Joslyn’s time to shine

Hollywood couldn’t have scripted it any better. Playing in her last-ever game at Maples Pavilion, senior forward Joslyn Tinkle led the Stanford women’s basketball team to a 73-40 victory over Michigan in Round 2 of the NCAA tournament.

She did so on 7-for-10 shooting, including 5-of-5 on 3 pointers, resulting in a team-high 21 points. She also had six rebounds, three assists and two blocks.

This game was far from a one-woman show. Joslyn had several co-stars, including her fellow starters. Junior forward Chiney Ogwumike had 12 points and 15 rebounds along with one assist and one steal.

Sophomore point guard Amber Orrange pitched in with 11 points, two rebounds and six assists, while redshirt junior forward Mikaela Ruef tallied 9 points, six rebounds and one block. Junior guard Sara James completed the starters’ contributions with 9 points and three assists. Coming off the bench, sophomore forward Bonnie Samuelson had 9 points and one rebound.

Team makes season-high 12 3’s

Joslyn’s five 3-pointers were a career high. Together, the team made a season-high 12 from beyond the arc, with three each from Bonnie and Sara and one from Amber. Three-pointers bookended the game. Joslyn made the first less than a minute into the game to get the Cardinal on the scoreboard. Bonnie finished the barrage and the team’s scoring with less than three minutes to go in the game.

Although Chiney, the team’s leading scorer overall, usually is the first option on offense, other teams know that and guard her heavily. Therefore, it appeared that in this game, the focus was on other players to score from farther out, taking the pressure off Chiney and thwarting the defense.

Every Cardinal played tough defense, but credit Sara for limiting Michigan’s leading scorer, Kate Thompson, to just 7 points, 5 of them from free throws. The Wolverine sharpshooter, who usually is stellar from behind the arc, went 0-for-6 there. When Sara took breathers on the bench, sophomore forward Taylor Greenfield took over with equally good results.

Credit head coach Tara VanDerveer and her staff – associate head coach Amy Tucker and assistant coaches Kate Paye and Trina Patterson – for an excellent game plan.

At halftime, when the score was 41-16, the Stanford women’s water polo team was honored for recently winning the NCAA national championship.

Time to cheer for Toni

In the second half, the more than 4,700 fans were in a celebratory mood as the team made one impressive play after another. When the video board showed a close-up of much-missed junior guard Toni Kokenis, the crowd roared while she blushed. Toni has missed the past several games because of an undisclosed illness.

The crowd roared again when the video board focused on former team stalwarts Lindy La Rocque,’12, and Jayne Appel, ’10. Lindy is working for a software company in Redwood City and serving on the staff of the Bay Area Basketball Academy. She also is an assistant coach for the girls team at Menlo-Atherton High School along with fellow alum Markisha Coleman, ’07, while Morgan Clyburn, ’09 is head coach. (Markisha was with Lindy and Jayne congratulating the team as it left the floor.)

Jayne played professionally in China this past winter and will soon rejoin the WNBA’s San Antonio Silver Stars, which drafted her in the first round in 2010.

It was time to cheer again when head football coach David Shaw and his family were seen on the video board.

Standing ovation for starters

Then there were a standing ovation and prolonged cheering as the starters left the game to be replaced by bench players with just over two minutes to go.

As the team headed for the locker room, Joslyn blew kisses to the crowd. The players then returned for a victory lap around the court, waving to their cheering fans.

Could Hollywood have written anything better?

Next up: the Cardinal journey to Spokane to face Georgia in a Sweet 16 game on March 30. If victorious, Stanford will play the winner of the Louisiana State-Cal game on April 1 for the regional championship and a ticket to the Final Four in New Orleans the following weekend.

One down, more to go

As more than 5,000 fans streamed into Maples Pavilion to watch the Stanford women’s basketball team take on Tulsa on March 24, some changes were immediately evident.

First, instead of just having their tickets scanned at the door, they had to open their bags to ensure that they didn’t have any water. Those who did had to dump it – so be forewarned.

Second, the venue has been transformed from all-Stanford to mostly-NCAA with the NCAA logo on the floor and NCAA features on the video board.

Third, the women’s basketball banner in the southeast corner has already been updated to add 2013 to the list of the team’s Pac-12 championships.

Fourth, the band sat in an upper corner rather on the risers at floor level.

Stanford struggles during first half

Fifth, although the faces and names were familiar, the team didn’t seem much like itself or a No. 1 seed during the first half of this first round of the NCAA tournament. Instead, it allowed the No. 16 seed Golden Hurricane to lead several times and to wind up in a 24-24 tie at halftime.

After that, the team that fans had come to see showed up for the second half and finished with a 72-56 victory and the chance to advance to the second round against the afternoon’s other winner, Michigan.

During the first half, the Cardinal had trouble beating the shot clock, either tossing up desperation shots at the last second or letting time expire. That in part explains why Stanford shot only 38.5 percent during that half (compared with 65.5 in the second half). Other turnovers also played a role as the pesky Tulsa defense stole the ball several times.

