The team huddles during a game. (Stanford Athletics)
The Stanford women’s basketball season came to a
disappointing end in Provo, Utah, where Brigham Young defeated the Cardinal
76-61 in the WBIT tournament on March 26.
The game was close for the first three quarters. BYU’s
lead was never more than 8 points and often less than that. Stanford trailed by only 1 point after the
first and third quarters and actually outscored BYU by 5 points in the third.
Then came the fourth quarter. After junior guard Chloe Clardy made a basket
and free throw early in the quarter, BYU went on a 15-0 run over the next four
or so minutes before junior forward Courtney Ogden scored with less than three
minutes to go.
Overall, the team made just four of 22 shots in that
fateful quarter.
Head coach Kate Paye cleared the bench with less than
a minute to go.
Thus the team ended its season with a 21-14 record, an
improvement from last season’s 16-15,
As was true in the first two WBIT games, the starters
were Chloe, Courtney, junior forward Nunu Agara and two freshmen: forward Alex
Eschmeyer and guard Hailee Swain.
Freshman forward Lara Somfai was absent again.
Although no official reason has been given, unofficial reports say she was in
tending to family matters in Hungary, where she was born before moving to
Australia.
She most certainly was missed, having started most
games and making important contributions.
The altitude – more than 4,000 feet – might have
affected team’s endurance, especially once the fourth quarter rolled around.
Moreover, both Courtney and sophomore guard Shay
Ijiwoye fouled out in the fourth quarter.
Three of the team’s juniors accounted for most of the
scoring. Courtney logged a career-high 26 points followed by Chloe with 17 and
Nunu with 12.
Rebounding helped BYU, which had a 53-36 advantage.
However, Stanford had fewer turnovers: only six compared with BYU’s 15.
The players get only a short break before spring
quarter classes start March 30.
Adding to the disappointment, fans won’t get a chance
to see and salute them once more because the annual spring banquet has been
canceled.
According to a March 27
announcement from SWBB, “given the evolving landscape in college athletics, we
will not be hosting a banquet following the conclusion of our season as in
years past.
“As with our other
marquee programs in football and men’s basketball, this shift reflects the need
to focus on the critical postseason period, a crucial time for us to strengthen
and recalibrate as we prepare for next season.
“In the alternative, we
look forward to placing a greater emphasis on exciting pre-season events next
fall where you can connect directly with our extraordinary student-athletes in
anticipation of the upcoming season.”
Bottom line: See you in
the fall.
