Team tells Cal: Not in our house

Associate head coach Kate Paye and head coach Tara VanDerveer exhort the players against Cal.

After suffering a disappointing last-second 81-80 loss at Cal on Jan. 31, the Stanford women’s basketball team turned the tables and then some on its cross-bay rival at Maples by winning 75-50 on Feb. 2.

The Cardinal dominated the Golden Bears in almost statistical category before a loud crowd of 4,066. It included some Cal fans, its band and cheerleaders but no mascot to bow to the Tree.

Cal’s star senior forward, Kristine Anigwe, scored a game-high 20 points, but only eight of them came from baskets. The rest were at the free-throw line where she was 12 for 16.

She fouled out with just over two minutes left. One of those fouls was an unsportsmanlike call about halfway through the second quarter.

On the other hand, no Stanford player fouled out, and three were in double figures. Junior guard DiJonai Carrington and sophomore guard Kiana Williams had 19 each while senior forward Alanna Smith had 16. All three were starters.

Maya and Nadia share a laugh in the locker room.

Maya returns to action

The home crowd had something else to celebrate as sophomore forward Maya Dodson returned to action and the starting lineup at home after missing eight games with a foot injury. She also had played at Cal.

At Stanford she contributed nine points, four of the team’s 41 rebounds, three of its five blocks and one of its 14 assists in 21 minutes.

Shannon had four of the team's 14 assists.

Leading the way in assists were Kiana and senior center Shannon Coffee with four each.

The other starter was freshman forward Lacie Hull, who had three of the team’s six steals to go with five points, seven rebounds and one assist.

Stanford never trails

Stanford led the entire game, starting with a sizzling first quarter that ended 22-5. By the half, the lead had ballooned to 20 and rose to 56-31 after the third.

The team’s final 75 points included 24 from eight 3s: three each by Kiana and DiJonai and one each by Lacie and her twin sister, Lexie.

In this hard-fought game, action stopped twice as referees reviewed plays. The crowd wasn’t always pleased with the officiating overall, booing lustily several times.

In honor of National Girls and Women in Sports Day, outstanding achievements in several Stanford women’s sports were highlighted on the video board.

Women’s championship volleyball team honored

Appearing in person, the women’s volleyball team received a standing ovation as it displayed its eighth NCAA national championship trophy. The softball team also appeared as it prepares for its season to open soon.

After the game, Maya joined associate head coach Kate Paye to start a Behind the Bench.

“That was a great bounce-back win for our team,” Kate said. As for Maya, “She’s going to get better and better,” the coach said.

Maya, who said her foot is “getting better every day,” said she’s thinking about majoring in engineering. Right now her hardest class is physics, where she had a mid-term coming up during the next week.

Kate concluded by saying the team was much more aggressive at this game and got “a lot of help off the bench.”

Joining the gathering, head coach Tara VanDerveer agreed that the team played better this time. The win “sets us up confidence-wise for our next games,” she said.

Maya, next to Lacie, gets a high five from a team mate as the team celebrates.

Tara likes the players’ camaraderie

Answering a fan, she said her favorite part of coaching is “how well they get along” and support each other. “They’re really good people.”

Asked about the two injured players, she said that senior guard Marta Sniezek, who hasn’t played all season because of a hand injury, is working hard. As for her return to action, “we’ll have to wait and see,” Tara said. 

She added that Marta might qualify for a red shirt.

Junior forward Nadia Fingall, who has a torn left ACL, will have surgery soon. “She’s a great teammate,” Tara said, adding that both Marta and Nadia are “all about the team being successful.”

Coming up next are two more home games. Oregon State will visit at 6 p.m. Feb. 8, and Oregon will visit at 1 p.m. Feb. 10. The Oregon State game will be on the Pac 12 Network, while ESPN will televise the Oregon game.

Photos by Don Feria/ISI Photos.com

Milestones for Tara, Alanna in WSU game

Head coach Tara VanDerveer is at the center of the team's celebration.

Guiding the Stanford women’s basketball team to an 85-64 victory over Washington State on Jan. 20, head coach Tara VanDerveer hit another milestone in her illustrious career.

