Team splits with SoCal opponents

 

Cameron makes one of her seven blocks against UCLA. (Jae C. Hong/AP)

After winning the first of two games on its SoCal trip, 72-59 over UCLA on Jan. 13, the Stanford women’s basketball team came back to earth with a thud, losing 46-55 to USC on Jan. 15.

Attended by 2,418, this game marked the team’s lowest point total since 2016, Stanford Athletics reported. The loss knocked Stanford down to AP’s  No. 4 from the No. 2 ranking it had held since the start of the season. 

Moreover, its 4 points in the first quarter were the fewest for any quarter this season. The loss ended the team’s 39-game winning streak over Pac-12 teams, and it ended USC’s 14-game losing streak to Stanford, AP reported. 

Junior forward Cameron Brink was the only Cardinal player in double figures with 11 points to go with a team-leading 14 rebounds. 

Freshman guard Talana Lepolo had 9 points, followed by senior guard Haley Jones with 8 points plus 12 rebounds. 

Treys were hard to come by with only four: one each by Talana, sophomore  forward Brooke Demetre, junior guard Agnes Emma-Nnopu and senior forward Ashten Prechtel. 

Closely covered senior guard Hannah Jump came up empty-handed, missing all five of her field goal attempts, including three beyond the arc, and scoring her only point on a free throw. 

Thirteen players got into the game, and nine scored. The bench added 13 points. 

Stanford never led. Some stats were close, but the most glaring difference came at the free-throw line, where USC logged 17 points to Stanford’s 8. Closely related numbers came with fouls: 23 for Stanford, nine for USC. Likewise, Stanford had 14 turnovers to USC’s seven. 

It wasn’t pretty.

UCLA gives team a tough victory

Stanford had started its SoCal trip with a tough 72-59 win over No. 8-ranked UCLA on Jan. 13 before a crowd of 6,855. 

The first three quarters might have had fans wondering if Friday the 13^th bad luck might be hitting the team, but the fourth quarter changed all that as the Cardinal outscored the Bruins 21-10 in that period. 

Prior to that, the first quarter ended with Stanford up 18-17. The first half ended in a tie, 32-32, and Stanford held a narrow lead, 51-49, after the third. 

The fourth-quarter difference might be credited to two players: Cameron had six of her seven blocks then, and Agnes came in to provide stellar defense along with 9 points (including one 3 and 4-4 at the free-throw line), along with a rebound and a steal all in just 10 minutes. 

For the game, Haley was the leading scorer with 16 points and 12 rebounds. Cameron had another double-double with 12 points and 11 rebounds. 

Besides the trey from Agnes, the team benefitted from two 3’s each by Hannah and Talana, while Ashten and sophomore guard Elena Bosgana each had one. 

It was a tight game overall with 10 lead changes and seven ties. In the fourth quarter, though, Stanford held UCLA scoreless until less than two minutes to go. 

Thirteen players got into the game, and 10 scored. The bench had 19 points. 

Stanford had the most rebounds, 48-31, and the most points in the paint, 32-18, in part because of Cameron’s blocks. 

It was the team’s 39^th consecutive victory over a Pac-12 opponent. 

The team stays home for the next two games: Utah at 6 p.m. Jan. 20 and Colorado at 2 p.m. Jan. 22. Pac-12 Networks will air both games.

 

 

 

 

 

Cardinal survive Bear scare

 

Cameron tallies one of her three blocks against Cal. (Don Feria/Special to SF Chronicle)

Playing Cal for the second time since Dec. 23, this time at Cal, the Stanford women’s basketball team eked out a 60-56 win on Jan. 8.

The game was tight throughout as the lead bounced back and forth. Cal’s largest lead was 5 points in the third quarter. Stanford was up by 7 in the second quarter.

Stanford had only four 3-pointers, with two by senior guard Hannah Jump and one each by junior forward Cameron Brink and freshman guard Talana Lepolo.

Talana’s 3 opened the scoring, and Stanford held Cal scoreless until just after five minutes had elapsed, but by quarter’s end, the score was 13-12 in Stanford's favor.

