Second streak comes to an end

Slightly more than two weeks after UConn had ended the Stanford women’s basketball team’s record 90-game home winning streak, Cal came to Maples Pavilion and ended the Cardinal’s 81-game conference winning streak by a score of 67-55 on Jan. 13.

The game started well as Stanford amassed an 8-point lead at the 14:38 mark, but the Bears began chipping away and built up a 39-31 advantage at the half. It appeared that the Cardinal might rally about five minutes into the second half, but it wasn’t to be.

Playing 39 minutes, junior forward Chiney Ogwumike led Stanford’s scoring with 18 points plus a team-high nine rebounds. Junior guard Toni Kokenis was the only other Cardinal in double figures, tallying 12 points plus six rebounds, one assist and one steal in her 37 minutes.

The only other players to score were sophomore guard Amber Orrange with 9 points, junior guard Sara James with 6, senior forward Joslyn Tinkle with 4, and redshirt junior forward Mikaela Ruef and sophomore forwards Taylor Greenfield and Erica Payne with 2 each.

Cal won the rebound battle 43-39, had eight assists to Stanford’s five and only six turnovers to Stanford’s 16. Stanford was saddled with 24 fouls while Cal had 18.

Even though Stanford hit a higher percentage of its free throws – 78.9 percent to 74.2, Cal’s greater number of made free throws – 23 to Stanford’s 15 – accounted for 8 points in its 12-point win.

The game attracted a crowd of 5,931. A sizable contingent of Cal fans turned out, including pep band, cheerleaders and mascot Oskie, wearing a stocking cap to ward off the cold weather outside. Stanford’s crowd was boosted by the band, cheerleaders, Dollies and Tree.

WBB alums join the crowd

Also in the stands were several WBB alums, including Lindy La Rocque, ’12; Jayne Appel, ’10; Brooke Smith and Markisha Coleman, ’07; and Krista Rappahahn Birnie, ’06. At various times in the game, the video board showed them in the stands.

At the half, the video board celebrated the football team’s recent Rose Bowl victory over Wisconsin Then six football players walked onto the court carrying The Axe to celebrate the team’s defeat of Cal in the Big Game, the Pac-12 championship trophy and finally the Rose Bowl trophy. All three had been displayed in the lobby for photographs before the game.

Speaking for the football team, defensive end Ben Gardner looked ahead to the next season, saying, “We’ve got a great team coming back.” He also thanked the fans for their support and had some hopeful words for the women’s basketball team. “We expect them to come out in the second half and beat Cal,” he said. Unfortunately, they didn’t.

“That was painful,” one woman said about the game as fans gathered for a post-game Behind the Bench session.

Jayne talks about her experience in China

However, the session began on a more pleasant note as Jayne spoke about her recent experience playing professional ball in China. She “experienced a whole new culture,” she said, adding that she missed American food and English. Her coach spoke only Chinese, so she had to have an interpreter, a 20-year-old man whose translations didn’t always come across too clearly.

Looking fit and trim, Jayne said she has one year left on her contract with the San Antonio Silver Stars, which drafted her in the first round of 2010. She hopes to return to China to play in the offseason.

The game’s speed was the biggest adjustment she faced in going from college to the pros. In addition, “Everyone knows every trick in the book,” she said.

Asked to comment about that day’s game, Jayne said she was here for the last loss to Cal in 2009. After a loss, she always wanted to get back on the court. “It’s a good thing it’s not March,” she said, adding, “I’m planning my trip to New Orleans already.” New Orleans will host the Final Four.

Plans for fans’ Oregon trip

Dave Cortesi, Fast Break Club travel chair, gave some details about the team’s Oregon trip, which usually attracts a large fan following. Some Stanford alums in the Eugene area will host a get-together before the Feb. 1 game at Oregon, and an alum who has a house in Corvallis will host a brunch before the Feb. 3 game at Oregon State. Fans who want to sit with other Stanford boosters at the games can arrange for tickets by e-mailing travel@stanfordfbc.org.

While waiting for one of the coaches, Eileen Roche, director of basketball operations, talked about the team’s recent trip to Utah and Colorado. The dining room of the team’s hotel in Boulder overlooked an ice skating rink. That’s where the team got a chance to see another talent of head coach Tara VanDerveer, who, along with strength and conditioning coach Kurtis Rayfield, donned skates and took a few turns around the ice, much to the players’ delight.

Eileen also announced that the annual spring banquet will move to a new venue, the Alumni Center, on April 11. Finally, she noted that the Pac-12 tournament will move to Seattle this year and the following two years, hosted by the Seattle Storm.

Amy assesses game, cites need for rebounding, screening

She was joined by associate head coach Amy Tucker, who began her remarks about the game by saying, “It doesn’t happen very often, and it certainly doesn’t feel good. We’ll work on it.”

She cited Stanford’s lack of aggressiveness in the first half and noted that “the game was very physical.” “This was a tough wake-up call,” she said, but several issues are correctable. “We have to rebound better with our bigs,” and do “a better job of screening for shooters,” she said.

“Chiney has been playing great, but we need more help. Our veterans really have to step up. Our offense is in a state of flux right now.” On the bright side, “I thought the crowd was great.”

Asked about the two players who are injured and haven’t played, she said that freshman forward Aly Beebe is working hard on rehabbing from an ACL injury and is expected to be ready next fall. As for redshirt freshman guard Alex Green, there’s “no timetable right now for her return.” Alex missed most of last season with an Achilles tendon injury.

Looking ahead to the Jan. 18 game against UCLA, she said “UCLA is very good, very talented. It’s going to be a challenge.”

Tara calls for smarter, more aggressive play

Tara’s first comment about the game was “a tough day today. We have to play a lot harder.”

“One of our goals is aggressiveness. We have to play smarter. This is what it’s going to be like” without Nneka Ogwumike, ’12, and “big bodies like Jayne, Kayla (Pedersen, ’11) and Jeanette (Pohlen, ’11),” she said.

