Tara pleased after win over Washington

Although the 11-7 Stanford women’s basketball team soundly defeated visiting 6-11 Washington 71-45 on Jan. 14, head coach Tara VanDerveer said it still has a long way to go.

Britt talks with her teammates. (Bob Drebin (isiphoto.com)

Nevertheless, “I really love coaching this team,” she said during the Behind the Bench that followed the game. “Our team is taking pride in their defense, (and) our upperclassmen are leading the way.”

One of those upperclassmen is senior forward Kaylee Johnson, who contributed a game-leading 12 rebounds plus eight points and five blocks in 27 minutes.

She scored her team’s first six points. Tara called her the player of the week after she had notched 10 points and 15 rebounds in the win over Washington State two days earlier.

Alanna, Britt make their marks

Two other upperclassmen making big contributions were junior forward Alanna Smith with a game-high 19 points, nine rebounds and two blocks; and senior guard Brittany McPhee with 15 points and three rebounds.

Also in double figures was sophomore guard DiJonai Carrington, who added 11 points, five rebounds and three steals while showing lots of hustle.

Kaylee, Alanna and Britt were the starters along with freshman guard Kiana Williams and junior guard Marta Sniezek. Marta played 26 minutes even though she had to endure being knocked to the floor seven times plus one other near-fall. As one fan said during the game, there’s “a lot of chaos under the basket.”

Marta also spent some time on the bicycle before the team entered for its final warmups, late in the first quarter and again as the second quarter started.

Twelve players of the 14 were in uniform, including sophomore guard Mikaela Brewer. She didn’t dress for the WSU game. However, she was the only player who didn’t get into this game. Apparently referring to Mikaela, Tara said that everyone who had been cleared to play got in and that some were cleared only for warmups.

Sophomore guard Anna Wilson was in street clothes again, as she was against WSU, but this time she wasn’t wearing a boot. Freshman forward Maya Dodson was in street clothes, too.

Turnovers still an issue

Once again turnovers were a problem –- 20 in all –- but Washington managed only 13 points off those turnovers.

Other stats were more favorable, with the Cardinal having a 43-28 advantage in rebounding, a 16-9 edge in assists and an 8-3 edge in blocks.

The team shot 49 percent for the game versus the Huskies’ 29.3 percent. Free-throw shooting was a semi-respectable 68.4 percent.

The team was 44.4 percent on three-pointers, eight of 18. Alanna and DiJonai had two each. The others came from Britt, Kiana and freshman forwards Alyssa Jerome and Estella Moschkau.

Anna meets fans at the Behind the Bench. (Dave Cortesi photo)

Anna meets fans during Behind the Bench

Before Tara joined the Behind the Bench, associate head coach Kate Paye brought Anna out to meet the fans. Kate said Anna had tweaked her ankle in practice during the week, but called her “a great teammate … a beloved teammate.”

She also noted that Anna had decided on Stanford when she was a high school sophomore. Now that she’s a Stanford sophomore, she hasn’t yet had to declare a major, but Kate said she has a passion for photography and is leaning toward communications and journalism.

As for her basketball skills, Anna said in response to a question that she’s working on all aspects of her game, especially defense.

Amy “still very invested in the team”

Kate then invited her predecessor, Amy Tucker, to join her. Amy stepped down from her post at the end of last season and now is the women’s basketball administrator.

Amy Tucker (Stanford Athletics)

She said her duties including managing the Nike apparel contract for the team and helping Tara with correspondence and engagements. Although she no longer works with the team, she watches game video at night in case anyone is interested in her insight.

She sits at the scorers’ table during games, but she can’t say anything to the coaches or players while she’s there. “I get to be an objective observer while still very invested in the team,” she said.

Nevertheless, she has more spare time, so she rides her new bicycle more and reads more at home and during her travels with the team.

With a 5-1 record in the Pac-12, Stanford has sole possession of second place (to 6-0 Oregon) in the conference.