However, Tulsa’s defense couldn’t contain junior forward Chiney Ogwumike, who had already scored 12 of her 29 points with 7:33 to go in that half. On the other hand, she had to go to the bench with 2:21 to go because she had two fouls.

Three-pointers help the cause

Junior Sara James helped the Cardinal get going in the second half by scoring a quick 3-pointer, the first of two for her. Later, sophomore forward Bonnie Samuelson and sophomore guard Amber Orrange each added another. Sophomore forward Taylor Greenfield had scored the team’s other 3 during the first half.

Besides her 29 points, Chiney had eight rebounds, three assists, one block and one steal in 35 minutes. The only other Cardinal in double figures was Amber, who had 14 points to go with six rebounds, three assists, one block and one steal in a team-high 38 minutes.

Coming off the bench, Taylor came close with 9 points plus three rebounds and two assists in 37 minutes. In part she was filling for redshirt junior Mikaela Ruef, who started but played only 10 minutes, contributing eight rebounds and one assist.

Head coach Tara VanDerveer later said that Mikaela hadn’t practiced for two weeks because of an undisclosed injury.

When Chiney left the game with one minute to go, she was replaced by freshman forward/center Tess Picknell. Tess made the most of her limited time by scoring 2 points and snaring two rebounds.

After the game, the team gathered at the center circle, then left the court waving to the cheering fans. No victory balls this time – not in this NCAA venue.

Chiney gets hug from Candice

While her teammates left the floor, Chiney went over to TV commentator Mary Murphy for a quick interview, then responded to the crowd’s cheers with waves and a smile. As she neared the tunnel to the locker room, she was hugged by former Stanford star Candice Wiggins, ’08.

Candice was recently traded from the WNBA champion Minnesota Lynx to the Tulsa Shock. There she will join two other Stanford greats, Kayla Pedersen, who was drafted by the Shock in 2011; and Nicole Powell,’04, who was just traded from the New York Liberty.

The second game featured No. 8 seed Michigan vs. No. 9 seed Villanova. Watching intently at an official table were associate head coach Amy Tucker and assistants Kate Paye and Trina Patterson, who were scouting their team’s next opponent. Tara came in to watch with about 12 minutes to go in the first half and sat with her sister Heidi in the stands near the Villanova bench.

The Stanford players watched part of the first half from the south stands, then departed at halftime, when the score was 26-24 in Michigan’s favor. While they sat there, Chiney graciously posed for pictures with several children.

Michigan pulled ahead during the second half and finished with a 60-52 victory and the chance to advance to the second game against Stanford at 6:30 p.m. March 26.

The winner joins the ranks of the Sweet 16 and goes to Spokane for the regional starting March 30 with the tournament’s round 3. The round 4 game is April 1.

Reflections from Seattle

Flying home from Seattle on March 11, the Stanford’s women’s basketball team packed some extra items.

The biggest and best was the Pac-12 tournament championship trophy, representing the team’s seventh consecutive conference title and automatically qualifying the team for the upcoming NCAA tournament.

Also impressive was the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player trophy, which went to junior forward Chiney Ogwumike, who, among her other accomplishments, recorded the first 20-20 game in the tournament’s 12-year history. Actually, she had 23 points and 21 rebounds in the team’s quarter-final victory over Washington State on March 8.

Finally, sophomore point guard Amber Orrange brought home her own trophy as part of the all-tournament team. She turned in impressive performances in all three tournament games, highlighted by her career-high 20-point output against UCLA in the championship game on March 10.

The blue, spiraled glass trophies for the championship and Chiney were specially made for the Pac-12 by Glassybaby, a woman-owned glass studio in Seattle. Amber’s votive trophy came from there, too.

Amber takes the lead in championship game

Stanford needed every one of Amber’s 20 points because the rugged UCLA defense limited Chiney to a career-low 3 points. Chiney scored her team’s first basket, followed shortly by a free throw, and that was that. After getting two fouls in the first half, she sat out nearly 12 minutes.

She returned to action for the second half and had no more fouls, but was scoreless. However, she still had 10 rebounds, two blocks and a steal for the game. It should be noted that she had absorbed much of Colorado’s physicality the night before, March 9.

Moreover, Stanford played the second game March 9, while UCLA had the earlier game, giving the Bruins a bit more time to rest. Both teams lost an hour because of the switch to Daylight-saving Time that night.

Tournament starts with win over WSU

For Stanford, the tournament began with the Washington State game, a relatively easy 79-60 win marked by 10 3-pointers from the Cardinal. Junior guard Sara James had five of them, sophomore forward Bonnie Samuelson had three, and Amber had two.

That day began with a sendoff by the band, Dollies, cheerleaders, family members – including head coach Tara VanDerveer’s mother, who had flown there from Colorado -- and a few fans at the team’s Westin Hotel. In the meantime, other fans gathered at the Spectator, a downtown Seattle sports bar.

There was some speculation about whether WSU head coach June Daugherty would be at the game because she had undergone an emergency appendectomy the day before. Assistant coach Mike Daugherty, her husband, was the coach of record that night, but she was seated behind the bench and often got up to join the huddle during timeouts.

At this game and the next two games, fans who were seated in upper rows of the Stanford section were given tickets to seats in lower rows, consolidating the red cheering section.