The score was tied 26-26 at the half, and Stanford was ahead 47-43 after the third quarter.

Apparently because of Cal’s tight defense, Stanford recorded its lowest point total this season and shot only 32.3 percent.

However, improved free-throw shooting helped to preserve the win as the team made 16 of 19, or 84.2 percent.

Cameron was the game’s star, logging 25 points, 17 rebounds and three blocks with three fouls in 29 minutes. For her effort, she was named Pac-12 Player of the Week for the third time this season and sixth time in her career.

Senior guard Haley Jones was the only other Cardinal in double figures with 12 points plus 11 rebounds, four assists and a block.

They accounted for more than half the team’s scoring with only 9 points from the bench.

Twelve players got in, but only nine scored. Everyone was available, including junior guard Agnes Emma-Nnopu, who had missed the previous two games with an injury.

As the game clock ticked down to 14 seconds and Stanford ahead 58-56, Cameron secured a rebound. With five seconds to go, sophomore forward Brooke Demetre was deliberately fouled. She stepped to the free-throw line and sank both shots, thus icing the game at 60-56.

Among the 3,442 people at the game were Golden State Warriors star Stephan Curry and his mother, who is Cameron’s godmother. She and Cameron's mother were college roommates.

Stanford is back in session for the winter quarter. Up next for the Cardinal is a trip to Southern California to face UCLA at 8 p.m. Jan. 13 and USC at 2 p.m. Jan. 15. Pac-12 Networks will show both games.

 

 

 

Arizona teams come calling, leave with losses

 

Fran awaits a rebound against Arizona. (Tony Avelar/AP)

The No. 2- ranked Stanford women’s basketball team bookended the switch from 2022 to 2023 with two wins: 101-69 over Arizona State on Dec. 31 and 73-57 over No. 15 Arizona on Jan. 2, both at home.

Junior guard Agnes Emma-Nnopu wasn’t available for either game, but everyone else was.

With attendance at 3,824, the Arizona game started inauspiciously with five turnovers in just under four minutes. The visitors already had 6 points before senior guard Hannah Jump broke the ice with a 3-pointer. She ended the game with four, while freshman guard Talana Lepolo had one.

Slightly more than five minutes had elapsed when the score was tied 6-6. The Cardinal took their first lead, 10-9, at the 3:21 mark and ended the quarter ahead 19-15. The team then was ahead the rest of the way to seal the deal.

Haley leads the way despite four fouls

Senior guard Haley Jones was the high scorer with a double-double of 18 points and 13 rebounds. She played 38 minutes despite picking up two fouls in the first quarter and finishing with four.

Coming off the bench, senior forward Fran Belibi, who has been limited by an injury, had her best game of the season with her own double-double: 14 points and 10 rebounds. She did so despite a nasty fall that sent her to the locker room late in the third quarter, but she returned to action in the fourth.

Hannah with 13 points and junior forward Cameron Brink with 12 rounded out the quartet in double figures.

The Wildcats had 26 fouls, compared with 15 by the Cardinal, but Stanford shot only 58.8 percent at the free-throw line, leading to 20 of a possible 34 points. Stanford also had 17 turnovers, while Arizona had 12. On the other hand, Stanford had more rebounds, 53-35, and more assists, 12-6.

Katy, Britney, Tara speak after the game

During the Behind the Bench after the game, assistant coach Katy Steding commented, “This was a great game. … We started out a little shaky.”

She was joined by assistant coach Britney Anderson and later by head coach Tara VanDerveer.

“It wasn’t a beautiful offense tonight,” Tara said, but “I’m really excited about this team.”

She likens it to an orchestra which might have different soloists every night, but in the end, everyone plays together. She praised the players, including those who serve as the scout team even though they might not get much playing time.

Cameron celebrates her 21st birthday with double-double against ASU. (Stephan Lam/SF Chronicle)

Hannah’s 3-pointers help to beat ASU

In the New Year’s Eve 101-69 victory over Arizona State, Hannah got the party started by launching a successful 3-pointer, the first of six she made that night, leading to a team-topping 20 points.