It faces its next tests in Southern California, meeting USC at 8 p.m. Jan. 19 and UCLA at 3 p.m. Jan. 21. The Cardinal defeated both teams during their games in Maples to open the conference season in late December.

A tale of two halves in win

It’s too bad the Stanford women’s basketball team can’t bottle the first half of its 70-57 victory over the visiting Washington State Cougars on Jan. 12.

The Cardinal shot a sizzling 64.7 percent in the first quarter and 58.8 percent in the second to go into the locker room with a 45-17 advantage.

The second half was a different story as the Cougars outscored their hosts 40-25. For the game the Cardinal shot 46.9 percent, while the Cougars shot 33.8 percent. The overall advantage, especially in the first half, was enough to assure the win and celebrate senior guard Brittany McPhee’s 22^nd birthday.

Brittany displays the plaque she received from Tara for her summer with USA Basketball and the U23 National Team.

Brittany honored on her birthday

Britt contributed to the effort by recording 12 points, five assists and three steals. Before the game, head coach Tara VanDerveer gave her a plaque commemorating her summer with USA Basketball and the U23 National Team in Japan.  

Junior forward Alanna Smith was the game’s high-scorer with 20 points plus nine rebounds and two steals.

Freshman guard Kiana Williams kicked in 15 points, including three of the team’s four 3-pointers (sophomore forward Nadia Fingall had the other). 

Britt and Kaylee battle for a rebound.

Kaylee records a double-double 

Senior forward Kaylee Johnson made her mark with a double-double: 10 points and 15 rebounds.

Britt, Alanna, Kiana and Kaylee were the starters along with junior guard Marta Sniezek.

All 12 available players got into the game. Sophomore guards Mikaela Brewer and Anna Wilson, who was in a boot, were both in street clothes.

Rebounds a plus, but turnovers a minus

Stanford recorded a big plus in rebounds, 53-31, but 22 turnovers compared with WSU’s 12 were a big minus.

It was a fast, physical game that saw two Cougars being helped to the locker room. The referees said sophomore guard DiJonai Carrington was responsible for the second one when she collided with the player while going for a rebound under the WSU basket during the fourth quarter. The refs charged her with a technical for an unsportsmanlike foul.

The Cougars were without head coach June Daugherty, who reportedly had undergone a minor medical procedure earlier in the week. Her husband, Mike, the associate head coach, took over the reins.

During halftime, the crowd of 3,696 saluted the dozens of youngsters from swim clubs who had watched the women’s swimming team practice earlier in the day.

Then girls from San Juan Dance took to the floor with their modern dance routines, 

starting with the eight youngest, followed by four preteens and finally eight teenagers.

WSU winless against Stanford

Stanford’s victory upped its all-time record to 63-0 over the Cougars.

WSU’s roster is quite international with seven players from other countries. One of them is Australian Louise Brown, who hails from Alanna’s hometown of Melbourne. They smiled warmly at each other before going for the opening tip, which Alanna won, a fitting opening to the game.

Ros interviews Alanna for the Pac 12 TV networks.

Afterward Alanna was interviewed by Ros Gold-Onwude, ’10, back on her home court as a Pac 12 TV commentator.

Photos by Bob Drebin (isiphoto.com)

Keeping track of the student in student-athlete

After the Stanford women’s basketball team won its regional final against Kansas State in Manhattan on March 20 last season, it had planned to fly back to Stanford before going to the Final Four in Lexington, Ky.

However, the team’s charter plane didn’t arrive. Instead, the team spent another night in Kansas before flying directly to Lexington, where players had to take their finals in the hotel.

Shannon Reader (Gonzaga Athletics)

That change required Shannon Reader, the team’s academic adviser, to spring into action, administering finals over a span of four days. Part of this effort involved coordinating practices and other activities with the coaches because each exam needed a block of three hours.

Mindful that something like this might happen, the players had already notified their professors about this possibility two weeks beforehand.