One highlight in this game came at the 19:07 mark of the second half, when redshirt junior forward Mikaela Ruef stole the ball, gave it to Sara, who passed it to Chiney, who passed it behind her back to senior forward Joslyn Tinkle, who scored. 

Besides Chiney’s 21 points, double figures also came from Sara with 17 and Joslyn with 10. It was later reported that Joslyn had been fighting the flu since earlier that week. 

UCLA upsets Cal in semi-finals

In the first game of the semi-finals March 9, UCLA defeated Cal 70-58. When I arrived early in the second half, I had to look twice to realize that No. 3-seeded UCLA was up something like 42-19 over No. 2-seeded Cal. Cal had defeated UCLA twice during the season.

In the 61-47 victory over Colorado, Stanford had only one 3-pointer, scored by Sara. Chiney led with way with 25 points and 19 rebounds for another double-double. Also in double figures were Amber with 13 and Mikaela with 11.

Amber’s 20 points led the scoring against UCLA in the championship game. She was the only Cardinal to score in double figures.

She made the game-winning basket with 8.3 seconds to go. UCLA got the ball up the court, shot and missed as the buzzer sounded. It was assumed that the game was over then, but the joyous Stanford bench had to return to the sidelines while the referees checked to see if time had expired. It hadn’t.

The officials added .2 second to the clock, so UCLA had a chance to inbound the ball, but could score only if the player receiving the ball tipped it in. A basket wouldn’t count if she caught and shot. 

Tess helps seal the championship

While the referees were looking at the game monitor, Tara used that time to insert freshman forward/center Tess Picknell into the game. Her job was to stand in front of the inbounding UCLA player. 

She didn’t just stand there. The 6’5” Tess waved her arms and jumped up and down, presenting a formidable obstacle and sight-blocker for the inbounder. Tess succeeded, the final buzzer sounded, and the Stanford players hugged and screamed in celebration.

On reflection, this tournament championship was a tribute to the entire team and coaches and their ability to overcome the difficulties mentioned above. It also should be noted that the team was missing its most experienced guard, junior Toni Kokenis, who didn’t make the trip after missing several previous games with an undisclosed illness.

Next up is the NCAA tournament, with Stanford hosting first- and second-round play at Maples on March 24 and 26. The NCAA will announce the brackets at 4 p.m. March 18 in a show telecast by ESPN.

  

Seniors share spotlight with Chiney

When forwards Mikaela Ruef and Joslyn Tinkle arrived on the Farm as freshmen in 2009, they quickly formed a bond of friendship that continues today.

That friendship was obvious Feb. 24 when the Stanford women’s basketball team celebrated Mikaela and Joslyn’s Senior Day and defeated Oregon 74-50. That victory was aided by a record-setting performance by junior forward Chiney Ogwumike.

Senior Day festivities followed the game as the video board showed highlights from the two players’ careers set to “Thank You for Being a Friend,” TV’s “Golden Girls” theme song sung by Cynthia Fee.

Families join the seniors

Their teammates formed a reception line as Joslyn with her parents and Mikaela with her parents and grandparents walked to center court to receive flowers and hugs from head coach Tara VanDerveer.

Announcer Betty Ann Boeving enumerated each player’s various accomplishments. As of that game, Mikaela has played in 88 games and has made 21 starts in her career. She missed all but three games last season because of a foot injury.

Joslyn became a member of the team’s 1,000-point club two days earlier against Oregon State. The afternoon’s game was her 134^th.

After posing for photographs, the team went to the locker room for a short break before returning for a Behind the Bench session honoring the seniors. “It’s bittersweet,” associate head coach Amy Tucker said of Senior Day. Tara spoke of her pleasure in “seeing improvement and maturation in these young women.”

Sara calls Mikaela ‘one of my best friends’

Speaking for the team, junior guard Sara James talked about how she had become good friends with Mikaela and then Joslyn during her freshman year. Mikaela “has always been one of my best friends,” Sara said. “I’m really excited that she’s coming back next year.” She also noted how smart Mikaela is, especially in math.

Because Mikaela redshirted during her junior year, she has another year of eligibility. She will be back on campus because she has been accepted in a Stanford graduate engineering program.

Tara is hopeful that Mikaela will also be on the team next season, so she might celebrate another Senior Day then. It has been the team’s practice to honor players who come in together even if one of them is returning, Tara said. “This is practice” (for next year), she said.

She said she first saw Mikaela play at a tournament in Atlanta and was impressed when she hit 3’s. Tara also was pleased that Mikaela was a good student – the first of several steps for admission to Stanford.

Mikaela’s father, Mike, speaking for himself and her mother, Katie, said “To raise a daughter like Mikaela is, in a word, challenging.” He once lost an argument with her when she was only 3 years old, he said.

As a third-grader, she played on a fourth-grade team and knew its opponents’ plays. “She has a mind for basketball,” he said.

Because her grandparents used to live in Connecticut, they wanted her to go to UConn. Her parents hoped she would go to Ohio State in their home state, but after her grandparents moved to the Bay Area, the Ruefs felt better about her choosing Stanford.