Hoarse and low-key, Tara agreed with Amy’s assessment that “it was physical out there.” “We didn’t defend hard enough” and passed up shots. “We have a lot of work to do to become a championship team. … Our pace is not what it needs to be.”

She wants to bring out what individual players do well. “We have to compete at a higher level. We have to be more aggressive. You can’t depend on Chiney all the time.”

“It’s going to be exciting to see what they do between now and March,” she concluded.

An aside

In keeping with tradition, one player at each home game has a chance to thank her scholarship sponsors and invite one of her professors to sit near the bench. At this game that player was Joslyn, whose scholarship sponsors are Helen and Peter Bing, both ’55.

Noted for their numerous philanthropic ventures at Stanford, the Bings donated $50 million toward creation of Stanford’s newest building, the Bing Concert Hall, which officially opened with a concert Jan. 11.

I had a chance to peek into this handsome new facility during an open house and concert Jan. 12. It’s a noteworthy addition not only to the campus but also to the Bay Area music scene.

Round 1 in Battle of the Bay goes to Stanford

It wasn’t easy by any means, but the Stanford women’s basketball team, ranked #5 in the latest AP poll, pulled out a 62-53 win in a seesaw Battle of the Bay against #7 Cal on Jan. 8 at Cal’s Haas Pavilion.

Both teams had returned to the Bay Area just two days earlier after defeating Pac-12 opponents Utah and Colorado, so one might assume that neither was at its freshest.

Moreover, Stanford’s holiday break had ended and winter quarter classes had started the previous day. On the other hand, Cal’s spring semester classes don’t start until Jan. 22. Still, it was Stanford that emerged victorious in a hard-fought game.

The Stanford band, Tree and Dollies were all on hand to lend their support, along with a respectable contingent of red-wearing fans in the crowd of 4,849. The largest group of Cardinal fans sat in the rows behind the Stanford bench, but others could be seen throughout the large venue, which wasn’t filled.

As the Cal players warmed up before the game, several hugged their former teammate, Lauren Greif, who’s now a special assistant and video coordinator for Stanford.

As is usual for Cal, its band marched into the arena playing the Cal fight song. This happened just as the Stanford band was playing its fanfare for the Stanford players as they ran onto the court, making for a super loud Battle of the Bands. (The bands were more polite after the game as they took turns serenading fans outside Haas.)

Lots of hype introduces Cal players

After the Stanford starters had been introduced, the arena went dark and spotlights panned the crowd as an over-the-top video was shown. Finally the Cal starters were introduced, running through a passageway formed by their teammates as well as the Cal women’s dance team.

Cal fans had lots to cheer about through the first half as the score stayed close. It was 29-29 in the final seconds when Stanford had the ball and presumably a chance to score, but Cal stole it and made a fast-break basket to go ahead 31-29 at the buzzer.

The score continued to seesaw through about half of the second half until the Cardinal began to pull ahead for good. For the game, the score was tied 13 times and the lead changed eight times. Cal’s largest lead for the game was 6 points at 8:39 in the first half, while Stanford’s biggest advantage was 12 points with 1:09 to go in the second half.

For the game, Stanford shot 51 percent while holding Cal to 30.2 percent.

Chiney leads the way with 26 points

Much credit for Stanford’s victory has to go to junior forward Chiney Ogwumike, who played just under 40 minutes and scored a game-leading 26 points. She also tallied six rebounds, three steals, three blocks and one assist.

Sophomore guard Amber Orrange contributed 15 points and had a team-high eight rebounds to go with three assists in her 40 minutes.

The other three starters also scored. Senior forward Joslyn Tinkle had 8 points, four rebounds, three assists, two blocks and one steal. Junior guard Toni Kokenis was right behind her with 7 points, two assists and one steal, while redshirt junior Mikaela Ruef had 5 points, five rebounds and one block.

Mikaela’s playing time was limited to 18 minutes because of foul trouble – she wound up with four. However, it was gratifying to see her to drive to the basket and score, thus contributing offensively. Strong defensive play and rebounding have been her hallmarks throughout this season.

During the game, the video board featured a trivia question: Who was Cal’s high scorer in its 57-54 defeat of Stanford on Jan. 18, 2009, at Cal? The answer was Alexis Gray-Lawson, who went off for 37 points.

What the trivia question didn’t ask was when was the last time Stanford lost a conference game. The answer would have been that same date. Since then, Stanford has reeled off 81 conference wins, including this most recent one against Cal.

Little room for complacency

Although this win upped Stanford’s overall season record to 14-1 and its Pac-12 record to 3-0, there is little room for complacency. Cal out-rebounded Stanford 45-31 and had 22 second-chance points to Stanford’s 8.

Also of concern is that Stanford got only 1 point off the bench, a free throw by sophomore forward Taylor Greenfield. Fans might have breathed easier if Stanford had made some 3-pointers, but all eight of its attempts missed the mark. However, Cal didn’t fare much better, making only two of its 21 attempts from beyond the arc.

On the bright side, Toni was back in the starting lineup and played 38 minutes after missing the entire Utah game and much of the Colorado game because she wasn’t feeling well, according to head coach Tara VanDerveer.

It also was encouraging to see redshirt freshman guard Alex Green traveling with the team. It has been unofficially reported that she might be cleared to play this month after recovering from an Achilles injury sustained early last season.

Stanford also did a fairly good job of taking care of the ball, committing only nine turnovers, including three steals by Cal. The Bears had 13 turnovers, six of them steals by Stanford. The Cardinal had 11 assists to the Bears’ eight. Blocks also were in Stanford’s favor, 7-2.

Both Cal and Stanford have a chance to rest and reassess before meeting again on Jan. 13 at Maples for the second round of the Battle of the Bay. If the teams meet for a third round, it would be in March at the Pac-12 tournament in Seattle. Since both are strong contenders, that wouldn’t be out of the question.

It was fun while it lasted

Two seasons ago, on Dec. 30, 2010, UConn came calling at Maples Pavilion with a record 90-game winning streak that the Stanford women’s basketball team snapped by a score of 71-59.