Spread sheets help with process

When it became a reality, Shannon created a spread sheet for the players and their professors. Thanks to emailing and scanning, everything got where it was supposed to go.

To top it off, this was Shannon’s first official week with the team. “We became really close really quickly,” she said during a recent interview on campus.

According to the Stanford Athletic Academic Resource Center (AARC), a team’s academic adviser “provides academic advising, programming and support for students as they shape their Stanford education.”

When a player arrives as a freshman, Shannon explains various courses and encourages exploration of potential interests and majors. Stanford’s quarter system helps this process.

Shannon keeps players engaged in class

As insisted by the coaches, all freshmen must spend time in a study hall at the AARC.

Shannon also makes sure the players are engaged in the classroom.

If a player is having problems with a particular class, the professor or her dorm’s resident adviser contacts Shannon. Shannon in turn contacts the player’s academic coach and head coach Tara VanDerveer.

Academic coaches encourage the players and offer strategies for improving study techniques and managing time, according to the vice provost for teaching and learning.

Advisers track players’ academic progress. At the end of each quarter, Shannon must certify that a player has maintained at least a 2.0 grade point average to remain eligible.

Besides working with women’s basketball, Shannon works with seven other teams for a total of 175 students. The other sports are men’s and women’s crew, field hockey, men’s and women’s golf, and men’s and women’s gymnastics.

Gonzaga grad played against Stanford

Originally from the Portland area, Shannon is a 2012 graduate of Gonzaga University, where she played basketball. As a 6’ 2” senior, she was named to the West Coast Conference all-academic women’s basketball team with a 3.26 GPA in public relations and served as president of the student-athlete advisory committee.

Shannon (31) and her teammates wave to their fans after losing to Stanford 83-60 in the Spokane regional on March 28, 2011. (Colin Mulvany, The Spokesman Review)

During her four years at Gonzaga, her team lost five times to Stanford. “Part of that’s on Lindy,” she said, referring to assistant coach Lindy La Rocque, who played at Stanford during those years.

After receiving her degree in public relations at Gonzaga, Shannon stayed on as a graduate intern for men’s and women’s basketball. She was promoted to academic coordinator in June 2014, working with women’s basketball and baseball. She started working at Stanford in October 2016.

As she learned the ropes, she shadowed Lauren Reid, who was serving as SWBB’s adviser, and sat in on every meeting that Lauren had with the players. Lauren is still with Stanford as an adviser to other teams.

The team’s frequent travel schedule requires the players to do much of their studying online while waiting in airports or flying. “They keep up with it,” Shannon said.

She added that the faculty is supportive of this process.

Undoubtedly making her job easier, it also helps that “we have extremely bright students,” Shannon said.

Team celebrates New Year's Eve with win

The Stanford women’s basketball team ended 2017 on a winning note, defeating USC 72-65 on Dec. 31.

Thus the victory returned the host Cardinal to AP’s top 25 after it had fallen out the previous week for the first time in 17 years. The Jan. 1 poll ranked 8-6 Stanford No. 24.  

The win left the Cardinal 2-0 in Pac-12 play.

Winning didn’t come easily. USC ended the first quarter up 20-15 and the half up 34-33. Thereafter the Cardinal edged ahead, ending the third quarter up 53-50 and going on to 

win.

Game has three ties, six lead changes

In this highly physical, seesaw game, the score was tied three times and the lead changed six times. However, Stanford led for just over 23 minutes while USC led for just over 14 minutes.

Sharpshooting proved to be one of the differences, with Stanford making 45.5 percent of its shots to USC’s 35.5 percent. Rebounding also was a plus, 41-31; along with assists, 19-13; and blocks, 8-1.

On the negative side, turnovers were still a problem, 18 for Stanford, 12 for USC. Free throws also were lacking, 70 percent for Stanford versus 93.3 percent for USC.

But Stanford nailed eight threes for 42.1 percent, while USC hit seven, 29.2 percent.