“She made the right choice. She’s with the right people,” Mike said.

One fan asked why Mikaela wears 3 on her jersey. She said that she randomly chose a jersey with that number in second grade, and after that, things seemed to get better for her. There have been a lot of 3’s or multiples of 3’s in her life. “I do things in 3’s,” she said.

Tara cites Joslyn’s basketball instincts

Speaking of Joslyn, Tara said she first saw the Montana resident play at a tournament in Arizona. “She just took people apart. … This is the type of player we want at Stanford,” she said. She cited Joslyn’s good basketball instincts, which probably come from her parents, Wayne and Lisa, who both played basketball. Wayne is still involved as head coach of the University of Montana men’s team.

“She is total high energy, very enthusiastic,” Tara said. She can play just about any position. She’s “a wonderful young lady,” and “we’ve got a lot (of games) left in her,” with two more season games plus the Pac 12 and NCAA tournaments.

The coach repeated a story that Joslyn had related earlier in her Stanford career. Tara was visiting the Tinkles in Montana as part of the recruiting process. As she was leaving, Lisa said to Tara, “Watch out for the bear.” With that, Tara “sprinted to her rental car,” Wayne said a few minutes later.

Speaking for the team, Chiney said that Joslyn “is an extension of her family. They’re just beautiful people. … She’s always motivated. It shows on and off the court. She’s such a special person” to her team.

Chiney added that she’d like to frame Joslyn’s signature red bow after she leaves Stanford.

When Wayne was playing basketball professionally overseas and had the family with him, Joslyn made her first jump shot when she was in first grade.

Now “We feel honored to be part of the Stanford family,” he said. Stanford “was an amazing choice for her” because of its academics and the basketball team and staff. When she signed, he told Tara that Joslyn is very special. Since then, “you’ve done remarkable things with her,” he said to the coach.

After graduation, Joslyn said she wants to pursue her basketball career overseas or wherever it takes her. Eventually she might be interested in coaching and would like to team up again with Mikaela.

Speaking of the afternoon’s game, Tara said, “We finished out strong,” and credited the seniors’ leadership.

Joslyn and Mikaela are the team’s captains, along with Chiney.

Chiney surpasses sister’s records

Chiney’s accomplishments in the afternoon’s game were precedent-setting. She set a Stanford record with 52 double-doubles, surpassing the previous record of 51 held by her sister Nneka, who graduated in June. With 24 rebounds, she set the team’s single-game rebound record, again eclipsing Nneka.

She also became the sixth player to have at least 1,000 career rebounds (she has 1,010 so far) and 1,000 points (1,600 so far). Others who have achieved that milestone are Nneka; Kayla Pedersen, ’11; Jayne Appel, ’10; Nicole Powell, ’04; and Val Whiting, ’93.

Besides her 24 rebounds, she scored 27 points and made four assists, three blocks and four steals in 34 minutes. The only other player in double figures was sophomore guard Amber Orrange, who had 12 points to go with four assists, one rebound, one block and one steal in 31 minutes.

Mikaela had 5 points, nine rebounds, one assist, one block and one steal in 19 minutes. Joslyn added 4 points, five rebounds, two assists and two blocks in 32 minutes.

The team made six of its 28, or 21.4 percent, 3-point attempts. Sara and sophomore forward Bonnie Samuelson each had two, while sophomore forward Taylor Greenfield and redshirt freshman Jasmine Camp each had one.

Although this was the last regular-season home game, fans can see the team at Maples at least once more time and most likely twice when Stanford hosts the first and second rounds of the NCAA tournament March 24 and 26. The Events part of this FBC website has details.

Cardinal coast to win over Beavers

With 6:39 to go and the score at 78-39, the five Stanford starters relaxed on the bench as their teammates closed out the game to defeat Oregon State 90-53 at home Feb. 22.

None of the five had played more than 31 minutes, yet during that time, several milestones were achieved.

For example, less than two minutes had expired in the second half when senior forward Joslyn Tinkle became the 34^th member of the Stanford women’s basketball’s 1,000-point club. Playing 24 minutes, Joslyn finished with 11 points plus four rebounds, two blocks and two steals.

Junior forward Chiney Ogwumike tied a Stanford record with her 51^st career double-double by scoring 19 points to go with 12 rebounds plus two assists, four blocks and two steals in 28 minutes. She scored 11 of her points by hitting a career-high 11 free throws (of 13 attempts).

Chiney makes a legendary play

Every so often a Stanford player makes a play that becomes a Cardinal legend. Chiney did that at the 11:26 mark in the second half. While falling toward a photographer under the Stanford basket, she tossed the ball up in a wild shot that went through the hoop.

She didn’t realize she had made the shot until her teammates went to pull her up and told her. Her joy became even greater when she realized she would get a free throw, which she made. In the meantime, her teammates and the crowd went wild as the video board ran several replays of those moments.

Coming off the bench, sophomore forward Taylor Greenfield had the team’s second-highest point total with 18, matching her career high. A dozen of her points came from making four of five 3-pointers. Taylor also pulled down a rebound during her 24 minutes. Many fans saw her performance as a sign that she has regained confidence and emerged from a slump that had lasted several games.

