From Sweet to Elite to sweet … revenge

 

Tara and the team celebrate with a line dance after the Texas win. (Young Kwak/AP)

Texas had dealt Stanford one of its only three losses this season, 61-56 on Nov. 14, taking away some of the joy that followed the home game when the Cardinal players received their 2021 national championship rings.

Stanford got revenge in the Elite Eight by defeating the Longhorns 59-50 in Spokane on March 27 to advance to the Final Four in Minneapolis April 1 and 3.

Maryland game gets tight

This victory followed a 72-66 Sweet 16 win over Maryland on March 25. That  game had appeared headed for a blowout with Stanford enjoying a 26-point lead with less than two minutes to go in the third quarter. 

The players huddle after the Maryland victory. (Stanford Athletics)

This big lead resulted from Stanford's shooting a sizzling 71.4 percent in the first quarter, while holding Maryland to 18.8 percent.

Next came a so-so 33.3 percent in the second quarter and a respectable 50 percent in the third. In the fourth, however, Stanford shot 20 percent while Maryland shot 43.5 percent.

Thus the game turned into a nail biter as Maryland outscored Stanford 30-13 in the last quarter, but it wasn’t quite enough to overcome the previous quarters, giving the Cardinal a victory.

Haley gets things started

Junior guard Haley Jones gave her team a good start by nailing two 3’s in the first three minutes. She finished the game with 17 points and 10 rebounds.

Senior guard Lexie Hull led Stanford with 19 points, while sophomore forward Cameron Brink had 15points and five of the team’s 10 blocks.

Cameron’s production was limited not only by foul trouble (she fouled out in the fourth quarter, as did senior guard Lacie Hull) but also by a shot to the ribs in the second quarter, briefly sending her to the locker room. Therefore, she played only 19 minutes.

Stanford has advantage on the glass

Stanford out-rebounded Maryland 50-32 and had more assists, 15-8. On the other hand, the Cardinal committed 18 turnovers to the Terrapins’ seven. Free throws also were an issue, only 14 of 21.

Maryland also had lost to Stanford 86-68 on Nov. 27 in the Bahamas.

Besides Haley with two, others contributing to the team’s six 3’s were Cameron, Lexie, Lacie and junior guard Hannah Jump with one each.

Since Spokane is the Hulls’ hometown, their Stanford-backing family and friends comprised a sizable contingent of the crowd of 7,142.

Crowd gets bigger for Texas game

The crowd was even larger, 7,739, on March 27 when Stanford downed Texas 59-50.

In this tight contest, the lead changed six times, and the score was tied six times, including 14-14 after the first quarter. Stanford then outscored Texas in the next three quarters.

Haley shoots over a Texas player as Cameron awaits possible rebound. (Young Kwak/AP)

Lexie led the team with 20 points. Haley was close behind with 18 points and 12 rebounds for another double-double.  Cameron rounded out the trio of double-digit scorers with 10 points and six of the team’s 11 blocks.

Free throws make a difference

In a game that saw 24 fouls by Texas and 22 by Stanford, the free-throw line was a huge difference maker. The Cardinal made 18 free throws, the Longhorns 11, a seven-point difference and very close to the margin of victory.

Stingy defense by Texas limited Stanford to just three 3’s: two by Lexie and one by Cameron. It also led to 20 Cardinal turnovers while Texas had 10.

Although Lacie didn’t score, she played all 40 minutes and contributed five rebounds, four assists and two blocks.

The Hulls had the honor of cutting down the nets in Spokane. (Young Kwak/AP)

Hulls cut down the nets

In honor of the Hull twins’ playing in their hometown, head coach Tara VanDerveer asked them to complete the traditional post-game ritual of cutting down the nets.

The team also celebrated with the Electric Slide line dance. According to ESPN, Tara had “proposed a group dance if the team advanced to the Final Four.

“After an individual session with Jones as VanDerveer’s lead teacher among a group that also included  (fifth-year guard) Jordan Hamilton and (freshman forward) Kiki Iriafen, the whole team went through practice after watching film Saturday.”

Also after the game, Haley was named the regional’s most outstanding player. She, Cameron and Lexie were named to the all-tournament team.

Win streak rises to 24 games

This win extended Stanford’s win streak to 24 games, longest in the country. It ended Texas’ second-longest streak at 14 games.

