Thanks for the memories; Part 1 of 3

Players on the bench rejoice during the memorable win over Baylor. (Photo by Don Feria/ISIPhotos.com)

Fans of women’s basketball are looking ahead while reflecting on the success of the 2018-19 season.

Here are some highlights:

The team notched a 31-5 record, won the Pac-12 tournament and advanced to the NCAA tournament’s Elite Eight.

Perhaps its biggest win was its 68-63 home victory over Baylor Dec. 15. It was the only loss for Baylor, which went on to take the national championship.

Its biggest loss was also at home, an 88-48 thrashing by Oregon Feb. 10, but the Cardinal avenged the loss by defeating the Ducks 64-57 March 10 to capture the conference trophy.

Now here are some details:

Most players arrived on campus June 23 for summer classes starting June 25. They included the freshmen: guard Jenna Brown and forward twins Lexie and Lacie Hull.

Senior guard Alexa Romano was in Peru for an archeological project. Junior guard Anna Wilson was at home “trying to regroup” after two seasons marred by injuries, said associate head coach Kate Paye.

Alyssa, Jenna, Alanna play internationally

Then some players got international experience. Sophomore forward Alyssa Jerome played for Canada’s Senior Women’s National Team for a four-game exhibition series in China and Japan Aug. 1-7. She was the team’s youngest player.

Jenna played with the USA U18 National Team that won a gold medal in Mexico City in early August.

Later, senior forward Alanna Smith joined Australia’s FIBA World Cup team that won silver in Spain on Sept. 30.

Fans got their first look at the team in open practice Oct. 19. Senior guard Marta Sniezek was out of action with a right hand injury that  sidelined her all season. Lexie didn’t participate but was running sprints on the sidelines.

Afterward, head coach Tara VanDerveer said, “We have a really deep team,” that’s “a little ahead” of last year’s team at that point.

String of 7 wins in November

A better look came Nov. 1 with an 87-36 exhibition defeat of visiting Vanguard. Jenna didn’t play because of what was reported as a minor ankle injury.

The starters were Alanna, Lexie, junior forward Nadia Fingall, junior guard DiJonai Carrington and sophomore guard Kiana Williams. Alanna, DiJonai and Kiana were consistently the starters and high scorers throughout the season.

Alyssa (10, Lacie (24) and Lexie (12) celebrate a good play against Davis. (Stanford Athletics)

Competition started for real at home Nov. 7 when UC Davis fell 71-43.

The team continued winning at home by toppling Idaho 115-71 Nov. 11. That was the most points since 1994 and the fifth-highest ever. The record is 122 against Cal State Fullerton in 1994.

Another home win came Nov. 15, 96-62 over the University of San Francisco in a game honoring Native American Heritage Month.

The Nov. 18 home game against Ohio State was canceled because of smoky air from wildfires to the north.

Three wins in Honolulu tournament

Crossing the Pacific, the team chalked up three more wins during a tournament in Honolulu: 88-65 over Florida Gulf Coast Nov. 23, 71-49 over American University Nov. 24 and 81-59 over the University of Hawaii Nov. 25.

The last game was marred by an injury to Anna, who had played in previous games, but she flew home with the team. On the plus side, Lacie’s seven steals against American U. were the most by a Cardinal since Candice Wiggins, ’08, against Old Dominion Nov. 24, 2007.

Still on the road, the team fell to Gonzaga 79-73 Dec. 2. SWBB also lost an important fan, Marian Cortesi, who died that morning at age 88. She had been the devoted webmaster for the Fast Break Club website.

Baylor falls to Stanford

After a break for finals, the team recorded its landmark win over Baylor, 68-63, at home Dec. 15. After her team-leading 21 points, including five three’s, Alanna was named ESPNW and Pac 12 Player of the Week.

Back on the road, Stanford beat previously undefeated Tennessee 95-85 Dec. 18. DiJonai scored a career high 33 points (plus 13 rebounds). Alanna was Ann Meyers Drysdale National Player of the Week.

Buffalo fell next, 62-55 there Dec. 21, giving the team a 9-1 record for its best start since the 2013-14 season. Lacie was named Pac-12 Freshman of the Week.