It was her 900^th victory at Stanford and the 1,052^nd in her 40 years of college coaching.

As the players gathered for their traditional post-game circle at center court, they made sure Tara was inside that circle for hugs and plaudits.

Alanna scores career-high 34

Her next stop was the TV broadcast table for an interview by Pac 12 Network announcer Layshia Clarendon. At her side was senior forward Alanna Smith, who had just poured in a career-high 34 points. She also snared 15 rebounds and had three assists, two blocks and a steal in 31 minutes.

Alanna and Tara head back to the locker room after an interview.

The two then walked back to the locker room with their arms around each other.

Also scoring in double figures were sophomore guard Kiana Williams with 19 and junior guard DiJonai Carrington with 11.

Everyone gets into the act

All 11 available players got into the game, and seven scored. Those who didn’t score made other contributions like rebounds, assists, blocks and steals. The crowd of 2,908 cheered loudly when two of those blocks were by two of the team’s shorter players, junior guard Mikaela Brewer and freshman guard Jenna Brown.

The starters were the usual five: Alanna, Kiana, DiJonai, sophomore forward Alyssa Jerome and freshman forward Lacie Hull.

Boosting the point total were the team’s 10 three’s. Alanna had four, Kiana three, Lacie two, and junior guard Anna Wilson one.

Game stresses Human Trafficking Awareness

The afternoon’s theme was Human Trafficking Awareness, spearheaded by Alanna and announcer Betty Ann Hagenau, founder of the Bay Area Anti-Trafficking Coalition.

During the halftime, Alanna explained in a video how she had become interested in the issue. She said was taking a fall class about it when Betty Ann was a guest speaker one day. The two spoke and decided to do more.

Dancers from Love Never Fails entertain during halftime.

Halftime entertainment featured the Love Never Fails Dancers from Stop Human Trafficking. Several of the seven women were survivors of human trafficking.

During a break in the third quarter, Betty Ann interviewed Jessie Brunner of Stanford’s Handa Center for Human Rights and International Justice.

Senior guard Marta Sniezek, junior forward Nadia Fingall and sophomore forward Maya Dodson were still out with injuries. Unlike recent past games, Maya, who had a foot injury, wasn’t wearing a boot.

WSU’s only lead came with a basket early in the first quarter. Lacie and DiJonai responded with successive three’s, and Stanford never trailed thereafter.

Next up is a trip to the mountains with Colorado at 6 p.m. Jan. 25 and Utah at 11 a.m. Jan. 27, followed by Cal at Cal at 8 p.m. Jan. 31 and Cal at Stanford at 4 p.m. Feb. 2.

Photos by John Lozano/Stanford Athletics

Easy win over Washington

Players on the bench help cheer their teammates to victory.

Playing at home, the Stanford women had their way against Washington and won 91-54 on

on Jan. 18.

All 11 available players joined the action for at least six minutes, and no one played more than 29 minutes.

Alanna goes for two.

Even so, senior forward Alanna Smith poured in 27 points and had 13 rebounds to go with three blocks. Sophomore guard Kiana Williams wasn’t far behind with 22 points and four steals.

Junior guard DiJonai Carrington had 12 points, 11 rebounds and five assists. Junior guard Anna Wilson (five points) also had five assists to add to the team’s total of 18.

By way of contrast, the Huskies had only eight assists and, hounded by smothering defense, no one in double figures. They snagged only 32 rebounds compared with the Cardinal’s 45.

After Kiana’s three, team surges ahead

Stanford led from start to finish as Kiana scored from beyond the arc almost immediately. By the time the final buzzer sounded, Stanford had made 13 three’s, led by Kiana’s four. Alanna had three.

Freshman forward Lacie Hull had two, as did little-used junior guard Mikaela Brewer in just six minutes. Anna and freshman forward Lexie Hull had one each.

Washington had 22 turnovers compared with Stanford’s 13, several of which seemed to come from passes that went astray.

Kiana accounted for two of Washington’s turnovers in a row as she sped down the court for easy layups.