The tables were turned on Dec. 29, 2012, when UConn again came calling, but this time the Huskies snapped the Cardinal’s record home winning streak at 82. It was the Cardinal’s first home loss since Florida State prevailed 68-61 in the second round of the NCAA tournament on March 19, 2007.

Most pundits and fans had expected this most recent game between No. 1 Stanford and No. 2 UConn to be close, but it wasn’t. It was a 61-35 blowout that had some of the 7,329 fans leaving with about 12 minutes to go.

While the Huskies shot at only a 37.5 percent clip, the Cardinal were even worse, achieving only a dismal 19.3 percent. Shot after Stanford shot clanged off the rim while UConn applied a smothering defense.


Chiney leads the way

Junior forward Chiney Ogwumike led Stanford with 18 points, making only six of her 22 shots, but she connected on six of seven free throws. She also had a team-leading 13 rebounds plus one assist and one steal.

The only other Stanford starters to score were junior guard Toni Kokenis with 6 points and senior forward Joslyn Tinkle with 2. Off the bench, sophomore forward Bonnie Samuelson had 8 points, and sophomore forward Erica Payne had 1. Four of five UConn’s starters were in double figures.

Things looked promising when Stanford won the tipoff and Joslyn scored, giving Stanford its first – and what turned out to be its only – lead of the game. The score was tied a 5-5 at the 15:33 mark, but Connecticut prevailed from then on. The score was 31-13 in UConn’s favor at the half.

Cardinal fans had a glimmer of hope for a comeback when Bonnie shot back-to-back 3’s to make the score 44-29 at the 11:33 mark in the second half, but it wasn’t to be. She was the only Cardinal to score from beyond the arc. Shortly before that, she had made both free throws after UConn head coach Geno Auriemma was called for a technical foul.

The only game statistics in Stanford’s favor were rebounding, 44-40, and fouls, 13 for Stanford and 15 for UConn in a very physical game.


A look back at some Final Four halftime scores

To compare the 31-13 tally in this game, my unofficial research of halftime scores in recent Final Four games shows that eventually victorious Baylor led Stanford 25-23 during the semi-final game in Denver in 2012.

Stanford led Texas A&M 27-23 before losing by a heartbreaking 63-62 in the 2011 semi-final game in Indianapolis.

Stanford also led UConn 20-12 in the championship game in San Antonio in 2010. The year before that, UConn was on top 37-24 in the semi-final game in St. Louis. Stanford lost both of those two games.

The recent home loss to UConn reportedly marked the first time in 28 years that Stanford had scored fewer than 40 points in a game. Head coach Tara VanDerveer called the results disappointing.

Exciting start to the afternoon

The afternoon had started off with lots of excitement as the doors to Maples opened 30 minutes early to accommodate the expected sellout crowd. The giveaway table in the northwest concourse had a supply of “Fear the Tree” signs in addition to poster board and crayons for making signs. Some fans made signs wishing Joslyn a happy birthday – her 22nd.

Fans also received red rally towels emblazoned with a large white Stanford ‘S’ logo plus “WOMEN’S BASKETBALL vs. UConn/ Dec. 29, 2012/ Maples Pavilion/ #GoStanford”.

Players’ families filled their section of the stands, and several alumnae were on hand. They included Chiney’s older sister, Nneka, and Lindy La Rocque, who both graduated last year, along with Rosalyn Gold-Onwude, ’10, and Markisha Coleman, ’07. Lindy’s mother, Beverly, and older sister, Ally, sat courtside on the north.

Ros interviews Nneka

Fans clapped and cheered as Nneka and Ros strolled along the sidelines and posed for pictures before the game. Then Ros, who works as a sports broadcaster, interviewed Nneka while fans watched on the video board.

In response to Ros’s question about the toughest part of her transition from college to the WNBA, Nneka quipped, “Not being here, first.” Last spring the Los Angeles Sparks selected Nneka No. 1 in the WNBA draft. She went on to win the league’s Rookie of the Year award.

Wearing a Cardinal T-shirt, Nneka said, “Chiney is doing a really great job.” Her advice to Chiney would be to “appreciate every moment.” Their father, Peter, also was at the game. Playing in Poland during the WNBA’s off season, Nneka had visited with her family in Texas over Christmas.

When I chatted with Bonnie’s father, Jon, and Toni’s mother, Marie, both expressed their sorrow at the recent death of John Pohlen, father of Jeanette Pohlen, ’11. They said that after their daughters had committed to Stanford, John went out of his way to welcome them to the Stanford family. Marie said that John called her a freshman mom.

Now that the nonconference season is over, Stanford will take its 11-1 record on the road to begin Pac-12 play. It visits Colorado at 7 p.m. Jan. 4, Utah at 1 p.m. Jan. 6 and Cal at 7 p.m. Jan. 8.

Pacific helps Cardinal extend streaks

It was cold and rainy outside, but Maples Pavilion was warm and cozy Dec. 15 as the Stanford women’s basketball team defeated University of the Pacific 78-43.

Thus the No. 1-ranked Cardinal extended its season record to 9-0 and the nation’s best ongoing home winning streak to 82.

Junior forward Chiney Ogwumike played a big role in the victory with yet another double-double – a career-high 31 points plus 13 rebounds – to go with two assists, three steals and one block. Despite being double-teamed most of the time, she did all that in only 28 minutes, spending nearly the last seven minutes on the bench, soon to be joined by her fellow starters.

Leading her team in scoring isn’t Chiney’s only good quality. She also cares about her teammates, For example, as the game wound down, she moved to the end of the bench to sit and talk with her two sidelined teammates, freshman forward Aly Beebe and sophomore guard Alex Green.

Aly is out for the season while she recuperates from an ACL injury, but it is hoped that Alex can return to action early next year after missing most of last season with a torn Achilles tendon.

Mikaela contributes career-high rebounds, assists

Also joining Chiney with career highs was redshirt junior forward Mikaela Ruef, who added career highs of 13 rebounds and five assists. She also had three blocks in 20 minutes. Although she scored only 2 points, her other stats reflect her value to the team.