Also in double figures was sophomore guard Amber Orrange, who scored 15 points to go with three rebounds, six assists and two steals in a team-high 31 minutes.

Redshirt junior forward Mikaela Ruef scored 6 points, grabbed 10 rebounds and added six assists plus a block in 27 minutes. Junior guard Sara James chipped in 8 points, two rebounds and one steal in 21 minutes.

Team makes 10 3’s

As a team, the Cardinal made 10 of 22 3-point attempts, led by Taylor’s four, plus two each from Sara and Joslyn, and one each from Amber and sophomore forward Bonnie Samuelson.

In all, head coach Tara VanDerveer deployed 11 players, nine of whom scored. Once again, junior guard Toni Kokenis was not in uniform because of an undisclosed illness.

Because it was Fan Appreciation Night, the video board displayed clips of the players thanking the fans for their support. T-shirt tosses were another part of the festivities.

At one point, announcer Betty Ann Boeving asked fans who had been attending the games for at least 10 years to rise. Although there was no way to count them, the number of standees was impressive. There still was a goodly number when those who had been going for 20 years and then 25 years were asked to rise.

Even though OSU was a relatively easy opponent with a 3-11 conference record and an overall 9-17 record coming into the game, the Beavers never gave up. However, they got quite physical at times, especially in the first half, but backed off in the second half to finish with 14 fouls compared with Stanford’s six.

Bench players get important minutes

Perhaps one of the more rewarding aspects of the game is that because Stanford had pulled so far ahead, the starters got to rest and other players got valuable experience. Thus they could add to the team’s depth as the stakes get higher.

One more observation: Sometimes it’s almost as much fun to watch the bench as it is to watch the game. All of the players on the bench constantly encourage their teammates. Their joy when someone does something well is a sheer delight.

Often they seem happier at a teammate’s accomplishment than their own. It’s a pleasure to see their camaraderie.  

Cardinal milestones in pink

Pink was the color of the day as the Stanford women’s basketball team defeated Arizona State 69-45 on Feb. 10, Breast Cancer Awareness Day.

In honor of the occasion, the visiting Sun Devils wore pink uniforms while the host Cardinal wore their home white uniforms with pink trim, pink hair ribbons or headbands, and, much to the players’ delight, bright pink shoes. The Tree had some pink leaves, and the cheerleaders and Dollies wore pink hair ribbons. The referees had pink whistles.

Many fans in the crowd of 4,510 also wore various versions of pink. In the family section, Mike James, father of junior guard Sara James, sported the pink tutu that had been handed down to him via a tradition started in 2010 by the father of Jayne Appel.

Because Jayne was graduating that year, he gave it to John Pohlen, father of Jeanette Pohlen, to wear the following year, when Jeanette was a senior. In turn, it was passed along to Al La Rocque, father of Lindy La Rocque, who graduated in June.

Although the tradition had been to give it to the father of a senior-to-be, this time it was to Sara’s dad because the families of the two academic seniors, forwards Joslyn Tinkle and Mikaela Ruef, live too far away to be sure they could make it to the game. Thus it seems that Mike James will keep it for another year, when he’ll pass it along to the father of one of this year’s sophomores.

Besides the various pink touches on their uniforms, both teams wore black warmup shirts with pink lettering spelling out “Play 4 Kay.” It was their way of honoring the late Kay Yow, the Hall of Fame coach of the North Carolina State team who died of breast cancer in 2009. The Kay Yow/Women’s Basketball Coaches Association Cancer Fund was established in her honor.

The Stanford day was sponsored by the Stanford Women’s Cancer Center. Facts about breast cancer were displayed on the video board throughout the game.

Team celebrates milestones

It didn’t take long for Stanford to establish dominance in the game. With about six minutes to go in the first half, the score was 22-16 and junior forward Chiney Ogwumike had already scored 10 points.

By the time she went to the bench with about three minutes to go, Chiney had recorded 26 points and 14 rebounds for her eighth consecutive double-double and her 19th of the season. She also contributed one assist and one steal in her 37 minutes.

Chiney’s point total included 6 from the free-throw line, where she was perfect. Overall, the team made 14 of 16, or 87.5 percent, of its free throws.

Another game milestone came from sophomore forward Bonnie Samuelson, who scored a career high 19 points in 26 minutes. She made 15 of those points on five 3-pointers, her highest number this season. She added two rebounds, one assist and one steal.

Alex returns to action

A third milestone was reached when redshirt freshman guard Alex Green got her first playing time in 15 months after an Achilles injury. Playing three minutes, she had one rebound and took one shot, which she missed. As the ball left her hands, her teammates on the bench rose as one, waiting to cheer for her.

It didn’t happen this time, but when the final whistle sounded, several of them gave her a big hug. Even though she didn’t get much playing time in this game, she appeared confident and handled the ball well, portending good things ahead for her and the team.

And the final milestone – Joslyn had her first double-double of the season with 13 points and 11 rebounds in 35 minutes. Defensively, she had four blocks and a steal.