Maya gets instructions from Tara before returning to the Cal State Northridge game. (Stanford Athletics)

Coasting to a 69-43 victory over Cal State Northridge at home Dec. 29, the team finished its pre-conference season 10-1. Sophomore forward Maya Dodson led the scoring with 16 points. Anna was out for the fourth time after her injury in November, while Lexie missed her eighth game because of a foot injury.

Part 2: Pac-12 play

Final salute to ‘an extraordinary team’

Tara welcomes everyone to the  banquet.

It was the last time to see all of the players on the 2018-19 Stanford women’s basketball and the first time to see them dressed up instead of in their uniforms.

The annual spring brunch banquet April 14 at the Arrillaga Alumni Center provided a chance to show appreciation to the team and all of the people behind it.

Serving as emcee, head coach Tara VanDerveer said it was “a great celebration of an outstanding season and an extraordinary team.”

Defeating Oregon to win the Pac-12 championship wasn’t the best part of the season, she said, nor were the wins over then-top 10 teams Baylor and Tennessee nor the 10 Pac-12 All-Academic team members.

No, “the best part of the season was being with this great group of young women every day,” she said.

‘Our team was family’

“Our team was family,” she said, thus explaining why the players wore warmup jerseys emblazoned with FAMILY.

Despite injuries over the season, the team responded, and other players stepped up, she said.

While the 200 or so attendees enjoyed the lavish buffet, Tara made the rounds of the tables and thanked everyone for coming while photos from the season flashed on two large screens.

Between a series of thank-you’s to donors, the administration and staff, Tara introduced each class, starting with the freshmen.

Tara introduces the freshmen (from left): Lacie Hull, Jenna Brown, Lexie Hull

Freshmen come forward

Guard Jenna Brown worked with senior forward Alanna Smith after every practice, thus helping both to improve. She has been invited to try out for the USA U19 team this summer. (She helped the USA U18 win gold last summer).

Referring to the Hull twins, forwards Lacie and Lexie, Tara said it took her six months to tell them apart without their numbers.

Lexie “started out with a bang,” Tara said, becoming the first freshman to score a double-double in her first regular game. Even though she missed nine games because of an injury, she still had the third-most rebounds on the team.

Lacie became a starter and “a tenacious defender.”

Sophomores take the podium for their accolades (from left): Alyssa, Kiana, Estella, Maya.

Sophomores are a big help

Of the sophomores, Tara noted that forward Maya Dodson “came back so improved.” Despite missing six weeks because of injury (she was in a boot at the banquet), she had 42 blocks, second on the team.

Forward Estella Moschkau was “a determined worker” whose greatest contributions were in practice.

Forward Alyssa Jerome is a versatile player who “stepped up on offense and defense.” A Canadian, she will try out for her country’s team for the Pan Am games this summer.

Guard Kiana Williams is “a whiz on the court.” Her 169 assists are the most since Jeanette Pohlen, ’11. Tara ticked off more of her superlatives including ranking second in team scoring and being named to the Chicago All-Regional Team. She has been invited to USA team trials this summer.

Tara saluted the late Dee Dee Zawaydeh, the longtime administrative assistant who died last year after a long battle with cancer. In her honor, the coach has created an award, a gift card for food, something Dee Dee loved. The first one went to video coordinator Hana Potter.

Next it's the juniors' turn (from left): Mikaela, Anna, Nadia, DiJonai.

‘Boots are just a fashion statement’

As the juniors came forward, Tara looked at guard DiJonai Carrington, who, like Maya, was wearing a boot. “These boots are just a fashion statement,” she said.

She started with guard Mikaela Brewer, who ran the practice squad and is a human biology major.

DiJonai “is another candidate for the most improved club,” Tara said. A psychology and African American studies major, she started all 36 games.

Forward Nadia Fingall was no longer wearing a brace after surgery for a torn ACL but is still recovering. “We really miss her,” Tara said, noting that she scored a career-high 24 points against Florida Gulf Coast during the Thanksgiving weekend tournament in Honolulu. Like Mikaela, she’s a human biology major.

Despite being a junior, guard Anna Wilson played in her first career tournament games after missing the others because of various injuries. An Art Practice major, she practices hard and is a great defender, Tara said.