Senior forward Joslyn Tinkle was the only other Cardinal in double figures with 10 points. She also had four rebounds, one assist and one block in her 28 minutes.

The other two starters, junior guard Toni Kokenis and sophomore guard Amber Orrange, had 8 and 9 points, respectively. Toni also had three assists and a steal in 26 minutes. Amber, who played a team-high 30 minutes, had two rebounds, one assist and one steal.

Coming off the bench, junior guard Sara James added 6 points, while sophomore forward Bonnie Samuelson contributed 5 and freshman forward/center Tess Picknell added 3. Sophomore forward Taylor Greenfield and sophomore guard Jasmine Camp each had 2.

Despite the lopsided score, the Stockton team played tough defense, especially on the perimeter. Therefore, Stanford had no 3-pointers in the first half, which ended 42-27, and only two in the second. That’s when Sara and Bonnie were successful. As a team, the Cardinal made 18.2 percent of its 3’s.

Another reason why the Cardinal lagged in the 3-point column may have been that Taylor, who has had the hot hand from beyond the arc, was injured when she was fouled under the Stanford basket with 14:49 to go in the second half.

After being attended to by trainer Marcella Shorty and another woman for several minutes, Taylor was able to get up and walk to the locker room with their assistance as the crowd applauded. She didn’t return. There was no official word on her injury or condition.

Fans honor victims of school shooting

Another somber moment came at the start of the game, when announcer Betty Ann Boeving asked the crowd of more than 4,200 to stand for a moment of silence in honor of the 20 children and six adults shot to death by a gunman who then took his own life at an elementary school in Newtown, Conn., on Dec. 14. He had killed his mother before going to the school.

This was followed by the national anthem, sung by sophomore Natasha von Kaeppler, who was the team manager last season and who fulfilled those duties during the game.

Because Stanford was on a holiday break after final exams, the band was relatively small, and the Tree, Dollies and cheerleaders weren’t there.

Dog lovers have their day

Nevertheless, there was still plenty of fun to be had, thanks to the annual Dog Lovers Day. It included numerous funny dog videos, film clips of movie dogs and photos of dogs belonging to fans and some of the coaches and players. Bonnie was shown with her dog, who sported nerd glasses, complete with tape across the bridge.

The highlight of Dog Lovers Day came at halftime with the return visit by eight agility dogs and their trainers from Bay Team. Ranging in size from a Corgi and a Pomeranian to Zoe, a 12-year-old black and white spotted Great Dane, the dogs ran over and through a series of obstacles and tunnels. Several of the dogs are therapy and/or service dogs.

As the obstacle course was being set up, fans honored Mary Cortani, founder of Gilroy-based Operation Freedom Paws. Saluted by CNN as one of its top 10 heroes of the year, Mary said her organization trains veterans to train their own service dogs in a 48-week program. As of last week, the group was serving its 91st vet, she said. The dogs come from shelters and rescue groups.

Alumnae return to watch

Several alumnae were on hand, including Morgan Clyburn, ’09, and Markisha Coleman, ’07, who were leading their Menlo-Atherton High School girls basketball team on a field trip to the game. Morgan is the team’s new head coach, assisted by Markisha and Lindy La Rocque, ’12.

Melanie Murphy, ’11, also was there as a spectator and stopped by the bench before the game. The traditional Twist Cam also focused briefly on her during a timeout.

The name of Jayne Appel, ’10, came up via 6’5” Tess, who was the focus of the game’s “Get to Know the Freshmen” video feature. Besides brief answers about things like her dorm and favorite food, Tess named Jayne as her favorite athlete. Jayne, one of Stanford’s all-time greats, plays for the WNBA’s San Antonio Silver Stars. During this WNBA off-season, the 6’4” center is playing in China.

Next on the Stanford schedule is a week-long road trip that will find the team facing No. 24 South Carolina on Dec. 19 and No. 13 Tennessee on Dec. 22. After a three-day break for Christmas, the players will return to the Farm to prepare for the much-anticipated match against No. 2 UConn on Dec. 29.

Stanford, Chiney dominate Davis

Even if junior forward Chiney Ogwumike hadn’t scored a career-tying 27 points at UC Davis on Nov. 30, the Stanford women’s basketball team still would have won – a tribute to the Cardinal’s depth and teamwork.

Stanford won the game 87-38, a 49-point margin. Subtract Chiney’s 27 points, and the score is 60-38, a 22-point margin as the team wrapped up the month with a 7-0 record and the No. 1 ranking in national polls.

Moreover, Chiney didn’t score her first basket until the 15:33 mark in the first half. Instead, junior guard Toni Kokenis started the scoring parade with a 3-pointer, followed by a 2 from senior forward Joslyn Tinkle, another 3 from Toni, a 2 from sophomore guard Amber Orrange and yet another 3 from Toni at the 16:45 mark, when Stanford led 13-6. Chiney’s first basket made the score 15-6.

After that, there was little that the hard-playing but outmatched Aggies could do against the onslaught by Chiney and her teammates. At the half, the score was 46-19, and Chiney had equaled Davis’s output with 19 points of her own. She also had 11 rebounds for a double-double in just one half.

Besides her 27 points, Chiney contributed 13 rebounds, two assists, three blocks and a steal in 31 minutes. Toni, who had gone three-for-three on 3’s, finished with 11 points, three rebounds, one assist and one steal in 22 minutes. The only other player in double figures was junior guard Sara James, who tallied 10 points to go with two rebounds, three assists and two steals in 19 minutes.

Everyone gets in on the action

Head coach Tara VanDerveer used all 13 available players. With about 7 minutes to go in the game, the starters were done for the night.

The only player who didn’t show up in any statistic was sophomore forward Bonnie Samuelson, who had played only three minutes in the first half before heading to the locker room with what appeared to be an ankle injury. Fans were relieved to see her walk back into the gym shortly after the second half had started, but she remained on the bench.

Otherwise, everyone else made some kind of contribution. Even freshman guards Kiran Lakhian and Denia Ebersole, who don’t get much time, got into the act. Kiran had 2 points and three rebounds in four minutes. Denia capitalized on her three minutes by making both of her 3-point shots for 6 points – her first points in a game that counts – much to the delight of her older teammates on the bench.