Brittany goes for a layup against a USC defender. (Richard Erstad/isiphotos.com.)

Brittany helps make a difference

Senior guard Brittany McPhee was responsible for three of the treys, while freshman guard Kiana Williams had two. Junior forward Alanna Smith, junior guard Marta Sniezek and sophomore forward Nadia Fingall had one each.

Brittany led the team with 21 points plus eight rebounds, three assists, two blocks and two steals in 30 minutes.

After missing several games with an injury, she has scored at least 21 points in each of the three games she has played since returning. Because of her outstanding play, ESPNW named her its National Player of the Week.

Alanna and Kiana had 13 points each. Marta led the team in rebounds with 10 and had 8 points along with a team-high six assists.

The starters were Alanna, Brittany, Marta, Kiana and freshman forward Maya Dodson. Except for Maya, the starters logged at least 30 minutes each.

Twelve players get into the game

With the team at full strength again, head coach Tara VanDerveer had the luxury of using 12 of the 14, while short-handed USC fielded only nine. During the third quarter, one USC player let a referee know she didn’t like a call and was assessed a technical.

Many in the crowd of 2,494, which included the band and Tree, apparently didn’t like some of the other calls or non-calls, loudly booing several times.

With the winter quarter not scheduled to begin until Jan. 8, the team has some time away from the books, but not from basketball. A trip to the desert awaits with Arizona at 5 p.m. PST Jan. 5 and Arizona State at 1 p.m. PST Jan. 7.

Great way to start Pac-12 play

Leading from the opening tipoff 'til the final buzzer, the Stanford women’s basketball team upset visiting UCLA 76-65 to start the conference season on Dec. 29.

Senior guard Brittany McPhee, returning for only her second game after missing nine with an injury, made the first basket and went on to lead the way with a game-high 26 points. She also had seven rebounds and four assists in 27 minutes.

Junior forward Alanna Smith had a double-double with 14 points and 13 rebounds to go with three blocks in 36 minutes. Sophomore forward Nadia Fingall chipped in 10 points, six rebounds, three assists, a block and a steal in 25 minutes.

DiJonai contributes in return

The team was at full strength with sophomore guard DiJonai Carrington back after an injury. She was another spark plug with seven points, five rebounds and one assist in only 10 minutes.

Marta takes the ball upcourt to start a new offensive set..

In all, 11 players saw action, and nearly all contributed. Chief among them was junior guard Marta Sniezek. Although she scored only four points, all on free throws, she was the floor general, playing for all but the very last minute while dishing out five assists and snatching six rebounds.

Starters were Brit, Alanna, Marta, freshman forward Maya Dodson and freshman guard Kiana Williams. After Kiana, a San Antonio resident, had made four free throws to help ice the game, the band played “Deep in the Heart of Texas.”

Along with the Tree, the band had just returned from San Antonio, where it played for the football team’s 39-37 loss to TCU in the Alamo Bowl the day before.

Stanford prevails in rebounds, assists, shooting percentage

Stanford outplayed No. 11 UCLA in several categories, including rebounds, 48-33; assists, 16-11; and shooting, 51.9-31.1 percent.

On the negative side, the Cardinal had 20 turnovers to UCLA’s nine. Many of the turnovers came from UCLA’s proclivity to steal, 11 in all.

It wasn’t an easy game. It seemed that every time Stanford opened a fairly comfortable lead, UCLA would come back, but never enough to go ahead or win.

Bird dances during her visit.

Bird returns to cheer, dance

Among the crowd of 3,102 was Erica “Bird” McCall, ’17, showing her smooth moves during the Dance Cam in the third quarter. Now a member of the WNBA’s Indiana Fever and playing professionally in Hungary during the off-season, she joined the team in the locker room after the game.

Also on hand for part of the game was Brian Agler, coach of the WNBA’s Los Angeles Sparks, apparently scouting the talent on both teams.