Adding to the 3-point total of nine, Talana had two, and sophomore forward Brooke Demetre had one.

Besides Hannah, four other players were in double figures: Cameron with 17 points plus 14 of the team’s 47 rebounds, Haley with 16, and Talana and freshman center Lauren Betts with 10 each. Cameron’s double-double was a great way to celebrate her 21^st birthday.

Overall, it was a dominating performance by the home team, which led from start to finish.

One footnote is that ASU had only nine available players while Stanford had 14 with 12 seeing action. Hence, the bench added 32 points, exactly the margin of victory.

Attendance was reported at 2,810 despite a storm that caused flooding, downed trees and traffic accidents. Add to that the possibility of drunken drivers, and some fans, including me, opted to stay home and watch the game on TV.

Up next for the Cardinal is a trip to Cal at 4 p.m. Jan. 8, the day before winter quarter starts. Pac-12 Networks will air the game. Tara said after the Arizona game that she expects everyone to be available.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pac-12 play begins with win over Cal

 

Haley keeps an eye on the action. (Godofredo A. Vasquez/AP)

The Stanford women’s basketball team started its Pac-12 schedule by beating Cal 90-69 on Dec. 23 in a home game attended by 3,970.

Sophomore forward Kiki scored first with two free throws. A subsequent 3 by Cal gave the visitors their biggest and only lead less than a minute into the first quarter.

By the time just over four minutes had elapsed, senior guard Haley Jones already had 8 points. By the end of that quarter, she had 12 points on her way to a team- and game-leading 21 points. Her 10 rebounds led both teams, too. 

Hannah gets back in the 3-point groove

Regaining her 3-point prowess, senior guard Hannah Jump launched five treys plus two free throws, leading to 17 points. Junior forward Cameron Brink also was in double figures with 11. Close behind with 9 each were Kiki, freshman center Lauren Betts and sophomore guard Elena Bosgana.

Besides the five 3’s from Hannah, Cameron and Elena also scored from beyond the arc to give the team seven total.

Unlike some previous games, the bench made a significant contribution with 26 points. All 15 players saw action.

Stanford dominated in the paint with 56 points, compared with Cal’s 24. The team out-rebounded Cal 48-25 and led in every quarter.

Among the people there was the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, a Division III team that had defeated UC Santa Cruz 61-60 Dec. 20.

Starting the Behind the Bench, associate head coach Kate Paye said the Cal game “was a great win for our team.”

Players make holiday plans

With her were Cameron and junior guard Agnes Emma-Nnopu. Cameron said that she and her mother, who was at the game, were flying home to Oregon for the holiday. Agnes, who is Australian, said she was going to fly to Los Angeles to meet relatives for a family Christmas.

Joining Kate, head coach Tara VanDerveer said, “we have some spectacular young players.” She noted that her mother, Rita, who lives in Colorado, was at the game along with Tara’s brother.

The team’s Greek players, Elena and freshman guard Stavi Papadaki, were going to Sacramento to spend the holiday with Stavi’s parents, who were visiting from Greece.

Since seven players are Californians, they’re likely to get home with no problem. Given the horrible weather affecting the rest of the country and disrupting travel, getting home might be harder for the four from east of the Sierra.

The team has a four-day break before returning Dec. 28 to prepare for Arizona State at 6 p.m. Dec. 31 and Arizona at 11:30 a.m. Jan. 2, both at home. Pac-12 will show the first game, Pac-12 Networks the second.

 

 

 

Non-conference schedule ends with wins over Tennessee, Creighton

 

Talana brings the ball upcourt during her 17-point game against Creighton. (Jeff Chiu/AP)

Wrapping up its nonconference schedule, the No. 2-ranked Stanford women’s basketball team defeated Tennessee 77-70 on Dec. 18 and No. 21 Creighton 72-59 on Dec. 20, both at home.

In the Creighton game, attended by 2,988, the team unveiled another secret weapon: freshman guard Talana Lepolo. Fans have known Talana as an efficient point guard, making many assists with few turnovers. Shooting seemed secondary, but not in this game. Instead, she let fly five successful 3’s and made another basket to lead the team with 17 points in 32 minutes.