Next up is a trip to Minneapolis for the Final Four to face a No. 2 seed, UConn, at 6:30 p.m. April 1. ESPN will air the game.

In the meantime, the players returned to campus for the start of spring quarter on March 28.

 

Cardinal cruise into Sweet 16

 

Fran dunks against Montana State. (Stanford Athletics)

With finals in the rearview mirror, the No. 1 seeded Stanford women’s basketball team drove to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA tournament by defeating 16-seed Montana State 78-37 on March18 and eight-seed Kansas 91-65 on March 20.

The talk of the Montana State game was not the lopsided victory or the opponent’s scoreless first quarter, 20-0.

No, it was junior forward Fran Belibi’s dunk that followed a block a few minutes into the second quarter. The crowd and Stanford bench went wild, roaring their approval and giving her a prolonged standing ovation as play continued.

Her teammates mob Fran after her dunk. (Scott Strazzante/SF Chronicle)

With a timeout at 4:55 and the score 34-8, the entire team mobbed her as she headed to the bench. At halftime, that was all anyone could talk about.

Fran usually dunks in practices and warmups, but this was the first time in two years that she has done so in a game. She is the only college woman to do so since Brittney Griner and Candace Parker, who both are taller than she.

She finished the game with 12 points to go with 13 rebounds, two blocks and a steal in 15 minutes off the bench.

Fran happy to play in Maples for first time

In an interview after the game, she said how great it was to be playing a tournament game at home for the first time in her years at Stanford.

The Cardinal couldn’t host the first two rounds in 2019 because it conflicted with a women’s gymnastics meet. The 2020 tournament was abruptly canceled because of the onset of the COVID epidemic, and all games in the 2021 tournament took place in a “wubble” in San Antonio for the same reason.

Thus no one except the seniors had played a tournament game at home.

Hannah’s five 3’s lead scoring

Also coming off the bench, junior guard Hannah Jump posted a team-leading 15 points, all from five of the team’s nine 3’s.

The rest came from sixth-year guard Anna Wilson, senior guard Lexie Hull, sophomore guard Jana Van Gytenbeek and fifth-year guard Jordan Hamilton.

Head coach Tara VanDerveer has pledged to donate $10 for every 3-pointer made by every team throughout the tournament to Ukrainian relief, and she has asked others to join her in the effort.

Besides Hannah and Fran, those in double figures were Lexie with 13 and sophomore forward Cameron Brink with 11 plus 11 rebounds, four of the team’s eight blocks and only one foul, a good sign for her.

All 15 players got into the game, and most contributed in some way. All of the starters were on the bench by late in the third quarter. Everyone played at least seven minutes, and no one played more than 21 minutes (Lexie).

Crowd applauds opponent’s first basket

After failing to score in the first quarter, the Bobcats finally got on the scoreboard less than a minute into the second, garnering applause from the reported crowd of 3,648.

Stanford dominated in every statistical category except turnovers, which were too close. The Cardinal had 16 while the Bobcats had 17.

In the earlier game, eight-seed Kansas defeated nine-seed Georgia Tech 77-58.

Kansas seemed to have a good turnout of fans and a very vocal band that frequently and annoyingly chanted “air ball” when Georgia Tech had the ball.

As the Stanford-Montana State game got under way, the Stanford band sat in the bleachers across from the Stanford bench, while the Montana State band was across from the visitors’ bench.

Lexie reacts after making a three against Kansas. (Carlos Avila Gonzalez/SF Chronicle)

Toto, they’re not in Kansas anymore

Stanford allowed Kansas to make a game of it in the first two quarters, both of which ended with the Cardinal ahead by only two points. Kansas never led during those quarters but did manage to tie the score three times.

But Lexie and her teammates would have nothing more of that in the final two quarters, which saw Stanford win by 26 points, 91-65.

In 36 minutes Lexie posted a career-high 36 points plus six rebounds, three assists and – as evidence of her defensive intensity, too – six of the team’s 11 steals.

Lexie makes her last Maples game memorable

When she returned to the bench to join the rest of the starters for good with about four minutes left, the crowd of 4,189 gave her a prolonged, loud, standing ovation. It was a great way for her and her fellow seniors to end their last game at Maples.