The starting lineup was familiar with Alanna, DiJonai, Lacie, Kiana and sophomore forward Alyssa Jerome.

Still missing in action were senior guard Marta Sniezek, who hasn’t played at all because of a hand injury; junior forward Nadia Fingall, who has a season-ending torn ACL; and sophomore forward Maya Dodson, who has a foot injury. She’s expected to return, but there’s been no specific timetable. Unlike past games, she was walking without a boot.

The crowd of 2,535 was bolstered by the full student contingent of band, Tree, Dollies and cheerleaders.

Everything started on the right note when the Fisher Middle School choir of Los Gatos sang a harmonious national anthem.

Girls wearing the colorful headbands join the team at attention during the national anthem.

Bright new source of red for fans

Then there was a new note to the starters’ introduction. Stanford Federal Credit Union, the game’s sponsor, had set up a mobile branch outside the southwest entrance and tables in the concourse to hand out unique souvenirs. They were black plastic headbands to which were attached long red ribbons and red translucent tubes that flashed.

They were a big hit with fans, some of whom wore them around their necks to drape down their chests like flashing bibs.

When the lights dimmed for the starters’ introduction, announcer Betty Ann Hagenau asked fans to make sure their headbands were turned on. The result was an awe-inspiring sea of blinking red throughout Maples.

Now with a 15-1 overall record and an unbeaten record at home, the team hopes to continue that streak when Washington State visits at noon Jan. 20. 

If the Cardinal prevail, head coach Tara VanDerveer will have notched 900 wins on the Farm. Her overall win total is more than 1,000.

The team heads for the mountains to play Colorado at 6 p.m. Jan. 25 and Utah at 11 a.m. Jan. 27.

Photos by Karen Hickey/Stanford Athletics

Short-handed Stanford still handles UCLA

Alyssa, DiJonai, Alanna and Kiana celebrate during the game.

No Nadia, no Maya, no Marta, no Alexa. No problem, right? Wrong.

The Stanford women’s basketball team managed to defeat visiting UCLA 86-80 on Jan. 6, but the outcome wasn’t decided until the last minute or so.

Almost all of the credit goes to the starting five: senior forward Alanna Smith, sophomore forward Alyssa Jerome, freshman forward Lacie Hull, junior guard DiJonai Carrington and sophomore guard Kiana Williams.

Playing all or the majority of the game, they were the only Cardinal players to score. Four players came off the bench, but made minimal contributions.

Junior guard Mikaela Brewer high-fives Marta (left), Nadia and Maya after a teammate's trey.

Cardinal ranks were thinned because junior forward Nadia Fingall is out for the rest of the season because of a torn ACL suffered in the USC game two days earlier. She was wearing a brace on her left leg.

Sophomore forward Maya Dodson was wearing a boot on her left foot because of an injury. She’s expected back, but there’s no timetable.

Senior guard Marta Sniezek has been out all season because of a hand injury. Senior guard Alexa Romano “is not playing on our team due to personal reasons,” head coach Tara VanDerveer said after the game. She is no longer listed on the roster posted by Stanford Athletics.

Lexie drives against a Bruin in her welcome return.

Lexie returns to action

On the other hand, freshman forward Lexie Hull saw her first action after missing nine games with a foot injury. The medical staff allowed her to play a maximum 10 minutes, Tara said. She was in for eight minutes and had three rebounds.

With 30 points, DiJonai was the game’s high scorer. She came close to a double-double with nine rebounds.

Alanna did have a double-double with 24 points and 11 rebounds. Kiana also had a double-double with 21 points and 10 assists.

With winter quarter classes starting Jan. 7, the team got extra student support from the band, Tree and cheerleaders. The crowd totaled 3,231 and became quite loud in its support, too.

The first half saw the Cardinal lagging 23-24 after the first quarter and 38-45 after the second.

Second half better than first

The second half was a different story with the Farm team leading 64-57 after the third quarter and then winning 86-80.

Success beyond the arc helped with a total of 12 three’s. Alanna, DiJonai and Kiana each had three, Alyssa two and Lacie one. Free-throw shooting also was a big factor. The team made 14 of 17, or 82.4 percent.