After calling the other three coaches –- assistants Tempie Brown and Lindy La Rocque and associate head coach Kate Paye -– she asked the seniors to come up individually.

Seniors provide leadership

Marta wants to become a graduate transfer.

Although an injury kept guard Marta Sniezek out all season, “she was all in as a team member and player-coach,” Tara said. She’s an American studies major. There was no word of where she will likely use her remaining year of eligibility to play as a graduate transfer.

Shannon hopes to play overseas.

As for center Shannon Coffee, “what a great year Shannon had. She really stepped up this season,” Tara said. A human biology major, Shannon has said she wants to become a physician’s assistant.

Before then, she said in a conversation afterward, she’d like to play overseas. After that, she has her eyes set on returning to Stanford to train for her chosen profession.

Alanna is going to the Phoenix Mercury.

Alanna “had a spectacular career and senior year,” Tara said. A psychology major, she 

accrued many honors and finished 10^th in scoring in Stanford history.

The Phoenix Mercury took her eighth in the first round of the April 10 WNBA draft.

Each senior spoke individually, thanked the coaches, fans and staff, and expressed her love for her teammates.

Video features season highlights

In keeping with the season’s theme, the highlights video started and ended with the song, “We Are Family.” The video brought back some great memories and illustrated not only individual skills but the players’ unselfishness with one assist after another.

Looking ahead to the highly rated incoming class, Tara said, “They are all very talented players,” but there’s a big difference between high school and college play. However, the returning players will help them just as the returnees were helped as freshmen.

That was the end of the formalities, but Tara gathered those returnees together for some announcements.

Now it’s time to await the next season in November. It will include games against Tennessee, Baylor and Gonzaga, Tara said.

Photos by Ron Madson. For more, see Stories of the Season.

A fun run while it lasted

A tearful Alanna leads the post-game huddle for the last time.

For slightly more than half of its Elite Eight game, it looked as though the Stanford women’s basketball team might upset the defending national champion.

But then the luck of the Irish took over, and Notre Dame won 84-68 on April 1 in Chicago’s Wintrust Arena.

Stanford outscored Notre Dame in the first two quarters and led 33-26 at the half and by as much as nine early in the third quarter before ND began chipping away.

Farm team leads over 22 minutes

Stanford actually led for slightly more than half the game, just over 22 minutes. The game was tied for just over a minute.

It marked the Cardinal’s 12^th trip to the Elite Eight in the past 16 years and 20^th overall. It ended the team’s season at 31-5.

It also marked the end of the line for two of the team’s seniors, forward Alanna Smith and center Shannon Coffee. The third senior, guard Marta Sniezek, didn’t play all season because of injuries. Earlier in the day, Alanna was named to an AP second team All American.

Kiana drives downcourt.

Kiana scores 20 points

Sophomore guard Kiana Williams led the team with 20 points, followed by junior guard DiJonai Carrington with 18 and Alanna with 14.

Thirty of the team’s points came from three’s. Kiana poured in four, while Alanna, DiJonai and freshman guard Lexie Hull had two each.

Despite the loss, it was a refreshing change from the team’s less-than-stellar 55-46 over Missouri State in the Sweet 16 on March 30.  

That victory came even though the team shot only 25 percent overall and just 10.3 percent on three’s.

Its 55 points tied its fewest in an NCAA tournament victory since Stanford beat Xavier, 55-

53, in the Elite Eight in Sacramento on March 29, 2010.

Remember that thriller? That’s when Jeanette Pohlen, ’10, streaked across the entire court with only 4.4 seconds left to score the winning basket and send her team to the Final Four.

Alanna leads the post-game celebration, quite a contrast from two days later (see top photo).

Alanna leads scoring against Missouri State

In the Missouri State game, Alanna scored a team-leading 13 points. Coming off the bench, junior guard Anna Wilson provided a needed spark with 11, the only other player in double figures.

One might chalk up the nine-point win on two statistics: The Cardinal made 18 free throws, the Bears 12. That’s six points.

The other winning points came from the Cardinal’s three three’s versus the Bears’ two. Stanford’s three’s came from Anna, Lexie and Shannon with one each. 