As in the Montana State game, all 15 available players saw action, and most contributed in some way.

With yet another double-double, 13 points and 12 rebounds, Cameron was the only other Cardinal in double figures. Moreover, she had four assists, two blocks, two steals and, importantly, no fouls.

After one of her scores, someone in the student section waved a handmade sign, “Hot damn. We love Cam.”

More money for Ukrainian relief

The team added to Tara’s 3-point pledge for Ukrainian relief by hoisting 13 3’s.

Lexie had the most with six; followed by Hannah with three; and Cameron, Anna, senior guard Lacie Hull and freshman guard Brooke Demetre with one each.

The team had 19 assists but too many turnovers, 14, most of them in the first half.

Now it’s on to the Hull sisters’ hometown, Spokane, for a Sweet 16 meeting with four-seed Maryland at 6:30 p.m. March 25.

Stanford beat then-shorthanded Maryland 86-68 Nov. 27 during a Thanksgiving tournament in the Bahamas.

Cardinal players put on their dancing shoes

 

Players and fans watch the selection show. (Stanford Athletics)

As expected, Stanford is a No. 1 seed in the NCAA women’s basketball tournament. As such, it will host the first two rounds.

Entering the tournament for the 36^th time, the Cardinal team will play No. 16 Montana State at 7 p.m. March 18. Assuming Stanford wins, it will face the winner of the 4:30 p.m. game between No. 8 Kansas and No. 9 Georgia Tech on March 20.

Winning then will send the team to Spokane for the Sweet 16 March 25-26 and Elite Eight March 27-28, followed by the Final Four in Minneapolis on April 1 and, if all goes well, the championship game April 3.

The team and fans, including some 100 or so who were at Maples, learned their seeding after a practice March 13.

Players practice their shots

Because a principal aim is to avoid injury, the practice focused on shooting and an offensive review, said head coach Tara VanDerveer.

Shots ranged from free throws and close-ins to 3’s and half-courts, a shot that senior guard Lexie Hull made to loud cheers

Freshmen and sophomores were at the north basket. Juniors and seniors were at the south basket in front of fans in the bleachers.

Redshirt junior guard Jenna Brown was in uniform but didn’t participate except to pass to her teammates. Freshman guard Jzaniya Harriel was a full participant. Neither has played all season.

When the practice ended, the players headed to the locker room to shower and change.

Things changed two years ago

Tara then spoke and answered questions. She noted that everything had shut down exactly two years earlier, March 13, 2020, because of the coronavirus epidemic.

Maples is getting ready for the NCAA games with such changes as a line of courtside tables for press and coaches on the east.

While preparing for the tournament, Tara said, the players will be taking finals, which end March 18.

Carrying takeout food containers, the players took their seats in front of the fans to watch the TV selection show on the video board.

Besides Stanford, the No. 1 seeds are South Carolina, Louisville and North Carolina State.

Pac-12 well represented

The Pac-12 will be represented by Stanford, Arizona, Washington State, Utah, Colorado and Oregon.

As a No. 4 seed, Arizona will face No. 13 UNLV, coached by Lindy La Rocque, ’12. Lindy went there after a stint as an assistant coach at her alma mater.

As the players left to hit the books, they were loudly cheered by the fans.

 

 

Team takes home another trophy from Las Vegas

 

Joyful players punch their ticket to March Madness after the Pac-12 Tournament. (Stanford Athletics)

The Stanford women’s basketball team successfully repeated as the Pac-12 tournament champion by defeating Utah 73-48 on March 6 in Las Vegas.

This accomplishment followed the team’s perfect Pac-12 season.

The team reached the finals of the tournament by defeating Oregon State 57-44 on March 3 and Colorado 71-45 on March 4.

It had been widely expected that Stanford, the No. 1 seed, would face Oregon, the No. 2 seed, in the tournament final, but No. 6 seed Utah had other ideas and upset the Ducks.

Three win all-tournament honors

On top of the team’s tournament championship, three players were honored. Junior guard Haley Jones was named the tournament’s most outstanding player. She, sixth-year guard Anna Wilson and sophomore forward Cameron Brink were named to the all-tournament team.

Here’s how it all unfolded:

Anna fired the opening salvos with two 3-pointers as the team went on to defeat Oregon State 57-44 in the quarter finals March 3.