When the final buzzer sounded and the team gathered at center court to celebrate, her teammates hugged Talana and hoisted her. It was a happy moment before the victory balls went out.

Defenses will have to reckon with Talana

Now, instead of focusing so much on senior guard Hannah Jump, as teams have done recently, they’ll have to keep a close watch on Talana.

Senior guard Haley Jones was right behind Talana with 16 points. Junior forward Cameron Brink came next with 14 points and a team-leading 16 rebounds.

Sophomore forward Kiki Iriafen was the other Cardinal in double figures with 11 points. The usually prolific Hannah had an off night with 4points and went 0-5 from beyond the arc.

The team had a total of seven 3’s: five by Talana and one each by Haley and sophomore guard Elena Bosgana.

Trees grab most rebounds

Stanford doubled Creighton in rebounds, 50-25, perhaps because Creighton’s tallest starter is only 6’1” while four of five Stanford starters are 6’0” or taller.

However, the team had 15 turnovers and shot only 58.3% at the free-throw line.

The five starters carried the scoring load with only 10 points from the bench.

The first quarter ended 27-10 with no fouls and five 3’s already. The team was outscored by 3 in the second quarter and 7 in the fourth after prevailing 14-8 in the third. That’s when it had it largest lead, 22 points, with less than two minutes to go.

Kiki provided a fourth quarter highlight by scoring on an out-of-bounds play with only one second on the clock.

Cameron battles for one of her 17 rebounds against Tennessee. (Carlos Avila Gonzalez/SF Chronicle)

Cardinal top the team from Rocky Top

Showing some rust after a two-week break for finals, the team came from behind to defeat Tennessee 77-70 on Dec. 18.

In a Maples filled with 4,480 people, several dozen of them in gold, the afternoon began with the season’s first live rendition of the national anthem, sung thrillingly by Stanford’s Dr. Steven Goodman,  an operatic tenor and Stanford associate dean of clinical and translational research and professor of epidemiology and population health, and medicine.

Another reason to cheer came a few minutes later when it was announced that WNBA star Brittney Griner had been released from a Russian penal colony and returned to the United States, where she plans to play for her team, the Phoenix Mercury, when the season starts.

Tennessee scored first, but Haley answered immediately by making a basket after a nice fake.

Also during the first quarter, the Lady Vols were assessed an administrative technical when the roster it submitted didn’t include the number of a player who took the court. Hannah then stood alone at the free-throw line and made both shots.

Conga on the Court returns

The first quarter ended with a 20-17 advantage for Stanford. That’s when Conga on the Court for kids was seen for the first time since the pandemic began in 2020.

The second quarter was tied, 35-35. During that quarter, the new football coach, Troy Taylor, was introduced, along with his wife and three children.

During halftime, players and staff from Stanford’s 1992 national championship team were recognized as they celebrated the 30^th anniversary of their accomplishment.

In the first few minutes of the third quarter, the score seesawed before Stanford endured a scoring drought that had it down by as many as 8 points. Cameron cut the gap to 5 points by launching a trey in the last few seconds, making the score 53-58 when the buzzer sounded.

The Cardinal rallied in the fourth quarter, scoring 24 points to Tennessee’s 12. Hannah made a 3 in the final seconds, sending the crowd into a frenzy and upping the final score to 77-70.

Rust shows up at free-throw line

Some of the team’s rust was apparent at the free-throw line, when only 18 of 30, or 60 percent, of the shots went in.

Turnovers were another problem with 14, compared with five for the visitors. Even 3’s were below the team’s usual output with only five: three by Hannah and one each by Cameron and senior forward Ashten Prechtel.

On the other hand, Stanford had the advantage in rebounds, 53-38, and blocks, 10-0. Cameron contributed six of them despite playing only 26 minutes with foul trouble.

She made the most of that time by leading the team with 21 points and 17 rebounds. As a result, she was named Pac-12 Player of the Week.