As was the case against Arizona on Feb. 8, junior guard Toni Kokenis didn’t play because she wasn’t feeling well. Mikaela started in her place.

By the time the game was over, every player in uniform except sophomore forward Erica Payne had seen action.

Halftime entertainment featured the McGrath Irish Dancers from the East Bay. Ranging from perhaps first grade through high school, the girls went through a precision routine that involved intricate steps but no movement above the waist except when they joined hands at various times. This was a return visit for the group, which is always a crowd favorite.

After the game, fans gathered for a Behind the Bench session. While waiting, they saw the Dollies dancing with some children at the north end of the court before one of the Dollies took over the band leader’s baton while the leader joined the Dollies in a routine.

Dogs attract Tara’s attention

In the meantime, a group of service dogs in training and their trainers were at the south end posing for pictures with the Tree. When head coach Tara VanDerveer, herself a dog owner, came onto the court, she headed straight for the dogs to pet them and talk with their trainers. She later told the fans that the trainers were exposing the dogs to crowds and, presumably, noise.

When Chiney came onto the court to join two of her teammates in signing autographs for a long line of fans, she spoke briefly, saying “It was a fun game.” She introduced her uncle and young cousin from Fremont and said that her sister Nneka’s team is atop its league in Poland. Nneka, ’12, is enjoying a visit from their mother.

Tara began her comments by saying, “Kay Yow would be very proud of this team. They’re very unselfish. They’re about our team.”

She also said it was good to see ASU coach Charli Turner Thorne, who has returned from the year’s leave of absence she took to spend more time with her family. She’s a 1988 Stanford basketball alum.

“It was really exciting to see Alex come in,” Tara said. She noted that Mikaela has another year of eligibility and might be able to return. “We’re hoping that will happen,” she said, but “it’s convoluted.”

“We’re getting a lot of contributions from a lot of different people,” she said. “They’re like an orchestra. Different nights there are different solos.”

She has been getting some advice from her mother, who lives in Colorado and plans to attend the Pac-12 tournament in Seattle. She told Tara to bubble-wrap Chiney.

“Our team is mentally and emotionally very healthy,” the coach concluded.

Chiney gets help from her friends

Chiney Ogwumike registered her seventh consecutive double-double and her 18th of the season as the Stanford women’s basketball team defeated Arizona 73-43 in Maples Pavilion on Feb. 8. However, the junior forward had lots of help as several of her teammates made significant contributions in the victory.

Perhaps the most gratifying and encouraging contribution came from redshirt junior forward Mikaela Ruef, who recorded the first double-double of her career. Until that night, Mikaela was primarily noted for defense and rebounds, but this performance, with its 11 points and 10 rebounds, made her a more potent offensive weapon. In addition, it signified major progress for a player who sat out most of last season because of a foot injury. Mikaela also recorded two assists in 24 minutes.

Chiney’s output included 18 points, 12 rebounds and two steals in 33 minutes. Senior forward Joslyn Tinkle added 15 points, four rebounds and one assist in 15 minutes. Her time was limited by four fouls, but her point total included three of four from behind the arc.

The two starting guards, sophomore Amber Orrange and junior Sara James, scored 6 and 9 points, respectively. Sara also had one rebound and four assists in 17 minutes. Her points included one 3. Amber added four assists, one block and three steals in 28 minutes.

Coming off the bench, sophomore forward Bonnie Samuelson had 8 points, one rebound and one steal in 18 minutes. She was 0-6 on 3’s, but she was a perfect 4-4 at the free-throw line. Initially known as a 3-point shooter, she’s showing more versatility near the basket and on defense.

Sophomore forward Taylor Greenfield’s only scoring came from a 3-pointer, one of the team’s five for the night. Taylor had five rebounds and three assists in 23 minutes.

Mikaela started the game in place of junior guard Toni Kokenis, who was held out because of an undisclosed illness.

The game started slowly, and Arizona moved ahead 4-6 at the 15:47 mark and began applying the full-court pressure that continued most of the game. By the 8:05 mark, however, Stanford was ahead 18-13 and Chiney had already scored 10 points.

The referees called a close game, whistling Arizona for 21 fouls and Stanford for 18. Stanford cashed in by making 18 of 27 free throws, while Arizona made 10 of 19. Each team had 19 turnovers.

With the Cardinal comfortably ahead 68-35 with 7:10 to go in the second half, Chiney went to the bench for the night. Ultimately, all available players got into the game.

Before the game started, the crowd of slightly more than 3,500 had a chance to cheer for head coach Tara VanDerveer. It was announced that she had won her 400th conference game – more than any other Division 1 coach – against Oregon the previous weekend.

The subsequent wins over Oregon State and now Arizona brought that total to 402.

Also getting the evening off to a good start was Motley Q, the men’s barbershop quartet that sang the national anthem.

Halftime featured an entertaining, well-played scrimmage by sixth- and eighth-grade girls from the Coyote Creek National Junior Basketball chapter on the south side of San Jose. NJB is a program for boys and girls in grades 3-8.

Team overcomes two scares

Just when it seemed that fans could relax and soon see younger players take over, Colorado began chipping away at the Stanford women’s basketball team’s comfy 21-point lead about five minutes into the second half on Jan. 27.