Those baskets were just the prelude as the team went on to outscore OSU 16-2 in the first quarter. OSU managed to put more points on the board in the next three quarters but not enough to overtake the Cardinal.

Perhaps the most notable statistic in this game is that Stanford had only three turnovers while recording 14 assists.

The team also had eight 3’s, thanks to a total of three by Anna, plus two each by Cameron and senior guard Lexie Hull and one by junior guard Hannah Jump.

Haley drives against an OSU defender. (David Beckeer/AP)

Haley comes alive in second half

After scoring only two points in the first half, Haley asserted herself in the second to wind up with a team-leading 20 points and 14 rebounds. Anna finished with 11, while Cameron had 10.

The players came into the game with heavy hearts following the suicide by women’s soccer team goalie Katie Meyes, a senior, in her dorm room on March 1.

The two teams have backed each other and often attend each other’s games.

In her honor, the players wore soccer T-shirts for warmups and put her initials on athletic tape around their wrists.

Team rides herd on the Buffaloes

Playing Colorado the next day, March 4, the team won fairly handily, defeating the Buffaloes 71-45.

The first quarter was tight, ending with Stanford up 11-10 after several ties and lead changes. Thereafter the score widened, with Stanford outpacing Colorado in the next three quarters.

It was a fairly physical game with 16 fouls called against each team. One pair of fouls followed a heated confrontation between Cameron and Colorado’s Mya Hollingshed.

Cameron gets a Colorado player's hand in the face. (John Locher/AP)

Tempers flare on both sides

They were vying for a rebound under the Colorado basket when it was reported that Cameron inadvertently hit Mya. Mya retaliated by putting her hand on Cameron's face, and Cameron tossed the ball at her. They had to be separated by the referees, and each was assessed a foul, so neither could shoot a free throw.

Nevertheless, the Cardinal capitalized on 10 of 11free throws while the Buffaloes made 11 of 15.

Turnovers abounded with 22 by Colorado and 14 by Stanford.

Once again Haley led the team with 17 points, followed by Cameron with 14 and Anna with 12.

Seven 3’s helped the cause, with two each by Anna and junior forward Ashten Prechtel, along with one each by Cameron, Haley and Lexie.

Given the wide margin of victory, head coach Tara VanDerveer was able to use 14 players.

In turn, they gave the coach her 1,000^th victory in her 36 seasons at Stanford.

Her teammates hoist Anna, who was so instrumental in their success. (Joe Buglewicz/Getty Images)

Tara notches 1,001 wins at the Farm

No. 1,001 came March 6 with the 73-48 championship win over Utah. It also was the team’s 15^th conference championship with Tara at the helm. Following that game she was presented with a game ball to commemorate her milestone.

Stanford jumped out to a 21-11 lead in the first quarter, but Utah rallied to outscore Stanford in the second, but the Cardinal still were ahead 32-30.

The second half was an entirely different story as Stanford stepped on the gas and never looked back.

Minor scares for Lexie, Haley

Still, the third quarter proved somewhat worrisome as Lexie had to retreat to the bench with a bloody nose and Haley rolled her ankle a few minutes later. Both returned to action, though.

With less than 2 minutes to go, Tara cleared the bench, thus giving all available players a chance to participate. Fifth-year guard Jordan Hamilton had played in the first game but was in street clothes for the next two.

Haley led the team with 19 points, followed by Cameron with 16 and Lexie with 15.

Although Utah is noted for 3-point shooting, it was 8-24 from beyond the arc while Stanford was 8-19.

Haley contributed three 3’s, while Lexie and senior forward Lacie Hull had two each, and Hannah had one.

Also notable: the team had 18 assists and only six turnovers.

Players, coach accrue season honors

Besides all the honors received in Las Vegas, the team accrued several season honors.

They were Haley, Player of the Year; Cameron, Defensive Player of the Year; All Pac-12, Cameron, Lexie, Haley; All-Defensive Team, Cameron, Lexie, Anna; and All-Freshmen honorable mention, forward Kiki Iriafen.

On top of that, Tara was named the John R. Wooden Pac-12 Coach of the Year for the 17^th time.

With the Pac-12 Tournament behind them, the players had two weeks before the NCAA Tournament starts. That means more time to focus on classes, which end March 11, and finals, which are March 14 to 18.