Starters do most of the heavy lifting

Two other starters carried much of the rest of the scoring load and playing time. Hannah played all 40 minutes and had 19 points, with some from nifty back-door cuts. Playing 37 minutes, Haley also had 19 points as well as 12 rebounds.

Belying what has been vaunted as the team’s depth, the six bench players who got into the game added only 6 points.

Tennessee’s tight defense, especially on the perimeter, was a problem. Stanford compensated by scoring 42 points in the paint.

“We gutted it out” even though it wasn’t the team’s best game, associate head coach Kate Paye said during the post-game Behind the Bench.

Fans meet ’92 championship team

This session gave fans a chance to meet members and staff of the ’92 team and hear briefly from each one.

Kate was a freshman walk-on for that team. “It was like a dream come true,” she said.

Tara VanDerveer was its head coach then as now, and the now-retired Amy Tucker was on the coaching staff.

Besides Kate, the team included Niki Sevillian, Tanda Rucker, Molly Goodenbour, Angela Taylor, Chris MacMurdo, Ann Adkins, Kelly Dougherty, Rachel Hemmer, Val Whiting, Anita Kaplan, Christy Hedgpeth and Bobbie Kelsey, who later became an assistant coach on Tara’s staff.

Next up is the start of the Pac-12 season with Stanford hosting Cal at noon Dec. 23. Pac-12 Networks will televise the game. 

  

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Brooke leads the way against Gonzaga

 

Ready for an interview, Brooke is with senior forward Fran Belibi and Haley. (Stanford Athletics)

Continuing its winning ways, the Stanford women’s basketball team upped its season record to 10-1 by defeating Gonzaga 84-63 before a crowd of 3,731 people Dec. 4 in Maples.

This win might come with an asterisk, though. Depleted by injury and illness, Gonzaga had only seven available players while Stanford had all 15 and used 13.

There was lots of credit to go around. Twelve players scored with four in double figures. They were led by sophomore forward Brooke Demetre with 17 points, 15 of them from five 3’s. She had three in a row in the second quarter.

“Brooke had an awesome day today,” associate head coach Kate Paye said during the Behind the Bench that followed the game.

Junior forward Cameron Brink and senior guard Hannah Jump had 14 points each, while senior guard Haley Jones had 12. Cameron also had a team-leading 16 rebounds for a double-double.

Team launches 15 3’s

In addition to Brooke’s five 3’s, Hannah had four. Six other players had one each: Cameron, Haley, freshman guard Talana Lepolo, junior guard Agnes Emma-Nnopu, senior forward Ashten Prechtel and redshirt freshman guard Jzaniya Harriel, giving the team a total of 15.

Gonzaga kept the score close in the first quarter, which ended 19-18 in Stanford’s favor. After that Stanford outscored Gonzaga in the next three quarters.

The starting lineup remained the same as it has been in previous games with Cameron, Hannah, Haley, Talana and sophomore forward Kiki Iriafen. Bench players tallied almost half of the final score with 39 points.

Also during the Behind the Bench Kate said of Gonzaga, “Every time we play them we improve.”

Elena joins Kate at the Behind the Bench

With her was the team’s first European player, sophomore guard Elena Bosgana, who’s from Greece. She has played on the Greek national team.

“She’s just scratching the surface” of what she can do, Kate said.

Elena had never been to the United States when she decided to go to Stanford and had never seen it in person until arriving from the airport for her freshman year.

She conceded she gets homesick, but she’s pleased that another Greek, freshman guard Stavi Papadaki, has joined the team, so they can converse in their native language.

Because it was her birthday, the crowd sang “Happy Birthday” to her as she blushed.

Tara comments on game

Taking the microphone, head coach Tara VanDerveer began by saying, “This was a very good game for us.” Later she said, “This is a work in progress.”

Gonzaga guard Kaylynne Truong had 20 points in the first half, teaching younger Stanford guards a lesson, Tara said. Stanford’s changed its defensive strategy and allowed her to score only 2 in the second half.

Like Kate, Tara praised Brooke, calling her the team’s secret weapon.