The then-No.20 Buffaloes narrowed the margin to 7 points with slightly more than seven minutes to go, but the Cardinal began to get the upper hand and came away with a 69-56 victory to survive one scare.

The other scare came at about the eight-minute mark in the second half when the team’s leading scorer and rebounder, junior forward Chiney Ogwumike, fell and stayed on the floor for a few moments.

However, she got up to shoot her foul shots before going to the bench. With her ankle taped, she returned to action, much to the relief of the 3,904 fans at Maples. Head coach Tara VanDerveer said later that she had tweaked her ankle. “Chiney’s a warrior,” she said.

“We kept it interesting for you,” associate head coach Amy Tucker quipped during the post-game Behind the Bench session.

Chiney finished the game with 20 points and 12 rebounds, plus one assist and three blocks in 36 minutes.

Also scoring in double figures was senior forward Joslyn Tinkle, who had 16 points plus five rebounds, four assists, three blocks and a steal in her 36 minutes. Junior guard Toni Kokenis was right behind her with 15 points, two rebounds, five assists and two steals, in 36 minutes. Toni’s points included three 3’s.

Joining the double-figure group was sophomore guard Amber Orrange with 10 points, two rebounds, three assists and four steals also in 36 minutes.

For the first time this season, Amber did not start. Instead, redshirt junior forward Mikaela Ruef returned to the starting lineup. She had 2 points plus four rebounds and one assist in 21 minutes.

Mikaela, Joslyn come up with slick inbounds play

As they did in the Utah game, Mikaela and Joslyn got the crowd to cheering when Joslyn was to inbound the ball near the basket with about two seconds on the shot clock. She tossed it in to Mikaela, who in turn passed it to Joslyn, who scored an easy bucket.

“Mikaela and Joslyn invented that out-of-bounds play,” Tara said during the Behind the Bench.

Sophomore Bonnie Samuelson got her 3-point touch back as she connected on two in a row to help Stanford stave off the Colorado rally. She finished with 6 points and a rebound in eight minutes.

The aggressive Buffaloes won the rebounding and steal battles, 39-33 and 8-7, respectively, but Stanford led in blocking, 6-3. Stanford had fewer turnovers, 13 vs. 18, and fewer fouls, 12-18. Stanford shot at a 49.1 percent clip, while Colorado averaged only 36.1 percent.

Women in Sports celebrated

Since it was Women in Sports day, the afternoon began with players from several other women’s sports overseeing skills sessions in the west concourse before the game. Just a few steps away, fans could admire three women’s basketball trophies: the 2012 Pac-12 championship, the 2012 NCAA regional championship and Tara’s Hall of Fame trophy.

Budding lacrosse players

At the half, announcer Betty Ann Boeving said that over the years, Stanford women’s teams have amassed 42 NCAA championships and 52 national championships altogether.

Then athletic director Bernard Muir presented the school’s second consecutive Capital One Cup for overall best women’s record to seniors from the golf, soccer, gymnastics, lacrosse, volleyball, track and field, softball and field hockey teams as their teammates joined them on the court.

Participants in the Stanford Teacher Education Program, or STEP, also were honored during the half.

Mary Murphy speaks to fans

The guest speaker for Behind the Bench was TV commentator Mary Murphy, who had just covered the game for the Pac-12 Network. The first question she faced was when or if DIRECTV and AT&T’s U-Verse would carry the networks. She advised the fan to be patient. “I’m confident it will happen.”

She continued, “We’re in the infancy of this network,” which just got going in the fall. “This is a crew that is committed to women’s basketball,” she said.

Mary Murphy reveals her top secret book of player notes

Commenting on the game, she said she thought it was well balanced offensively. She also praised the play of Joslyn and Amber.

Tara lists her likes

When Tara emerged from post-game media interviews to speak at the Behind the Bench, she started with “This is a great weekend for us,” referring to the Colorado and earlier Utah wins.

“This was a great game by Toni,” she said, and “Bonnie’s 3’s were huge.” So far, “different people different nights” are stepping up, but “we’re going to need everyone playing well.”

She praised the team’s unselfishness, and said, “I’m real excited about the improvement our team is making.”

She also pointed out an interesting Pac-12 fact. “We are the team that has won more road games than anyone else.”

And in fact, the team will go on the road for games against the Oregon teams Feb. 1 and 3 before returning home to host the Arizona teams.

Utah tumbles against Stanford

Junior forward Chiney Ogwumike and senior forward Joslyn Tinkle led the Stanford women’s basketball team to a 65-44 victory on Jan. 25 in front of a home crowd of 3,303.

Chiney tallied 23 points and 13 rebounds plus two assists and two blocks in 31 minutes, one of her shorter stretches of playing time in recent games.

Joslyn added 16 points, eight rebounds, one block and one steal in 32 minutes, the most time of any Cardinal. Joslyn also got the game going by scoring the first 7 points, all unanswered, by the 17:40 mark. Her game total included two 3-pointers.