By then they’ll know their standing in the NCAA bracket, which will be announced March 13 before games start later that week. Since Stanford is expected to be a No. 1 seed, its first two games would be at home.

Spring quarter begins March 28.

Playing to Pac-perfection

 

The team celebrates with T-shirts, hats and a banner after the Washington game. (Stanford Athletics)

The Stanford women’s basketball team capped off its eighth perfect Pac-12 season and its 25^th conference championship with two close home games.

Defeating Washington State 61-54 on Feb.24 and Washington 63-56 on Feb. 26, the team clinched the No. 1 seed in the upcoming Pac. 12 tournament March 2-6 in Las Vegas.

Before both games, a video featuring head coach Tara VanDerveer and assistant coach Katy Steding paid tribute to WSU’s late head coach, June Daugherty. Tara and Katy knew her well from her stint as an assistant Stanford coach when Katy was a player there. Tara added that they had maintained a friendship after that.

Lexie out of action against WSU

Attended by just over 3,000, the WSU game began minus one of Stanford’s usual starters: Senior guard Lexie Hull was in street clothes. It was reported that she had an injury. Junior guard Hannah Jump replaced her in the starting lineup.

Although Stanford led by 10 or so points throughout the game and outscored WSU in the first three quarters, the visitors tightened it in the fourth quarter by scoring five more points than Stanford, but they weren’t enough to overtake the Cardinal.

On her way to 16 points, Cameron shoots against WSU. (John Hefti/AP)

Sophomore forward Cameron Brink led the team with 16 points and 15 rebounds and four blocks, but she also had five of the team’s 17 turnovers and four of its 13 fouls.

Junior guard Haley Jones also had a double-double with 14 points and 11 rebounds to go with four of the team’s 13 assists.

Three-pointers were hard to come by with two by Hannah and one each by Cameron, senior guard Lacie Hull and sophomore guard Jana Van Gytenbeek for a total of five. WSU had eight, helping to keep the game relatively close.

Washington proves worrisome

Played before the season’s largest home crowd, 3,777, the Washington game was even more worrisome. It began well enough with Lexie back in the starting lineup and Cameron opening the scoring with a 3-pointer.

However, the first quarter ended with Washington up 17-16 and the second quarter with Washington ahead 34-32. Stanford suffered from poor shooting, just under 33 percent versus the Huskies’ 50 percent. Washington also had more rebounds, but Stanford had only two turnovers to the Huskies’ 10.

Lexie brightened the picture in the third quarter by scoring the team’s first seven points, leading to a 47-46 advantage by the quarter’s end.

With just over six minutes to go in the fourth quarter, Washington was up 53-49.

It mainly led by a point until the final 42 seconds, when the score was 56-55 in the visitors’ favor.

Anna drives past a Washington player. (Scot Tucker/AP)

Anna helps to save the day

That’s when sixth-year guard Anna Wilson’s heroics helped to save the day. After stealing the ball, she made one basket and three free throws, putting her team up 60-56.

Cameron helped to cement the win with two defensive rebounds and a free throw, while Haley topped it off with two more free throws.

Cameron finished with 17 points and 11 rebounds plus five of the team’s six blocks, all with only one foul. Lexie had 15 points plus five of Stanford’s 13 steals.

The team had five 3’s: two each by Lexie and Hannah plus Cameron’s one.

Thus the team capped off its perfect Pac-12 season and received championship hats and T-shirts along with a banner. And it gave Tara the 1,150^th win of her career.

From left: Jordan, Lexie, Lacie, Anna and Alyssa on Senior Day. (John Hefti/AP) 

Senior Day celebrated

Next came lots of flowers, hugs, tears and expressions of love and thanks as the team and fans celebrated Senior Day.

The five honorees -- Anna, fifth-year forward Alyssa Jerome, fifth-year guard Jordan Hamilton, Lexie and Lacie – were accompanied by their parents and other relatives as their accomplishments were enumerated.

Each was honored by a teammate: Anna by Jana, Alyssa by junior forward Ashten Prechtel, Jordan by Haley, Lacie by junior forward Fran Belibi, and Lexie by Hannah.

Since this was Anna’s third Senior Day, it was noted that she had played in 152 games and counting.

Jordan was the team’s first graduate transfer, coming from Northwestern.