Shannon sets a screen while Anna goes for three.

Shannon does seem to have a knack for helping to knock off Bears with three’s, a la Baylor and others, according to head coach Tara VanDerveer.

Now it’s back to the books with spring quarter under way. Fans will have one last chance to see the players at the annual banquet April 14 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Arrillaga Alumni Center.

After that they can look forward to what appears to be a highly promising 2019-2020 with 11 returning players and four highly touted freshmen.

Photos by Bob Drebin/ISIPhotos.com

Sweet but not easy victory over BYU

Jubilant players gather in a circle to celebrate their pending trip to the Sweet 16.

The Stanford women’s basketball team had its hands full as it hosted Brigham Young University on March 25, but in the end the Cardinal conquered the Cougars 72-63 in the second round of the NCAA tournament.

With this win, Stanford advanced to the Sweet 16 for the 12th straight year.

Stanford started slowly and fell behind 11-15 in the first quarter.

BYU’s zone defense mostly prevented Stanford from penetrating into the paint, forcing three-point clunkers or air balls.

DiJonai drives against BYU.

DiJonai sparks team in second quarter

That scenario changed in the second quarter, when junior guard DiJonai Carrington provided the spark for the team to lead 31-29 at the half. By then she had scored 14 points, including six from threes, in this seesaw, physical game.

BYU also outrebounded Stanford in the first half, but Stanford’s rebounding improved, starting in the third quarter, to give it a 43-40 advantage by the end of the game.

After halftime, the ball went inside more, giving senior forward Alanna Smith a chance to show her scoring prowess, not only inside but from the perimeter.

The third quarter ended with Stanford up 53-38. It led 68-55 with under two minutes to go in the game, but scrappy BYU never gave up. It applied pressure and stole the ball three times, scoring each time. But it was too little too late as Stanford made four free throws to seal the win.

Alanna prepares to score against a BYU defender.

Alanna records double-double in final home game

Playing her final game at Maples, Alanna recorded 23 points, 14 rebounds, three assists and a steal.

DiJonai wasn’t far behind with 19 points, five rebounds, two blocks and a steal.

Also in double figures was sophomore guard Kiana Williams with 13 points, four rebounds and a team-high five assists.

Those three were the starters along with sophomore forward Maya Dodson and freshman guard Lacie Hull.

Despite so many misses, the team wound up with 12 threes. Alanna, DiJonai and Kiana all had three. Chipping in one each were senior center Shannon Coffee, also in her final game at Maples; junior guard Anna Wilson and freshman guard Lexie Hull.

The crowd of 2,450 included a vocal contingent of BYU fans. Among them was former Forty-Niners quarterback Steve Young, a BYU alum.

The game started relatively late, 8 p.m., on a rainy evening, but that didn’t dampen spirits inside.

Lacie scraps for a loose ball, resulting in a jump ball.

Everyone helps out

Although the big three of Alanna, DiJonai and Kiana might get all the headlines for scoring, their teammates helped out in numerous ways that don’t necessarily show up on the stat sheet.

For example, Anna played tough defense against BYU’s leading scorer. Shannon set screens, snared rebounds and assisted while sometimes helping to direct the ball to open players, all thanks to her 6’5” height.

Actually, nearly everyone played tough defense, a hallmark of this team, especially in its later games.

This 30th season victory was the 15^th in program history and the first since the team went to the Final Four in 2017.

It also was the team’s 18^th straight NCAA win at home, improving its all-time tournament record at Maples to 38-4, according to Stanford Athletics.

Now it’s on to the Sweet 16 in the Chicago regional. No. 2-seeded Stanford will face No. 11-seeded Missouri State at 3:30 p.m. March 30. The game will be shown on ESPN2.

Stanford will be on spring break until spring quarter starts April 1. That could pose a bit of a conflict if the team advances to the Elite Eight to face either Notre Dame or Texas A&M on April 1, but worth it for a chance to advance to the Final Four.

Photos by Bob Drebin/ISIPhotos.com

Déjà vu for Davis

Players celebrate as they head to the locker room after the win. (Santiago Mejia / The Chronicle)

When the Stanford women’s basketball team hosted the UC Davis Aggies to open the regular season on Nov. 7, the Cardinal prevailed 71-43.