Looking ahead to the Tennessee game at home at noon Dec. 18, Tara said, “We will get their A game,” although the Lady Volunteers recently lost to Gonzaga, which had more players for that game.

The Tennessee game will be nationally televised by ABC at noon Dec. 18. After that, Pac-12 Bay Area will show the Creighton game at 7 p.m. Dec. 20. Pac-12 Networks will broadcast the Cal game at noon Dec. 23 to open Pac-12 competition. All three games will be played in Maples.

Before then, the team has time off for finals, which end Dec. 16.

 

Cardinal rack up four more wins

 

Fran drives on her way to 12 points  against Santa Clara. (Tony Avelar  for the SF Chronicle)

Returning home from three wins in three days over the Thanksgiving weekend in Hawaii, the Stanford women’s basketball team upped its season record to 9-1 by defeating Santa Clara 82-69 at home on Nov. 30.

Starters remained the same: Junior forward Cameron Brink, senior guards Hannah Jump and Haley Jones, sophomore forward Kiki Iriafen and freshman guard Talana Lepolo.

They logged the most minutes and the most points. The bench added only 18 points, 12 of them coming from senior forward Fran Belibi, who had three consecutive put-backs in the second quarter. She also had eight rebounds in only 13 minutes.

Four starters in double figures

Except for Talana, who nevertheless had a team-high six assists, all of the starters were in double figures. Hannah had 19 points, Kiki 16 (11 in the first quarter alone), Haley 14 and Cameron 12 despite playing only 19 minutes because of foul trouble.

The team had only six 3’s, four of them from Hannah, with one each from Cameron and Talana.

On the other hand, Santa Clara’s 13 3’s kept the score tight.

During halftime, a video featured individual players saying what they stand for and why, such as love, kindness, mental health and the like. They were part of Stanford Athletics’ Stand For campaign meant to offset the negativity that pervades much of the country.

This win marked the 1,166^th in head coach Tara VanDerveer’s career.

The players dressed up for Thanksgiving dinner. (Stanford Athletics)

Team adds to win total in Hawaii

Competition in Honolulu began with a 93-69 defeat of Florida Gulf Coast on Nov. 25, followed by an 87-50 victory over Grambling (of Louisiana) on Nov. 26 and ending with a 68-39 win over Hawaii on Nov. 27.

Thus the team returned home with another trophy to add to the program’s collection. Moreover, Haley was named the tournament’s most valuable player, and Cameron was named to the all-tournament team.

Haley took scoring honors against Florida Gulf Coast with 24 points to go with 14 rebounds. Kiki had 16, and Cameron had 13.

Hannah was the high scorer against Grambling with 19 points, aided by five 3’s.  Freshman center Lauren Betts and sophomore guard Elena Bosgana had 11 points each.

Yet another player led the way against Hawaii as senior forward Ashten Prechtel contributed 17 points, thanks in large part to a career-best five 3’s. She also snared 11 rebounds. Cameron had 15 points, while Haley had 11.

The Hawaii outcome, 68-39, marked the team’s lowest scoring output to date in this season, but the team also allowed the fewest points so far this season.

In addition to their usual uniforms and everyday wear, the players packed dressier duds for Thanksgiving dinner at their hotel and bathing suits for fun in the sun at the beach.

Next up for the Cardinal is Gonzaga at noon Dec. 4 at Maples. Fans are asked to donate unopened toys to be collected by the Good Tidings Foundation charity supported by the team. Pac-12 Bay Area will televise the game.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Overcome in overtime

A determined Haley drives to the basket through a pair of defenders.

After breezing to five easy wins to start the season, the No. 2 Stanford women’s basketball team faced its first big test and faltered. No. 1 South Carolina prevailed 76-71 in overtime Nov. 20 at Maples.

Stanford had the edge for most of the nationally televised game, leading 21-11 after the first quarter, 35-31 at the half and 54-44 after the third quarter before South Carolina tied the score 61-61 at the fourth quarter buzzer.

The overtime score seesawed until the final few seconds when, as the SF Chronicle put it the next day, “Errors cost Cardinal.”

