make the trip. Forward Harper Peterson and
center Kennedy Umeh, both sophomores, also weren’t with the team.
The two games left the team with a 16-9 record overall
and 5-7 in the ACC. The 16 wins match the team’s total last season, when it
went 16-15 overall.
Team
excels against Pitt
Standout performances highlighted the team’s 86-65
victory at Pittsburgh on Feb. 5.
For one, freshman forward Lara Somfai poured in 15
points and snared 23 rebounds while adding eight assists and three blocks.
Her rebounds were “an
ACC freshman record, the most by any freshman in the country this season, and
the most for any ACC player since Sarah Imovbioh (Virginia) had 24 against Ohio
State on Nov. 14, 2014.
“Her rebounding total is tied for
third in Stanford history, trailing only 24-rebound performances from Cameron
Brink at Oregon State on Feb. 29, 2024, and Chiney Ogwumike at Oregon on Feb.
24, 2013,” Stanford Athletics reported.
Moreover, her “six double-doubles
this season are the most for a Stanford freshman since Chiney had a
school-record 11 in 2010-11,” according to Stanford Athletics.
However, her 15 points didn’t lead
the team. Instead that honor went to junior guard Chloe Clardy, who had a
season-high 26.
Junior forward Courtney Ogden was
close behind with 23 points to go with eight assists. Freshman guard Hailee
Swain had a career-high16 points.
Stanford’s score was boosted by 12
treys, the most this season. They came courtesy of Chloe with a career high of
six, Courtney with three, Hailee with two and Lara with one.
And here’s a number that stands out
for many fans: only five turnovers.
Playing in front of a meager crowd of
571, Stanford led for almost the entire game, highlighted by its 21-point lead
in the fourth quarter.
The Cardinal dominated most of the
stat sheet, including rebounds, assists and blocks
Both Chloe and Courtney played the
entire 40 minutes, and Lara was only a few seconds shy of 40 minutes.
Not much to like in loss to Georgia Tech
The team came to earth with a thud
when Georgia Tech prevailed 74-52 on Feb. 8.
Georgia Tech came right out of the
starting gate by nailing a 3-pointer followed by another basket before freshman
forward Alex Eschmeyer could counter with a Cardinal basket.
In all, GT had a devastating nine 3’s,
while Stanford had six. They came courtesy of Lara with three, Courtney with
two and Eschmeyer with one.
Lara led the team with 19 points and
nine rebounds while Hailee had 10 points.
Stanford trailed the entire game. There
was some reason to hope in the third quarter when Stanford scored 6 quick
points to start and outscored GT by a point, but it wasn’t enough to overcome
the host’s previous scoring.
The team’s 14 turnovers didn’t help
either.
Stanford fans got a scare in the
final seconds of the second quarter when Lara was injured, had to be helped to
the bench and then was charged with a foul.
However, she was back for the start
of the third quarter and didn’t appear to be suffering an ill effects.
The crowd of more than 3,050 included
family and friends of Hailee and Courtney, who both hail from Georgia.
Based on her performance in the two
road games, Lara was again named the ACC Rookie of the Week.
The team returns home to host
Virginia Tech for a celebration of Black History Month at 7 p.m. Feb. 12 and then
Virginia for National Girls & Women in Sports Day at 11 a.m. Feb. 15. Both games will be
shown by ACC.