The result was quite similar on March 23 when 2-seeded Stanford hosted 15-seeded UCD for a first-round game of the NCAA tournament and won 79-54.

Stanford dominated from the start, taking the opening tip and scoring 15 points before Davis got its first basket with 4:05 to go in the first quarter. Freshman guard Lacie Hull started the scoring parade with a three.

By the time the game was over, the Cardinal had swished 10 threes. In addition to Lacie’s one, there were three each from senior forward Alanna Smith and sophomore guard Kiana Williams and one each from junior guard Anna Wilson, sophomore forward Alyssa Jerome and freshman guard Lexie Hull.

Alanna, Kiana and Lacie started the game along with junior guard DiJonai Carrington and sophomore forward Maya Dodson.

Everyone gets to play

All 12 available players got into the game, and only Kiana played 30 minutes.

Alanna led the scoring with 21 points in just 21 minutes. She got the third quarter going by scoring the team’s first nine points.

Two of them came when she stole the ball and streaked to the basket for a layup. That play merited a Play of the Game on the video board.

Alanna goes for a layup. (Santiago Mejia / The Chronicle)

Alanna in distinguished company

According to Stanford Athletics, Alanna joined three legends -- Maya Moore, Breanna Stewart and Elena Delle Donne -- as the only players in the past 20 years with 1,600 points, 200 blocked shots and 150 made 3-pointers. All three have gone on to  success in the WNBA.

Also in double figures were Kiana with 19 and DiJonai with 12.

The Cardinal dominated the Aggies in nearly every category: rebounds, 42-32; assists, 16-6; and steals, 11-5. The team had 12 turnovers to Davis’s 14.

The only area where Davis was better was fouls, 14 to Stanford’s 20, resulting in 15 of 16 free throws to Stanford’s five of nine.

Overall, Stanford shot 49.2 percent, Davis 29.1 percent.

The crowd of 3,456 naturally had a majority of Stanford fans, but Davis had a quite a few, too, many of them coming on a chartered bus.

Also in the crowd were some vocal fans for the earlier Brigham Young-Auburn game, won by BYU 73-64.

Tempie scouts the Brigham Young-Auburn game. (Bob Drebin/ISIPhotos.com)

Coaches scout BYU

During that game, head coach Tara VanDerveer was joined by assistant coaches Tempie Brown and Lindy La Rocque to scout Stanford’s potential next opponent.

Associate head coach Kate Paye was in the lower stands with the players and, like Tara, joined them in going to the locker room shortly before the end of the third quarter.

Seating was somewhat different for these two games. Each band sat in the lower stands across from its team’s bench.

Therefore the Stanford band was in the stands where players’ families usually sit, while the families sat behind the bench.

Stanford will meet BYU at 8 p.m. March 25. The game will be shown on ESPN2.

Players perfect their steps for Big Dance

Confetti rains down on the Pac-12  reigning champions.

After waltzing through and winning the Pac-12 tournament championship in Las Vegas, the Stanford women’s basketball team looks ahead to the NCAA tournament.

Well, the team didn’t exactly waltz, but it did win three games in fairly impressive fashion. 

Thus its AP national ranking rose to No. 6 from No. 7 while Oregon dropped to 7 from 6.

Stanford holds Cal to 28.8 percent shooting

The first win came with a 72-54 victory over cross-bay rival Cal on March 8. While shooting 52.9 percent, the Cardinal held the Bears to 28.8 percent. Cal star Kristine Anigwe was held to, for her, an unusually low 14 points.

Next to fall was Washington, 72-61, on March 9. Washington, the tournament’s No. 11 seed, faced No. 2 seed Stanford after besting No. 6 Utah and No. 3 Oregon State.

The TV announcers said Washington apparently had expected to play two games at best and had packed only two sets of uniforms. Therefore, the team managers had to scramble to launder a set to face Stanford.

Clean uniforms weren’t a problem for the Cardinal, which wore its white uniforms as the higher seed in the first two games, then switched to black road uniforms for the expected game against No. 1 seed Oregon on March 10.