UCLA, not necessarily known as a three-point machine, made 11 treys, but was only seven of 15, or 46.7 percent, at the free-throw line. The Bruins had 21 fouls, the Cardinal 10.

Stanford also excelled in assists, 21-10, and in steals, 10-six.

The Bruins edged the Cardinal in rebounds, 38-37, and had fewer turnovers than the Cardinal, 13-15.

UCLA’s largest lead was 12 points, Stanford’s 11. The score was tied three times, and the lead changed seven times.

Team, fans see tribute to two backers

At the Behind the Bench after the game, the entire team joined fans in watching video tributes to two beloved members of the Stanford family. Marian Cortesi, 88, a longtime fan, managed the Fast Break Club website for 12 years before her death from cancer Dec. 2.

DeeDee Zawaydeh-Johnson was the women’s basketball administrative assistant 30 years and welcomed fans to the annual spring banquet. She died of cancer at age 69 in May.

Tara then excused most of the team and said, “UCLA has a terrific team. … It was an awesome win for our team.”

Coach praises players

She praised Alyssa for replacing Nadia in the starting lineup and making some crucial three’s.

“I like it when Di scores 30,” she said, and praised Alanna for coming on strong in the second half after a less than stellar first half. “She kept playing hard,” Tara said.

“We knew we had to play hard,” Alanna said, noting the team’s improved defense.

“We played with such heavy hearts knowing that Nadia would be out,” DiJonai said.

Tara acknowledged several family members of players at the game as well as highly regarded recruit Haley Jones, who will be with the team next season. “We’re very excited about the incoming freshmen,” Tara said.

The 12-1 team takes to the road to face Arizona State at 6 p.m. PST Jan. 11 and Arizona at 11 a.m. PST Jan. 13.

Then it’s back home to host the Washington schools the following weekend. Pac 12 Networks will televise all four games.

Photos by Don Feria/ISIPhotos.com

Team opens conference season with victory

Kiana shoots over a USC player on her way to a 22-point game.

USC didn’t make things easy when it visited the Stanford women’s basketball team Jan. 4, but the home team prevailed at the final buzzer, 72-64, to begin Pac 12 play.

Thus AP’s No. 6-ranked Stanford extended its record to 11-1 while dropping USC to 10-3.

Aside from the ups and downs in this seesaw battle, the game marked player gains and losses for Stanford. On the plus side, both freshman forward Lexie Hull and junior guard Anna Wilson were back in uniform after missing some games. Anna played for five minutes, but her stat line was empty.

On the minus side, sophomore forward Maya Dodson was in street clothes for the first time this season because of a foot problem. Senior guard Marta Sniezek remained out of action with the thumb injury that has kept her out all season.

Moreover, junior forward Nadia Fingall had to retire to the locker room after reportedly hyperextending a knee early in the third quarter. She returned to applause several minutes later. She got back into action in the fourth quarter only to apparently hurt a knee in a collision with a USC player.

That’s when she went back to the locker room for good. She had played a total of 18 minutes, scoring two points, snaring four rebounds, dishing out two assists and blocking one shot.

Changes in score lead to nail-biting

In a reflection of the game’s inducement of nail-biting, the lead changed 13 times and the score was tied seven times. Stanford trailed by two points after both the first and second quarters but finished the third with a seven-point lead before polishing things off with the eight-point victory.

Playing all 40 minutes, sophomore guard Kiana Williams poured in a game-leading 22 points.

Alanna fights her way through the USC defense.

Senior forward Alanna Smith contributed 19 points (to go with 11 rebounds) in 39 minutes. Junior guard DiJonai Carrington also was in double figures with 14.

Favoring Stanford were free throws, 10 vs. 7, and three’s, 8-5, along with rebounds, 46-40; blocks, 7-5; and assists, 12-10. It had fewer fouls, 11-18. On the other hand, it had more turnovers, 15-13, and fewer steals, 3-8.

Kiana had four three’s, Alanna three and freshman forward Lacie Hull one.

Head coach Tara VanDerveer stuck with the same starters as in previous games with Alanna, Nadia, Lacie, DiJonai and Kiana.