Tara commented on Alyssa’s basketball acumen and said she’d be a good coach.

Lexie and Lacie are both graduating with bachelor’s and master’s degrees earned in four years while maintaining high grades.

Their mom, Jaime, said that when Tara was visiting the Hulls on a recruiting trip, Jaime asked what she does to promote team bonding. Tara responded, “We win.”

Next up: the Pac-12 tournament

That’s what the team hopes to do as the Pac-12 tournament gets under way in Las Vegas starting March 2. Since Stanford has a bye as the top seed, its first game is at 2:30 p.m. March 3 against either No. 9 Arizona State or No. 8 Oregon State.

Assuming it wins then, it plays at 6 p.m. March 4. The championship game is set for 3 p.m. March 6.

The Pac-12 Network will televise all of the games except the championship, which will be aired by ESPN2.

The complete bracket is on this FBC site.

In the meantime, Lexie was named Pac-12 Scholar-Athlete of the Year on Feb. 28.

 

 

 

 

 

Team has a new trophy and two more wins

 

Happy players and staff with their new Pac-12 trophy. (Stanford Athletics)

The Stanford women’s basketball team has returned from Oregon with two more wins and a shiny new trophy.

With an 87-63 victory over Oregon State on Feb. 18, the team clinched its 25^th conference season championship and received the trophy.

It went on to top Oregon 66-62 on Feb. 20, thus upping its overall record to 23-3 and its Pac-12 record to 14-0.

Depth played a major role in the Oregon State game as all 15 available players got onto the court and 12 scored. Senior guard Jenna Brown and freshman guard Jzaniya Harriel, who haven’t played all season, didn’t make the trip.

Lexie leads with 21 points

Senior guard Lexie Hull led the scoring with 21 points, followed by junior guards Haley Jones and Hannah Jump with 13 each. Haley also had 10 rebounds for a double-double. Junior forward Fran Belibi contributed 10 rebounds plus seven points.

Sophomore forward Cameron Brink, normally one of the team’s best players, had only five points and two rebounds because foul trouble kept her on the bench for all but seven minutes.

Eight 3-pointers helped the cause with three by Hannah, two by Lexie and one each by sixth-year guard Anna Wilson, Haley (a rarity for her) and sophomore guard Jana Van Gytenbeek, returning after an absence due to COVID protocols.

Playing in front of a crowd of just over 5,000, Stanford dominated in all statistical categories, most notably rebounds, 37-29, and assists, 17-9. Free-throw shooting could have been better, only 15 of 23, but the team limited its turnovers to 10.

Although Stanford led after every quarter, the game was relatively tight until the fourth quarter, when the Cardinal scored 27 points to OSU’s 14.

Haley makes an unbelievable shot in the final minutes against Oregon. (Thomas Boyd/AP)

Team comes from behind to beat Oregon

With the arena filled with nearly 9,000 people, the Oregon game was a come-from-behind nail-biter as Stanford had trouble scoring initially and trailed throughout much of the game, sometimes by as many as 11 points. It led for only 84 seconds during the game, AP reported, but the final seconds clinched the game.

It took some late heroics by Haley. For example, in a highlight play, she made a layup while falling and added a free throw to put the Cardinal up 63-60. She wound up with 18 points.

Lexie made some clutch free throws and finished with nine.

Bench players help out

The Cardinal got some key contributions off the bench, especially by freshman forward Kiki Iriafen, whose 11 points made her the only other Cardinal in double figures; and by sophomore guard Agnes Emma-Nnopu, who, among others, played tight defense. She also added one of the team’s three 3’s. The others came from Anna and senior guard Lacie Hull.

Cameron fouled out in the fourth quarter after playing only 19 minutes and adding just eight points and three rebounds.

Stanford wraps up its regular season by hosting Washington State at 8 p.m. Feb. 24 and Washington at noon Feb. 26, Senior Day. Pac-12 Network will carry both games.

 

 

Team maintains Pac-12 perfection with 3 more wins

Hannah shoots against OSU on her way to 19 points. (Tony Avelar/AP)

 

Chalk up three more wins for the Stanford women’s basketball team.

The first came Feb. 9, when Oregon State fell 82-59.