With 10 seconds left and Stanford trailing 71-73, senior guard Haley Jones failed to inbound the ball in time, giving possession to South Carolina.

With the clock showing 3.1 seconds, Stanford secured the ball in front of the opponent’s bench. Sophomore forward Kiki Iriafen called a timeout to advance to ball to home court, but there were no timeouts left. Kiki was called for a technical, and South Carolina was able to score three more points to ice the win.

“This was a game that could have gone either way,” associate head coach Kate Paye said afterward during the season’s first Behind the Bench.

Large crowd backs home team

Maples was packed with a reported crowd of 7,287 that lent vocal support to the home team throughout the game.

The starting lineup featured Haley, Kiki, junior forward Cameron Brink, senior guard Hannah Jump and freshman guard Talana Lepolo, who served as point guard.

Unlike previous games, the bulk of minutes went to the starters, with Hannah and Haley each logging 44 minutes. Talana was close behind with 41.

Of the six bench players who got in, only senior guard Ashten Prechtel had double-digit minutes with 32. Moreover, the bench added only 9 points, while South Carolina’s bench had 34.

Cameron is closely guarded by South Carolina's Aliyah Boston.

Cameron leads everyone in scoring

Despite foul trouble that limited her to 24 minutes (she fouled out in overtime), Cameron led both teams in scoring with 25 points. Kiki and Hannah were her only other teammates in double figures, each with 11.

Stanford had only six 3’s, in part because South Carolina guard Zia Cooke stuck to  sharp-shooting Hannah like Velcro throughout the game. Thus, Hannah had only two 3’s. Cameron also had two 3’s. Talana and Ashten added the other two.

Stanford had 47 rebounds to the Gamecocks’ 41, and had 15 assists to the opponent’s nine. Stanford led in blocks, 10-7, including five from Ashten, four from Cameron and one from Haley.

On the other hand, turnovers were costly with Stanford committing 22 to South Carolina’s 11.

Free-throw shooting also favored South Carolina, who made 15 to Stanford’s 11 – a 4-point difference that might have affected the final outcome.

Grads join the crowd

The crowd included 2022 SWBB alumnae Lexie and Lacie Hull and Alyssa Jerome, who were shown during the game and introduced at the Behind the Bench. Teammate Anna Wilson also was reported to be there, and I spotted several other grads.

Jayne Appel-Marinelli, ’10, associate director of player operations for the WNBA Players Association, was on the sidelines with her family. Jayne has been a leader in the campaign to free Phoenix Suns star Brittney Griner from Russian custody.

Jayne, several other alums, the two head coaches and others wore long-sleeve T-shirts supporting Brittney. A table in the west concourse had paper for people to write notes of support. A video before the game and a moment of silence also honored her.

At the Behind the Bench, Kate introduced the five freshmen: Talana, center Lauren Betts and guards Indya Nivar, Stavi Papadaki and Lauren Green.

During that session, head coach Tara VanDerveer praised Talana, calling her fantastic.

She called the game exciting and said, “We’ll only get better. We played toe-to-toe with them.”

SC coach praises Tara

She was followed by South Carolina head coach Dawn Staley, who played on the 1996 USA Olympic gold-winning team coached by Tara.

“She led the way,” Dawn said of Tara, adding that she learned a lot from Tara.

With this game in the record books, the Stanford women now set their sights on Thanksgiving weekend at the Rainbow Wahine Showdown in Honolulu. On the schedule are Florida Gulf Coast at 2 p.m. Nov. 25, Grambling State at 2 p.m. Nov. 26 and Hawaii at 4:30 p.m. Nov. 27. All times are Pacific Standard. Hawaii time is two hours earlier.

All three games will be broadcast on radio by Varsity Network. The Hawaii game also will be shown on Spectrum Sports.

After flying home, the team will host Santa Clara at 7 p.m. Nov. 30 and Gonzaga at noon Dec. 4. The Santa Clara game will be available on Stanford Live Stream. Pac-12 Bay Area will show the Gonzaga game.

Photos by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)