Another noteworthy bench contribution came from sophomore forward Erica Payne, who was second on the team with nine rebounds in addition to 7 points in 15 minutes.

Altogether, the team made nine of 21 3’s. Besides Toni’s three and Denia’s two, the others came from Sara and sophomore forward Taylor Greenfield with two each.

The Cardinal dominated the boards with 62 the to UCD’s 24. Stanford held the advantage in assists with 18, compared with UCD’s six. Likewise, Stanford had 12 blocks to UCD’s one.

Turnovers a minus for the team

The one blemish on the stat sheet was that Stanford had 17 turnovers, while Davis had 10. Part of the turnover advantage came from a tight Aggie defense that netted 11 steals, while Stanford had seven.

Despite the rainy weather, the game drew an official attendance of slightly more than 2,600. The majority of the fans appeared to be Davis students, most of whom remained standing throughout the game. Several dozen Stanford fans also were there. The team smiled and waved at them upon leaving the floor.

The Davis scoreboard doesn’t show individual stats. However, the announcer was quite informative, starting when Stanford took to the floor. He talked about the team’s No. 1 ranking and many of its accomplishments thus far. Introducing the UCD starting lineup, he included their majors in addition to their position, academic year, height and hometown. He also kept fans informed during the game.

Right before the game ended, word spread among Stanford fans that the school’s football team had defeated UCLA 27-24, thus winning the Pac-12 championship and securing a berth in the venerable Rose Bowl game on New Year’s Day.

As fans were leaving after the game, they were serenaded in the drizzle by the Davis band, perched on and around an old fire engine just outside the gym.

In the meantime, Erica was inside being interviewed by the announcer for KZSU radio. Her mother, Laurie, sat nearby taking photos of her media star daughter.

The spotlight was back on the team Dec. 2 when Stanford defeated Gonzaga 69-41 in Spokane.

After a break for finals, the Cardinal return to action at 7 p.m. Dec. 15 when University of the Pacific comes to visit. It’s also Dog Lover’s Day, featuring agility dogs at halftime – always a big hit with fans.

Tara foresees ‘something special’

With the Stanford women’s basketball team ranking No. 1 in both national polls, boasting a 6-0 season record and extending its home winning streak to 81 games, “this can be something special,” head coach Tara VanDerveer said after the team had just defeated Long Beach State 77-41 on Nov. 25.

Looking ahead, the coaches and team are trying some new things “that hopefully will work well in three months,” Tara said during the post-game Behind the Bench session.

What the team has been doing so far is working pretty well, especially in light of its 71-69 upset of Baylor in Hawaii on Nov. 16. The Cardinal victory snapped the defending national champion’s winning streak at 42 games and revenged Stanford’s loss to Baylor in the semi-final game of the Final Four in Denver last season.

The Nov. 16 victory also catapulted Stanford from No. 4 to No. 1 in the polls for the first time since 2005 and knocked Baylor down from No. 1 to No. 3 behind UConn.

“The coaching staff is brilliant,” said Eileen Roche, director of basketball operations. Opening the session, she was referring to the strategy that led to the victory over Baylor and the way that the Cardinal handled its star, 6’8” Brittney Griner.

11 players get into game

The Long Beach State game saw 11 players in action and significant contributions from both the starters and the bench. Senior forward Joslyn Tinkle led the team in scoring with 18 points in 31 minutes. She also had seven rebounds, a block and a steal.

Right behind her was junior forward Chiney Ogwumike with 16 points, 11 rebounds, one assist and one steal in 26 minutes.

A third starter with stellar stats was sophomore point guard Amber Orrange, who flirted with a triple-double by recording 13 points, nine assists and seven rebounds (all defensive) in 26 minutes.

“I thought Amber did a great job,” Tara said. “She really set the tone for the game. …She’s always in the gym working on her shot.”

Making her first career start at Maples after joining the starting lineup for the three games in Hawaii, redshirt junior forward Mikaela Ruef had six rebounds to go with four points and three assists in 20 minutes. Moreover, “she had a great game (against) Baylor,” Tara said. She had a game-high 12 rebounds in that contest.

Returning to the starting lineup at Maples after starting for the games in Hawaii and for much of last season, junior guard Toni Kokenis had 2 points in 11 minutes.

Coming off the bench, sophomore forward Taylor Greenfield had 11 points, two rebounds, three assists and a steal in 24 minutes.

Besides all the other positives that emerged from the game, the team also hit on 10 of 24 3-pointers for a 41.7 percent average. Taylor had three 3’s, while Joslyn and sophomore forward Bonnie Samuelson had two each. Amber, junior guard Sara James and redshirt freshman guard Jasmine Camp each had one.

Quieter afternoon as holiday break ends

Even though it was the Sunday after Thanksgiving, the crowd numbered more than 3,500. However, the atmosphere was a bit quieter than usual with no band, as well as no Tree, Dollies or cheerleaders.

Also absent was longtime announcer Betty Ann Boeving. Her replacement was a man who was too loud and who annoyingly prolonged syllables when announcing Stanford players’ names. To his credit, however, he was more matter-of-fact during the game itself.

One fun addition to timeouts came with the Nerd City Camera seen on the video board during the second half. As the camera focused on faces in the crowd, they were seen in a frame that adorned them with black-framed glasses and a red bow tie – a crowd pleaser.

Even in Hawaii, “Everybody knows about Nerd City,” Eileen said after the game. The Nerd City moniker for Stanford and its athletes gained national attention after a YouTube video made by Chiney, her sister Nneka, ’12, several teammates and a number of athletes from other sports went viral.

Because the Baylor game wasn’t televised, several fans asked how they could get a video. Eileen said it’s not available to date because the University of Hawaii, the tournament host, holds the rights. She also said that ESPN had passed on the game.

Next Thanksgiving will find the team in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, followed by a return trip to Hawaii in 2014, Eileen said.