The second was Feb. 11, when the team beat Utah 91-64. The third was Feb. 13, when the team prevailed over Colorado 63-46. All three games were at home.

These wins raised the team’s overall record to 21-3 and its Pac-12 record to 12-0.

Haley,  Hannah, Agnes return

Among the noteworthy aspects of the Oregon State game is that junior guards Haley Jones and Hannah Jump along with sophomore guard Agnes Emma-Nnopu returned after missing the two SoCal games the previous weekend.

On the other hand, sophomore guard Jana Van Gytenbeek, who had filled in so well for Hannah, was absent. COVID protocols were blamed for all of the absences.

COVID protocols also led to the OSU game being rescheduled to Feb. 9 after issues with the Beavers.

Balanced scoring makes a difference

Another noteworthy aspect of the OSU game was balanced scoring. Five players were in double figures: Hannah with 19, junior forward Fran Belibi with 16, sophomore forward Cameron Brink with 12, senior guard Lexie Hull with 11 and freshman forward Kiki Iriafen with 10.

This was accomplished with only six turnovers, compared with 17 for Oregon State. Then there were the 39 rebounds, 15 assists, four blocks and 11 steals (a career-high four by sixth-year guard Anna Wilson). Twelve of 13 free throws were nice, too.

Except for the first quarter, when Oregon State was up 25-22, Stanford dominated throughout the game.

Everyone plays

All 14 available players got into the game, and no one played more than 29 minutes (Lexie).

Three players launched a total of eight 3’s with five by Hannah, two by senior guard Lacie Hull and one by Lexie.

Even though the game was played on a Wednesday afternoon, the official attendance was 2,354.

Lacie looks to pass against Utah. (John Heft/AP)

Six in double figures against Utah

Defeating Utah 91-64 on Feb. 11, the Cardinal unleashed another balanced attack with six players in double figures.

They included all five starters – Lexie and Haley with 15 points each, Anna with 11 and Cameron and Lacie with 10 each for a total of 61 points.

In addition, Fran had 10 off  the bench, and Hannah was close behind with nine.

The 27-point margin of victory exceeded the Jan. 16 game at Utah, when Stanford prevailed by 10 points, 83-73.

Utah is known for its 3-point prowess but in the current game it had only eight treys while Stanford had 10.

Hannah and Lexie had three each; Lacie had two, and Anna and junior forward Ashten Prechtel one each.

Thirteen players saw action, and all contributed. Jana was still absent.

Real people sing anthem

For the first time since COVID shut everything down some two years ago, the national anthem was sung by real people: young girls from Canyon Heights Academy in Campbell.

The vocal crowd of 3,044 included players from the women’s soccer team plus the band and cheerleaders but no Tree or Dollies.

Because February is Heart Health Month, tips and information about heart health were interspersed throughout the game. Cardiac and vascular health faculty and staff were special guests.

The first quarter was tight, ending 19-17. The gap widened in the second quarter when Stanford scored 22 and Utah had 14, making the total score 41-31. 

The third quarter ended 67-50. With about four minutes left in the fourth quarter and the score 85-55, Lexie was the only starter on the court, and she left about a minute later.

Defense limits Utah

Stanford’s defense often kept Utah bottled up. Hence Stanford had 11 steals (three each by Anna and Fran) to Utah’s five. It had seven blocks (six by Cameron) while Utah had none.

The turnover gap was similarly skewed in Stanford’s favor with 12 by the home team and 20 by the visitors.

Utah had an advantage only in fouls and free throws. Stanford had 19 fouls, Utah 17, but Utah made 16 free throws, Stanford seven.

Anna drives against Colorado. (John Hefti/AP)

Stanford overcomes halftime deficit to defeat Colorado

The Colorado game was a rough-and-tumble affair that saw the Cardinal heading into the locker room in uncharacteristic fashion, trailing 29-30.

Things seesawed in the third quarter, but Stanford finally pulled ahead with just under four minutes left and never looked back, ending that period 43-35, thus holding Colorado to only five points.

Stanford then outscored Colorado in the fourth to clinch the 63-46 victory, much to the delight of the crowd of 3,038.

Four in double figures

Four Cardinal players were in double figures with 14 by Lexie, 11 by Cameron (plus 11 rebounds for a double-double) and 10 each by Anna and Haley.