Each team used only nine players.

Crowd loud in support of home team

Even though the usual student contingents like the band, Tree, Dollies and cheerleaders were still on the holiday break, the game drew 2,557 fans. The pro-Stanford crowd was loud in supporting the team and sometimes vocal in disagreeing with the officials in this very physical game.

Among the fans were girls from Torch Basketball Academy, who scrimmaged at halftime. Their families were there, too, including my next-door neighbors.

Stanford alum Melanie Murphy, ’11, is Torch’s founder and CEO. She was there coaching one red squad.

Ros returns to her alma mater to annouce the game.

Another alum on hand was Mel’s teammate and fellow New Yorker, Rosalyn Gold-Onwude, ’10. Ros was an announcer for the Pac 12 Network’s TV coverage.

UCLA, Arizona teams are next

The Cardinal will return to Maples at 1 p.m. Jan. 6, when UCLA comes calling after knocking off Cal 84-79 in overtime on Jan. 4. The game will be covered by Pac 12 TV.

A Behind the Bench will follow the game.

The team is off to the desert the following weekend to face Arizona State at 6 p.m. PST Jan. 11 and Arizona at 11 a.m. PST Jan. 13. Pac 12 TV will show both.

Photos by John P. Lozano, isiphotos.com

Team ends the year on a high note

Coasting to a 69-43 victory over Cal State Northridge in Maples on Dec. 29, the Stanford women’s basketball team completed its pre-conference schedule and 2018 with a 10-1 record.

All 12 available players had at least five minutes on the court. Everyone except sophomore guard Kiana Williams scored, something unusual for the usually prolific shooter.

Head coach Tara VanDerveer gives Maya some tips before she returns to action in a previous game.

Sophomore forward Maya Dodson led the way with 16 points, most of them in the paint. She blocked three shots and had one steal.

Also in double figures were senior forward Alanna Smith with 14 and freshman forward Lacie Hull with 10. 

With three each, Lacie and junior guard DiJonai Carrington accounted for six of the team’s seven steals, while DiJonai was the leading rebounder with 12.

Rebound total exceeds visitors’ point total

The Cardinal were so dominant around the basket that they snared more rebounds, 53, than the Matadors had points, 43.

Unavailable players were senior guard Marta Sniezek, who hasn’t played at all this season; junior guard Anna Wilson, who had missed three games previously; and freshman forward Lexie Hull, who had missed the past seven games. CSUN had only 10 available players.

Starters were Alanna, junior forward Nadia Fingall, DiJonai, Lacie and Kiana.

Jenna and Tara show off Jenna's USA Basketball plaque.

Jenna honored for USA U18 play

Prior to the game, freshman guard Jenna Brown received a USA Basketball plaque honoring her role with the gold-winning U18 team during the summer. Jenna played the point for much of the CSUN game.

Stanford fans among the 2,520 people at the game got a bit of a scare early in the first quarter when Alanna limped toward the locker room. However, she returned to action a few minutes later.

The first quarter ended with Stanford up 19-4.

Then came the traditional Conga on the Court. Usually it’s led by Stanford students like the cheerleaders or Dollies, but no student groups were at the game because of the holiday break. Therefore, a young girl led the way.

Halftime saw the host team up 41-12, while the third quarter ended with a 31-point lead, 54-23.

Starters rest during the fourth quarter

With no doubt about the outcome, some fans started leaving early, and all of the team’s starters were on the bench for the entire fourth quarter.

Both teams made only five of 21 three-pointers.  Stanford’s total was below its average of 10+ per game, but 46 points in the paint helped to fill the gap.

Lacie had two of the three’s. The others came from DiJonai and sophomore forwards Alyssa Jerome and Estella Moschkau.

Jennifer Azzi gives the team some advice after the game.

After the game, Jennifer Azzi, ’90, who attended the game with her wife and their infant son, talked to the team in the locker room.

The arrival of 2019 will signal the start of the Pac 12 season, beginning with USC at 8 p.m. Jan. 4 and UCLA at 1 p.m. Jan. 6, both at Maples. The latter game will feature a Behind the Bench afterward.