Provost Persis Drell congratulates head coach Tara VanDerveer after the win.

Stanford Provost Persis Drell sat on the bench with the team and was an enthusiastic supporter.

The victory marked Stanford’s first over a ranked team after five losses to teams in the top 10 during the nonconference season. It also marked what is hoped to be a return to the rankings after dropping out in the latest poll following losses to Tennessee and unranked Western Illinois.

Another test awaits the Cardinal when the team hosts USC at 1 p.m. Dec. 31.

(Photos by Richard Ersted/ISIPhotos.com)

Silver lining in Stanford loss

Despite losing 71-83 to the visiting Tennessee Lady Volunteers on Dec. 21, the Stanford women’s basketball team and its fans have reasons to hope.

One is that the team stayed relatively close to the Lady Vols, who came to Maples with an undefeated record and a No. 7 national ranking.

Another is that senior guard Brittany McPhee returned from an injury to play for the first time since early in the season. She proved to be a spark plug and led the team with 27 points.

Some of those points came on drives to the basket, the kind of drives that should earn her the nickname of “Fearless” McPhee.

Fans cheer for Brit

Shortly before the team took to the floor for its final warmups, she came out to gather balls for the entrance. As soon as fans saw her, they started clapping and cheering. She responded with a shy smile.

However, no one besides Brit was in double figures. Junior guard Marta Sniezek had 9 points, while sophomore forward Nadia Fingall and freshman forward Maya Dodson had 8 each.

Rebounding was noteworthy, with Stanford pulling down 48 to Tennessee’s 35. Senior forward Kaylee Johnson, junior forward Alanna Smith and Nadia had seven each.

Stanford also had more assists, 13 to nine, and more blocks, seven to five. Marta had nine of the assists, and Alanna had five of the blocks.

Stanford outscores Tennessee in second half

The Cardinal ended the first half with a 16-point deficit, 30-46, but actually outscored the visitors by 4 points in the second. For the game, Stanford had more points in the paint, 44-30.

Free throws were a continuing problem, with only 11 of 22, while Tennessee made 31 of 36, or 86.1 percent.

The visitors had 19 fouls, while the hosts had 25. Some perspective is that several of those fouls came late in the fourth quarter when Stanford came within 6 points and deliberately fouled to try to get the ball.

It seemed that freshman guard Estella Moschkau was inserted for that reason with about a minute to go. She had three fouls, but she also made a basket.

Turnovers were another weak point, 15 to Tennessee’s 10.

Unlike past games, 3-point shooting was off –- only two of 15. They came from Brit and junior guard Alexa Romano.

DiJonai still out of action

The starting lineup featured Brit, Alanna, Kaylee, Maya and freshman guard Kiana Williams. By the end of the game, everyone had played. Sophomore guard DiJonai Carrington was still in street clothes.

Although the band, Tree, Dollies and cheerleaders were still absent because of the holiday break, the crowd of 3,084 supplied lots of noise.  

When the lights dimmed for introduction of Stanford’s starters, fans waved the red glow sticks supplied by the Stanford Federal Credit Union.

The team has a 6-6 record at this juncture, but five of the losses were to teams in AP’s top 25. Stanford’s most recent ranking is 18. Four other Pac-12 teams are ranked.

The players have some time off before returning for the Pac-12 season, which starts by hosting No. 11 UCLA at 5:30 p.m. Dec. 29 and USC at 1 p.m. Dec. 31.

Loss at the line

Perhaps one fan expressed it best: “I’m shocked,” she said.

She was reacting to the Stanford women’s basketball team’s 71-64 home loss to Western Illinois of Macomb on Dec. 18.

According to The San Francisco Chronicle, it was only the 11^th home loss in the past 11 years.

One of the most glaring differences between the two teams came at the free-throw line. While the Leathernecks made 20 of 26, or 76.9 percent, of their free throws, the Cardinal connected on only eight of 19, or 42.1 percent. That’s a loss of 11 potential points, while the visitors’ margin of victory was 7 points.