Eileen then yielded the microphone to associate head coach Amy Tucker, who was joined by Chiney. “Chiney has really elevated her game,” Amy said.

Chiney thankful for fans

“We have something really special here at Maples,” Chiney said, thanking the fans for their support.

The three games in Hawaii resulted in “a great team time,” she said. When it came her turn to give her teammates a pep talk before the Baylor game, she told them, “Fear no one.”

After playing with Nneka for her first two years at Stanford, Chiney’s role is different this year. “Part of it is self-discovery,” she said. “I’m trying to evolve into myself.”

“Making everyone aggressive is our No. 1 goal,” she added. “Hustle makes up for talent.”

A fan asked how she would describe herself in one word. After pondering, she said, “Introverted.” That drew a laugh. The ebullient, outgoing Chiney then added “competitive” among other qualities to her self-description.

Even though she had just finished playing a game, she said she was going to the gym to work on her shot. Before leaving, though, she crossed the court to pose for pictures and sign autographs for a group of youngsters, mostly girls.

Tara praises players

Tara completed the session with her comments, starting with “some people have really improved.” She cited Amber and Mikaela and noted that 6’5” freshman forward/center Tess Picknell “is making great strides every day in practice. She’ll play more as she gets more experience.” Tess played nine minutes in that day’s game and had three rebounds and a block. She took no shots.

As a team, “we are working on our conditioning,” Tara said, but the routine involves less running to avoid the foot problems experienced by some players last season.

Looking ahead, Tara said the Dec. 2 game at Gonzaga is sold out. Joslyn has been looking forward to that game because her younger sister, Elle, is a 6’2” freshman guard on the team.

Before flying to Spokane, though, the Stanford contingent will travel up Interstate 80 to take on UC Davis at 7 p.m. Nov. 30.

Team effort fuels win over Santa Clara

All 13 available players made positive contributions Nov. 11 as the Stanford women’s basketball team drove a few miles south to defeat Santa Clara University 92-57.

Junior forward Chiney Ogwumike poured in 22 points to lead the Stanford barrage. According to ESPNW, she scored her 1,000th career point midway through the first half and ended the game with 1,010 points on her resume. Her mother, Ify, was among the parents and other relatives there to cheer the team. After the game, she told me she plans to travel to Poland where her eldest daughter, Nneka, ’12, is playing professionally.

Head coach Tara VanDerveer altered her starting lineup somewhat, giving sophomore forward Erica Payne her first career start. Erica played 18 minutes and recorded 4 points along with three rebounds and one each in the assists, steals, rebounds and blocks column.

Joining her at the start were Chiney, senior forward Joslyn Tinkle and sophomore guards Jasmine Camp and Amber Orrange. Besides her 22 points, Chiney had seven rebounds, four steals and an assist in 25 minutes.

Playing a team-high 28 minutes, Joslyn finished with 19 points, four rebounds, three assists, a steal and a block. Amber was right behind her with 18 points, six assists and two steals in 25 minutes. Jasmine had 4 points, three assists and a steal in 24 minutes.

Freshman forward/center Tess Picknell and junior guard Toni Kokenis were first off the bench. They were followed by redshirt junior forward Mikaela Ruef, sophomore forwards Bonnie Samuelson and Taylor Greenfield, and junior guard Sara James. Sara was high-scorer from the bench with 8 points, while Mikaela added 6 points to go with seven rebounds, tying Chiney. Mikaela also contributed an assist, a steal and a block.

Even freshman guards Denia Ebersole and Kiran Lakhian helped out despite playing slightly less than one minute at the end. Kiran scored 2 points, causing her teammates on the bench to jump up and cheer. Denia, playing the point, had an assist.

After making only one 3-pointer against Fresno State on Nov. 9, the team this time hit five of 12, or 41.7 percent. Sara had two. Amber, Joslyn and Bonnie each had one.

Stanford also collected 30 rebounds vs. 21 for SCU. Stanford’s steal advantage was 11-4, while teams were tied with 18 assists each. Stanford had 10 fouls and 11 turnovers, while SCU had 15 and 14, respectively.

It appeared that several hundred Stanford fans were among the 2,728 people there, but it was hard to tell for sure because Santa Clara’s colors are red and white, too, so there was a lot of red in the stands.

Before the game started, veterans in the crowd were asked to raise their hands and be honored for Veterans Day. At the half, approximately two dozen SCU women’s basketball grads were introduced at center court. Several had children with them.

SCU’s Leavey Center is a fan-friendly arena with lots of free parking (at certain times) nearby. The main drawback is that the jumbotron is on the wall at the visiting team’s end, and the scoreboard over center court provides only meager information beyond the score.

Rather than the numbers of each player in action and her points and fouls, it flashes a player’s number and point total only after she has scored. Hence it’s hard to keep track of everyone.

Leavey also is quieter than Maples because the small, sedate SCU band doesn’t play very often, and its songs aren’t all that lively. Most of the music is recorded.

Still, it was an enjoyable afternoon that saw the Cardinal pull to an early lead, gain a 47-32 advantage at the half and stay well ahead for the rest of the game. It also was gratifying to see how well certain plays were executed, how much the team hustled and defended, and how so many players excelled in one way or another.

Giants, vets, victory in home opener

The Fresno State Bulldogs gave the Stanford women’s basketball team all it could handle, but the Cardinal prevailed 72-61 to win its home and season opener Nov. 9.

Besides extending the nation’s best home winning streak to 80, the game also was an occasion to honor military veterans for Veterans Day and to honor the San Francisco Giants for its World Series championship.

The Giants’ mascot, Lou Seal, was on hand, and many fans wore Giants gear. For example, the Twist Cam winner sported a Giants jersey with Posey – for catcher/slugger Buster Posey – on the back.

During another timeout, Lou and the Tree tossed T-shirts and mini-balls into the crowd.
During halftime, the video board showed World Series highlights, starting with the final out of the fourth game in St. Louis and ending with the Oct. 31 celebration in San Francisco.

Lou and the Tree followed this up by dancing together at center court, where the Tree shed her costume and did the worm.