Stanford Athletics photos

Team celebrates signature win over Baylor

Players on the bench cheer their teammates as they amass points against Baylor.

Maybe it was the fright wigs. Maybe it was the lock-down defense. Maybe it was the scouting report. Maybe it was the sharp-shooting from beyond the arc.

Most likely it was all of these factors and more as the Stanford women’s basketball team upset visiting Baylor 68-63 on Dec. 15.

It was a signature victory for the Cardinal with its No. 11 ranking by AP and 6-1 record over the 8-0, No. 3 Lady Bears. It also snapped the Bears’ 36-game regular season winning streak.

Welcome back to Maples

And it was a welcome return to Maples after a month. The Nov.18 game against Ohio State had been canceled because of smoke from the destructive wildfire in Butte County.

Then the team spent Thanksgiving in Hawaii for three wins. It was on the road again for a 73-77 loss at Gonzaga on Dec. 2, followed by two weeks off for Dead Week and finals.

The usual student groups -– band, cheerleaders, Dollies and Tree -– weren’t there, but they had a good excuse. They were in Minneapolis backing the women’s volleyball team as it won its unprecedented eighth national championship later in the day.

The game still attracted a vocal crowd of 3,440 even though the fall quarter had ended the previous day.

Baylor comeback falls short

These fans had plenty of reason to cheer as the Cardinal led 17-13 after the first quarter, 41-24 at the half and 58-42 after the third quarter.

Baylor tried to mount a comeback in the final quarter, giving fans some palpitations, but Stanford prevailed. Its largest lead was 18 points in the second half.

With senior guard Marta Sniezek and freshman forward Lexie Hull out with injuries, head coach Tara VanDerveer used 11 of the 13 available players.

Her starters were senior forward Alanna Smith, junior forward Nadia Fingall, junior guard DiJonai Carrington, freshman forward Lacie Hull and sophomore guard Kiana Williams.

Three of the starters were in double figures: Alanna with 21, Kiana with 13 and DiJonai with 10.

Nadia and DiJonai team up on defense of a Baylor player.

Defense holds tallest, highest scorer to five points

One example of the team’s defense was holding Baylor’s leading scorer, 6’7” Kalani Brown, to only five points. Only two Bears were in double figures. Another example –- steals –- 7-4 in the home team’s favor.

Stanford’s three’s, 13 of 30 for 43.3 percent, went a long way toward assuring the win. Alanna had five. Kiana and senior center Shannon Coffee, playing with a protective face mask for 19 minutes (more than usual), each had three. DiJonai and Lacie had one each.

On the other hand, free-throw shooting was sub-par, nine of 21, or 42.9 percent. Baylor made 16 of 20, or 80 percent. Baylor also led in rebounds, 43-30.

Back in Stanford’s favor, Baylor had 15 turnovers, Stanford 10. Fouls were  close: 19 for Stanford, 18 for Baylor.

Alyssa, Estella and Mikaela model the wigs. (Stanford Athletics)

Fans get fright wigs, a.k.a. rally wigs

As fans arrived, they could help themselves to what Stanford called rally wigs, but others called fright wigs. T-shirts were tossed into the crowd at various intervals.

At the half, fans could cheer the football team before its New Year’s Eve day matchup against Pittsburgh in the Sun Bowl in El Paso, Texas.

Coaches Tempie Brown, Kate Paye, Lindy La Rocque and Tara, along with basketball administrator Amy Tucker, welcome Jayne and her daughter, Shea.

Also watching the game were Jayne Appel-Marinelli, ’10, and her husband, Chris Marinelli, who played football at Stanford; their 10-month-old daughter, Shea; and Jayne’s parents, Joe and Pam. They received a loud ovation when they were shown on the video board during the first quarter.

The team faces its next tests on the road against No. 9 Tennessee on Dec. 18 and against unranked Buffalo on Dec. 21. The latter game might draw some cross-border contingents from Ontario, home of sophomore forward Alyssa Jerome and junior guard Mikaela Brewer.

Except for wigs, photos by Don Feria/ISIPhotos.com