Another telling stat: The Cardinal had 19 turnovers, the visitors 13. The Cardinal also missed a number of what looked to be easy layups.

Guards contribute eight 3’s

On a more positive note, the hosts made eight 3-pointers, the visitors five. Sophomore guard Anna Wilson and freshman guard Kiana Williams chipped in three each, while junior guard Alexa Romano had two.

One day after losing, the entire team -- including Mikaela Brewer and Shannon Coffee--
 turned to giving by helping at St. Anthony's Padua Dining Room. (Stanford Athletics) 

Stanford also outrebounded WI, 57-45 with the lion’s share coming from senior forward Kaylee Johnson with 18 and junior forward Alanna Smith with 15.

Kaylee, Alanna, Kiana, Anna and junior center Shannon Coffee started the game, and 10 of the 12 available players saw action. Sharpshooting senior guard Brittany McPhee and sophomore guard DiJonai Carrington were still out while recovering from injuries.

Three Cardinal players were in double figures: Alanna with 18, Kiana with 17 and Anna with 13.

Alanna, Kaylee battle under the basket

Alanna played the most minutes, 35, and they weren’t easy. Along with Kaylee, she often had to battle a swarm of Leathernecks under the basket.

The first quarter ended with Stanford lagging 14-21. Head coach Tara VanDerveer sent in a smaller lineup of three guards and two forwards to start the second quarter. Thus they held their opponents to just 3 points and finished the half with a 33-24 advantage. 

The team was still ahead 47-45 at the end of the third quarter, but then the wheels came off with WI outscoring Stanford 26-17 to end with the 71-64 win.

Therefore, there were no victory balls. Instead, the players gathered in a circle at center court while Kaylee apparently gave them a pep talk.

They’ll need all the pep they can get when they host unbeaten Tennessee at 6 p.m. Dec. 21.

Easy win over UNLV

With finals in the rear-view mirror, the Stanford women’s basketball team drove to a 74-33 victory over visiting UNLV on Dec. 16.

Despite missing the fire power of senior guard Brittany McPhee again and of sophomore guard DiJonai Carrington for the first time, both for undisclosed reasons, the Cardinal boasted balanced scoring.

All 12 available players got at least six minutes of playing time, and all scored. The most anyone played was 23 minutes by junior forward Alanna Smith.

Kiana gives an interview after her 14-point performance. (Stanford Athletics)

Kiana leads with 14 points

Playing 18 minutes, freshman guard Kiana Williams led the team with 14 points. Also in double figures were Alanna and freshman forward Maya Dodson with 11 points each. 

Senior forward Kaylee Johnson led the team in rebounding with 10.

Head coach Tara VanDerveer rejiggered the starting lineup. Alanna and Kaylee have been regulars, but this time they were joined by three first-timers: Kiana, who played the point, along with junior center Shannon Coffee and sophomore guard Anna Wilson.

Tough defense figured into the win as the Cardinal held the visitors scoreless for about the first six minutes of the first quarter, which ended 17-10. The second quarter was even tougher. UNLV  scored only 3 points while Stanford added 18 to end with a 35-13 advantage.

With attendance at 2,763 and most students on vacation, the game was missing the usual 

contingent of Tree, band, cheerleaders and Dollies.

Referee cleans up

Still, the crowd made plenty of noise. For example, during the third quarter, the ball girls started mopping the floor after a collision. Not satisfied, a referee took a mop herself and finished the job. The crowd applauded, and she bowed.

In the Connect with Coach video feature, Tara was asked several questions, one of which was her pet peeve. Her response, “Rude drivers,” got another round of applause.

With only 1.6 seconds left in the game, junior guard Alexa Romano grabbed a defensive rebound. Rather than dribbling it, though, she lobbed it to sophomore guard Mikaela Brewer, who made an easy layup for her only score.