Stanford wins 13^th Pac-12 championship

Otherwise, that game didn’t turn out as seeded. Stanford defeated Oregon 64-57 to cut the nets and take home the championship trophy, its 13^th in 18 years. Oregon had advanced to the final game by defeating UCLA in overtime the previous night.

The Cardinal win helped to erase memories of Stanford’s 40-point loss to Oregon in February and its loss to the Ducks in last year’s championship game.

Most outstanding player Alanna looks up at the score and clock and knows victory is at hand.

Also garnering trophies were senior forward Alanna Smith, who was named the tournament’s most outstanding player; and junior guard DiJonai Carrington, who was named to the all-tournament team.

DiJonai displays her all-tournament team trophy.

As has been the case for most of the season, Alanna, DiJonai and sophomore guard Kiana Williams led the team in scoring.

Defense credited for three-game sweep

And yes, Stanford did outscore its three opponents, but the real key to its success was defense. There’s an old saying that offense sells tickets, but defense wins championships. The Cardinal’s defense was stellar in all three games.

Everyone did well, but some less-heralded players stood out, especially on defense, players like senior center Shannon Coffee, junior guard Anna Wilson and freshman forwards Lacie and Lexie Hull.

They also made some key plays, such as Shannon’s trey near the end of the Cal game to spark the final push to victory.

In the Washington game, sophomore forward Maya Dodson scored a career-high 14 points. She had four blocks against Oregon.

Everyone joins in the celebration and deserves Tara's praise. (That's DiJonai off to the left.)

In her comments after the Oregon game, head coach Tara VanDerveer lavished praise on everyone, including the bench players who don’t get much on-floor time but who are vital in the practice. She lauded associate head coach Kate Paye for her scouting report on Oregon.

NCAA to unveil seedings, bracket March 18

Stanford won’t know its next opponent until the NCAA selection committee announces seedings and the tournament bracket at 4 p.m. March 18 on ESPN. 

Most predictions see Stanford as a No. 2 seed hosting the first two rounds. They would be in Maples on March 23 and 25, according to the Stanford ticket office. 

In the meantime, the team can working on improving even more. The players also can focus on end-of-quarter projects and can study for finals, which are March 18-25. Therefore, finals will be behind them and spring break under way when tournament play begins.

Photos by Stanford Athletics

Team has head of steam heading into tournament

Stanford women’s basketball wrapped up its regular season with a six-game win streak that left it with a 25-4 overall record.

Going 15-3 in Pac-12 play, the Cardinal ranked second in the conference behind Oregon and earned the No. 2 seed in the upcoming conference tournament.

The tournament starts March 7 in Las Vegas. Stanford’s first game is at 6 p.m. March 8 against the winner of the previous day’s Cal-Washington State game. 

Stanford beat WSU twice and split with Cal, losing the first there by one point and winning the second at home by 25 points.

Washington teams fall

Two easy wins marked the end of the season in the Evergreen State. WSU fell 67-42 on March 1, and Washington lost 72-53 on March 3.

Scoring in double figures in both games were senior forward Alanna Smith with 18 against WSU and 12 against Washington, sophomore guard Kiana Williams with 11 and 13, and junior guard DiJonai Carrington with 19 in each. Both games used all available players.

Freshman forward Lexie Hull was named Pac-12 Freshman of the Week after scoring a total of 18 points, nine rebounds, three assists and five steals in the two games.

When she and twin sister Lacie, also a forward, were on the floor at the same time against Washington, the TV announcers didn’t try to distinguish them. Each was one of “the Hull kids.”

Five earn conference honors

More individual honors followed in short order. On March 4, Alanna was named Pac-12 Women’s Basketball Scholar-Athlete of the Year. In addition to her feats on the court, she’s a psychology major with a 3.47 cumulative GPA.

The next day, the Pac-12 announced even more honors: DiJonai, Alanna and Kiana were named to the 15-woman All-Pac-12 squad, and Alanna was named to the All-Defensive team.

Lacie was named to the All-Freshman team and received honorable mention for the Pac-12 All-Defensive team. Lexie received honorable mention for the All-Freshman team.