Before all this fun, veterans in the crowd were asked to come to the court at halftime to accept the fans’ applause. Another veteran in attendance was retired Navy Cmdr. Zoe Dunning, who served as honorary captain for the Cardinal.

According to her website, Zoe, a graduate of Annapolis and the Stanford Graduate School of Business, came out as a lesbian while studying at Stanford and serving in the Navy Reserves to protest Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell. She won her discharge hearing, served as the only openly gay U.S. service member for 13 years and retired with 22 years’ service. At his invitation, she stood next to President Barack Obama when he signed the repeal of DODT in 2010.

As announcer Betty Ann Boeving read off Zoe’s accomplishments before the tipoff, the crowd’s cheers grew louder and louder.

Stanford’s starting forwards were senior Joslyn Tinkle, junior Chiney Ogwumike and sophomore Taylor Greenfield. At the guard spots were junior Sara James and sophomore Amber Orrange.

Coming off the bench during the game were sophomore forward Bonnie Samuelson, redshirt junior forward Mikaela Ruef, redshirt freshman guard Jasmine Camp and junior guard Toni Kokenis, a 2011-12 starter who was seeing her first action of this season.

The game stayed close during the first half, which ended 34-29 in Stanford’s favor. It was tied 42-42 with 15:02 to go in the second half when the Cardinal went on a 14-2 run. One highlight of that run was a steal and score by Toni. Still, Fresno State refused to give up, but Stanford stayed ahead and won.

Playing a huge role in the win were Chiney’s 23 points and 17 rebounds in 40 minutes, along with Joslyn’s 20 points and eight rebounds in 39 minutes. Amber was the only other Cardinal in double figures, scoring 14 along with a team-leading five assists in 36 minutes. She also had five of the team’s 12 turnovers. Fresno State had 14.

Unusual for Stanford, the team was outrebounded 44-41. But Stanford had nine blocks, including four by Chiney and three by Joslyn, compared with the Bulldogs’ one. Steals were even at six each.

After making 27 3-point shots in the two exhibition wins, Stanford was limited to just one – by Taylor.

After the game, fans had a chance to gather for a Behind the Bench session. As Eileen Roche, director of basketball operations, was making some introductory comments, freshman guard Denia Ebersole walked across the court and greeted a group of friends with signs supporting her.

Taking note of Denia’s fan club, Eileen said she had attended head coach Tara VanDerveer’s hoops camp in high school. She is among the 36 Stanford players who were former campers, Eileen said.

When associate head coach Amy Tucker arrived with Joslyn and freshman center/forward Tess Picknell, fan Lily Wong gave Amy a T-shirt and plaque to commemorate her induction into the Ohio Basketball Hall of Fame during the summer.

In keeping with a tradition for freshmen, Tess talked a little about herself. Hailing from Medford, Ore., she said she has an older sister who attends the University of Oregon. Her father was at the game. Her mother teaches at the Southern Oregon University in nearby Ashland. Three dogs complete her family.

Asked what she has been learning as a Cardinal, she said she’s working on defensive techniques and learning new ways to play offense, thanks to Amy.

She started playing basketball in second grade. As for college, “Stanford’s always been my dream school.” She told Stanford of her interest, but when Amy came to a game, her team lost. Tess feared that was that, but then she got a call telling her to try harder. When she learned she had been accepted at Stanford, she stopped considering any other school.

“Tess was quite the enforcer,” Amy said.

When Joslyn got the microphone, she said she had spent most of the summer at home in Missoula, Mont., “good old Big Sky County.” She worked out at the University of Montana, where her father is the men’s basketball coach. He also gave her some tips. She took some breaks to return to Stanford to help at hoops camp.

During that time she also tried to focus on filling the shoes of Chiney’s older sister, Nneka, who graduated in June after a stellar college career. She’s working on rebounding and being more aggressive, Joslyn said, adding, “I know my team relies on me a lot more this year.”

“Joslyn gave us great energy (and) got us going inside,” Amy said.

Now, Joslyn said, she is “trying to slow this year down as much as possible,” since it’s her last at Stanford.

She’s looking forward to the Dec.2 game at Gonzaga, where her sister is a freshman on the basketball team. Her parents are already making “Stan/zaga” shirts, she said.

In the meantime, she’s looking forward to revenge and redemption against Baylor, which defeated Stanford in the semi-final round of the Final Four in Denver and went on to win the national championship. Stanford and Baylor will face off Nov. 16 during a four-team tournament in Hawaii.

After meeting with the media, Tara came out to talk with the fans. “We are obviously a work in progress,” she said, but she cited the contributions made by several players.

“We didn’t shoot well tonight,” she said, alluding to the 49.2 percent rate. And even though Bonnie didn’t score after her 3’s led the team in scoring in both exhibitions, she “did a nice job defensively,” Tara said.

“This is a young team. It’s going to take awhile to gel,” Tara concluded.

Victory over Vanguard ends exhibition season

The Stanford women’s basketball team completed its exhibition weekend with a sweep – defeating Corban 117-33 on Nov. 1 and following up with an 82-47 defeat of Vanguard on Nov. 3. Both games were at home in Maples Pavilion.

Unlike Corban, which hadn’t faced the Cardinal before, Vanguard was making a return visit to the Farm. Both teams play at the Division II level, but meeting an elite squad like Stanford’s is a good experience for them.

It’s also a good way for the Stanford players to get a little more playing time and to learn while the coaches continue to evaluate plays and players.

Once again Stanford’s victory included a barrage of 3’s. Sophomore forward Bonnie Samuelson started it right away when she delivered the team’s first score with a 3-pointer and went on to lead the team with five of its 13 for the night. Sophomore forward Taylor Greenfield and junior guard Sara James added four each.

The starting lineup featured three returning starters – senior forward Joslyn Tinkle, junior forward Chiney Ogwumike and sophomore guard Amber Orrange – along with Bonnie and redshirt freshman guard Jasmine Camp. As was true against Corban, the other returning starter, junior guard Toni Kokenis, was in uniform and warmed up with the team but sat at the end of the bench all afternoon.