Besides tight defense (Alexa was especially persistent), the game was noteworthy for nine 3-pointers. Kiana had three, while Anna and sophomore forward Nadia Fingall had two each. Alexa and freshman forward Estella Moschkau each had one.

Team tallies 18 assists

Also on the plus side, the team had 18 assists, led by junior guard Marta Sniezek with four. The team also had eight blocks, six steals and only seven fouls. The first foul wasn’t called until early in the third quarter. On the other hand, both teams had 19 turnovers, many of them on traveling calls.

Since the band wasn’t there, a recording of “All Right Now” followed the final buzzer. Perhaps it should have been “Ode to Joy” to mark Beethoven’s 247^th birthday.

Before it can go off for a quick holiday, the team hosts two more games: Western Illinois at 7 p.m. Dec. 18 and Tennessee at 6 p.m. Dec. 21.

Stanford overcomes sluggish start to defeat Dons

When the Stanford women’s basketball team last visited the University of San Francisco on Dec. 22, 2010, head coach Tara VanDerveer notched her 800^th career victory.

Now, nearly seven years later, the Cardinal again visited USF and gave Tara her 1,017^th career win.

That earlier game was filled with hoopla as a busload of Stanford fans was at the ready with signs celebrating the expected milestone, which came with a 100-45 score. Assistant coach Lindy La Rocque was on that team.

Upon Stanford’s return Nov. 29, the score wasn’t quite so lopsided at 86-66, nor was the game quite so easy, especially in the early going.

Stanford trails in first quarter

The Dons gave the Cardinal fits during the first quarter, which ended 19-12 in the home team’s favor. Stanford outscored the Dons 12-9 in the second quarter but still lagged 28-24.

The tide really turned in the third quarter, when the Cardinal came out of the locker room with what seemed to be new determination. That quarter ended 56-49 for the Cardinal, which then outscored the Dons 30-17 in the final quarter, leading to the winning score of 86-66.

Much of the second-half resurgence was fueled by three-pointers. According to Stanford Athletics, “Stanford made 11 of its 21 attempts (.524) from behind the arc after intermission, a school record for 3-pointers in a half. The Cardinal made 15 in the game, tied for the third-most in program history and its highest total since 15 against Missouri State on Nov. 27, 2015.”

Kiana 

Kiana leads parade of treys

For the game, freshman guard Kiana Williams led the team with five 3’s, followed by junior forward Alanna Smith, junior guard Alexa Romano and sophomore guard DiJonai Carrington with three each. Sophomore guard Anna Wilson chipped in the other one.

Senior guard Brittany McPhee was in street clothes again because of what Stanford Athletics terms a right foot injury. This time, however, she wasn’t wearing a boot.

The starters were Alanna, DiJonai, Alexa, senior forward Kaylee Johnson and junior guard Marta Sniezek. By the time the final horn sounded, all 13 available players had seen action.

Alanna and DiJonai were the high scorers with 19 points each. Alanna also had 11 rebounds for a double-double. Thanks mostly to her 3’s, Kiana scored 17, while Alexa had 13.

Kaylee “pulled down 14 rebounds …, her highest total since Feb. 2, 2016 against Cal (16). She is now three shy of entering the school's all-time top 10 in that category,” Stanford Athletics reports. Kaylee also had 6 points, three assists and two of the team’s five blocks.

USF band no match for Stanford’s

Official attendance was only 775, with a good contingent of students. The USF band was in the balcony, but it was fewer in number and much lower in enthusiasm than the Stanford band.

Several dozen Cardinal fans were there. One of them was Brooke Smith Easter, ’07, who chatted with basketball administrator Amy Tucker at halftime.

Stanford greats, past and present: Amy, Jennifer, Molly, Tara, Kate 

Two other noteworthy alums were former Dons coach Jennifer Azzi, ’90, and the current coach, Molly Goodenbour, ’93.

The team takes its 5-3 record on the road again to play Baylor at 11 a.m. Dec. 3.