The team’s six 3’s came courtesy of Lexie with three, Hannah with two and Lacie with one.

Thirteen players got into the game (Jana was still absent).

Colorado had 17 fouls, Stanford 15, but the crowd was audibly unhappy with some calls.

Both teams had 39 rebounds, but Stanford had 10 assists (five by Anna) and 13 turnovers, while Colorado had six assists and 21 turnovers.

Cardinal defense led to nine blocks vs. four by the visitors and to 12 steals (six by Lexie) vs. nine by Colorado.

On Jan. 14 at Colorado, Stanford won 60-52.

Next up: The Cardinal head north for rematches with Oregon State at 7 p.m. Feb. 18 and Oregon at 1 p.m. Feb. 20. Pac-12 Network will televise the OSU game. ESPN2 will carry the Oregon game.

 

 

 

  

Team racks up two more wins during SoCal visit

 

On her way to 20 points, Fran goes for a layup against UCLA. (Marcio Jose Sanchez/AP)

Making its annual trek south, the Stanford women’s basketball team returned home with two more wins: 76-48 over UCLA on Feb. 3 and 83-57 over USC on Feb. 6.

These victories upped the team’s season record to 18-3 and a Pac-12 best of 9-0.

The UCLA win came without the services of two of the team’s top scorers: junior guards Haley Jones and Hannah Jump. Haley, along with sophomore guard Agnes Emma-Nnopu, was absent in accord with health and safety (COVID) protocols, the Associated Press reported.

Hannah was in uniform but didn’t play after missing the previous two games for the protocols and not having had two practices as required by Stanford. The same was true of freshman guard Elena Bosgana.

Fran starts, leads team in scoring, rebounding

Junior forward Fran Belibi replaced Haley in the starting lineup and proceeded to lead the team with a double-double of 20 points and 13 rebounds in 27 minutes.

Also in the double-double category was senior guard Lexie Hull with 14 points and 10 rebounds. Sophomore forward Cameron Brink posted 17 points and eight rebounds.

The bulk of Lexie’s scoring came by making four of the team’s 11 3’s. Joining her from long range were senior guard Lacie Hull and sophomore guard Jana Van Gytenbeek with two each; and Cameron, junior forward Ashten Prechtel and freshman guard Brooke Demetre with one each.

Starters steal the ball

The team had five steals, with each of them coming from a starter: Fran, Cameron, sixth-year guard Anna Wilson, Lacie and Lexie.

Also notable were 20 assists (seven by Lacie) with only eight turnovers plus five blocks, two of them by Cameron.

Vanessa Nygaard, new coach of the Phoenix Mercury, joins Tara at UCLA. (Stanford Athletics)

With the game comfortably in hand, head coach Tara VanDerveer cleared the bench, giving valuable playing time to those players. 

One of those cheering for the team and visiting with Tara was distinguished alum Vanessa Nygaard, '98, recently named head coach of the WNBA's Phoenix Mercury.

Lexie (12) and Cameron go on defense against USC. (Ringo H.W. Chiu/AP)

Everyone gets in on the win at USC

The same was true in the USC game when everyone who was available got to play.

Those players included Hannah and Elena, who had missed the UCLA game. Haley and Agnes were still out.

Stanford led the entire way as Cameron scored 26 points, snared 14 rebounds and added three assists, three blocks and a steal.

Another Pac-12 honor for Cameron

After her weekend performance,Cameron was named Pac-12 Player of the Week for the second straight week and the fourth time this season.

Back in action, Hannah goes on defense against USC.  (Ringo H.W. Chiu/AP)

In her return, Hannah was the only other Cardinal in double figures, 12 points, all of them coming on four 3’s in the third quarter.

Also accounting for the team’s 10 treys were Lacie and Brooke with two each and Cameron and Ashten with one each.

As evidence of the team’s balance, even though only Cameron and Hannah posted double figures, Fran, Lexie and Lacie were close behind with nine points each.

Rebounds abound

Stanford dominated the boards with 48 rebounds vs. USC’s 34. The team had 22 assists (seven by Anna) and 15 turnovers.

Next up is a rescheduled home game, Oregon State, at 2 p.m. Feb. 9.

Two more home games will follow: Utah at 7 p.m. Feb. 11 and Colorado at noon Feb. 13. The Pac-12 Network will televise all three games.