Head coach Tara VanDerveer substituted freely, starting with Sara for Jasmine. Then came Taylor and redshirt junior guard Mikaela Ruef for Bonnie and Sara. Others who played during the first half were freshman forward/center Tess Picknell and sophomore forward Erica Payne. Freshman guards Kiran Lakhian and Denia Ebersole got in during the second half.

Outsized and out-defended, the opponent didn’t score until the clock hit 13:26, when a Vanguard player hit a 3 to make the score 13-3. The second Vanguard score, also a 3, came at the 9:45 mark to make the score 25-6. By the time the clock hit 8:22, Amber had made her third shot in a row. The half ended 44-21.

Whereas much of the offense seemed to come from the perimeter during the first half, it appeared that more plays were designed to go inside to Chiney and Joslyn or the other bigs during the second.

Several times during the second half, the lineup included just one guard and four forwards. For example, the second-half starters were Amber at the point plus Joslyn, Chiney, Bonnie and Taylor. Late in the second half, there was an all-forward lineup with Taylor presumably at the point.

Bonnie was the game’s high scorer with 18, followed by Taylor with 16, Sara with 14 and Chiney with 11.

The team pulled down a total of 55 rebounds, led by Joslyn with 10, and Chiney, Mikaela and Tess with eight each. Chiney was credited with five of the team’s 12 blocks. Amber contributed seven of its 17 assists, followed by Mikaela with four.

Vanguard did better in the turnover department, registering just 11 compared with Stanford’s 14. Fouls were fairly even – 14 for Vanguard, 15 for Stanford.

For the game, Stanford shot 42.6 percent overall, 37.1 percent for 3’s and 68.8 percent for free throws.

Except for Kiran and Denia, who entered late in the game, everyone else played between 15 and 23 minutes.

With two exhibition wins under their belts, the Cardinal will start the regular season at 7 p.m. Friday, Nov. 9, when Fresno State comes to Maples. Then it’s just a short jaunt down the road for a visit to Santa Clara at 2 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 11.

Team coasts into action with 117-33 victory

Corban University proved to be no match for the Stanford women’s basketball team in its season-opening exhibition game Nov. 1 at Maples Pavilion.

Corban, a Christian college in Salem, Ore., plays in Division II and was making its first foray (at least in my memory) into Maples. Its plucky players won’t soon forget the likes of the Cardinal, which outplayed them in every aspect of the 117-33 game.

Unlike some recent exhibition games, this one had a few more features to add to the festive feeling as the band, Dollies and Tree were all on hand. This year’s girly Tree boasts a bow on top and lipstick on her mouth – one of the more stylish Tree looks.

As part of the pre-game routine, the captains from both squads met with the referees at center court. Representing Stanford were three forwards: senior Joslyn Tinkle, redshirt junior Mikaela Ruef and junior Chiney Ogwumike.

Returning to the starting lineup were Joslyn, Chiney and sophomore point guard Amber Orrange. They were joined by sophomore forward Taylor Greenfield and junior guard Sara James. Junior guard Toni Kokenis, the other returning starter, was in uniform and took part in warmups but sat at the end of the bench throughout the game.

Announcer Betty Ann Boeving was back at the microphone, and sophomore Natasha von Kaeppler has returned to her managerial duties. The coaching staff remains the same with head coach Tara VanDerveer joined by associate head coach Amy Tucker and assistant coaches Kate Paye and Trina Patterson.

Likewise the support staff remains the same except for strength and conditioning coach Susan Borchardt, who is on a year’s leave of absence to join her husband, who’s playing pro basketball in Europe. She is being replaced by Kurtis Rayfield, who was her intern last year.

The game got off to a good start as Chiney won the tipoff, batting the ball to Amber. After a couple of trips up and down the floor, Joslyn started Stanford’s scoring barrage after getting a ball that Amber had stolen. Corban recorded its first basket at the 16:41 mark, making the score 8-2.

Tara began subbing with about 15 minutes to go in the half as redshirt freshman guard Jasmine Camp came in for Amber. In succession, sophomore forwards Bonnie Samuelson and Erica Payne came in, followed by Mikaela and freshman forward/center Tess Picknell.

Freshman forward Kiran Lakhian and freshman point guard Denia Ebersole entered the game with about a half-minute left, but saw more action in the second half.

Bonnie led the team in scoring with 27 points amassed in just 17 minutes. Most of those points came from making seven of her 12 3-point attempts. Sara was close behind with 24 points in 26 minutes – the most time on the team. Her total included four of nine 3-pointers made.

Also scoring in double figures were Joslyn with 15, Taylor and Chiney with 12 each and Amber with 10. Jasmine was the only player who didn’t score, but she contributed four assists.

Altogether, the team was 14 for 25, or 56 percent on 3-pointers. Besides Bonnie’s seven and Sara’s four, the total included two from Taylor and one from Kiran, the first of her college career. It also upped Stanford’s score to 100.

Overall the team shot 62 percent. It made 68.2 percent – 15 of 22 – of its free throws.

When it came to rebounds, Tess pulled down eight, followed by Chiney and Bonnie with seven each, Erica with six, Taylor with five, Joslyn with four, Amber and Sara with three each, and Denia and Kiran with one each for a total of 53.

Tess blocked two shots, while Chiney and Kiran each blocked one.

The team had 31 assists, led by Amber’s seven and Erica’s six. The team also had 14 turnovers and eight fouls.

The first half ended with the score at 68-10. It was becoming so lopsided that Stanford fans began clapping every time Corban scored. Corban amassed most of its points, 21 of 33, from seven 3’s, primarily because it couldn’t get past the defense by Stanford’s taller players.

Another reason might have been that Amber proved so adept at stealing the ball, swiping it eight times, often resulting in fast-break points.

Yes, it was only an exhibition, but it proved to be an enjoyable preview for the fans as well as a good way for the players to ease into action and to learn where they must improve individually and collectively. The coaches also had a chance to size up the players even though the competition wasn’t nearly as stiff as what lies ahead.