Joslyn also displayed sportsmanship about halfway through the first half when Utah’s Taryn Wicijowski crumpled to the floor under the Utah basket while everyone else ran the other way. When play was finally stopped, Joslyn ran back to her and began helping her off the court until others from Utah arrived. Taryn was sidelined for the rest of the game with an apparent knee injury.

When the buzzer sounded to end the first half, Stanford held a 35-19 lead, and nine players had seen action. By the time the game ended, all available players except redshirt freshman guard Jasmine Camp had logged playing time.

Even though Chiney and Joslyn were the only Stanford players in double figures, bench players contributed a total of 13 points, an improvement from some recent games when the only scoring came from the starters.

Stanford had a slight edge in rebounds, 44-42; blocks, 4-3; turnovers, 8-12; and fouls, 11-13. The advantage for assists was better, 12-6. Utah had seven steals to Stanford’s six.

Three-point output was meager with two from Joslyn and one from junior guard Sara James. Overall, the Cardinal shot 40.3 percent while holding the Utes to 25 percent.

The evening began on a somber note when the replacement announcer requested a moment of silence in honor of John Pohlen, father of Jeanette Pohlen, ’11, whose memorial service had taken place earlier in the day. John died Dec. 23 at the age of 54.

John and Cindy, Jeanette’s mother, attended nearly all of Jeanette’s games and endeared themselves to everyone. John was one of the good-sport dads who donned a pink tutu for the annual Breast Cancer Awareness game.

During that moment of silence, the video board showed a photo of Jeanette and her smiling parents as she was honored during the 2011 Senior Day – always a bittersweet time for everyone concerned.

A good day for wearers of the red

Shortly after the San Francisco 49ers had secured a Super Bowl berth with a 28-24 comeback win over the Atlanta Falcons, the Stanford women’s basketball team secured its familiar spot atop Pac-12 standings by thwarting a USC comeback to win 75-66 before a home crowd of 3,864 on Jan. 20.

“It was a great day for the Bay Area,” associate head coach Amy Tucker said to fans at the Behind the Bench after the USC game. “We’re very excited about the 49ers and of course our game.”

“How ’bout the 49ers,” head coach Tara VanDerveer added. She said she wants her team to show the kind of grit that the Niners showed when they were down 17-0 to the Falcons.

Stanford coaches have extra ties to the Niners because head coach Jim Harbaugh was their colleague when he coached the Stanford football team until two seasons ago, when he took the 49er job.

Cardinal lead begins to ebb

The Cardinal had more or less cruised to a 33-20 lead over USC at the half and led by as much as 19 points, 43-24, at the 17:10 mark in the second quarter. Then the Women of Troy began chipping away at that lead, pulling to within 5 points at the 2:28 and 1:55 marks, but Stanford managed to prevail.

As is her wont, junior forward Chiney Ogwumike led all scorers with 29 points plus a game-high 16 rebounds. She also contributed one assist, two blocks and one steal in just under 40 minutes.

Thanks to making all three of her 3-pointers, Joslyn Tinkle added 15 points to go with seven rebounds, four assists and one block in 36 minutes. Going back to the UCLA game, Joslyn is 7-for-7 on 3’s for the week.

Junior Sara James, making her second consecutive start at the small forward spot, had 13 points and four rebounds in 30 minutes. Sophomore guard Amber Orrange also scored 13 points plus three rebounds and three assists in 30 minutes.

Completing the scoring, the other starter, junior guard Toni Kokenis accounted for 5 points, one rebound and two assists in 34 minutes.

Although redshirt junior guard Mikaela Ruef didn’t score, she had five rebounds, two assists and one steal in 17 minutes. Her time was limited by fouls, and she wound up fouling out.

Stanford dominates the boards

Stanford won the battle of the boards, snaring 41 rebounds to USC’s 25. Likewise, Stanford had more assists, 14-9, and blocks, 3-1. The pesky USC defense forced Stanford into 14 turnovers – five of them from steals – while USC had 10 turnovers, including two caused by Cardinal steals.

Stanford fared slightly better in fouls – 16 to USC’s 17. On the other hand, USC made 13 of 18 free throws for 72.2 percent. Stanford made nine of 13 free throws for 69.2 percent.

Stanford’s 3-point picture looked better than in some past games as the Cardinal nailed six from beyond the arc – three by Joslyn and one each by Sara, Toni and Amber.

Prior to this game, Stanford, Cal, USC and UCLA were all atop the Pac-12 with 4-1 records. However, Cal beat UCLA earlier in the day, so the Golden Bears and Cardinal moved to the top with 5-1 records as the first third of the conference season wrapped up.

The afternoon started well when the Peninsula Women’s Chorus sang the national anthem. The group did so well that fans were still applauding as they left center court.

Halftime entertainment featured Stanford Taiko, a student group dedicated to furthering the Japanese art of taiko drumming. The group writes its own works, in this case performed by nine students of apparently varying ethnicities moving in graceful unison.

Fans hear about Buck/Cardinal Club

During the Behind the Bench, fans heard from Heather Owen, a ’98 WBB alum who’s an assistant athletic director and who runs the Buck/Cardinal Club, which raises funds for Stanford athletics.

Heather noted that until seven years ago, each team raised its own funds. Then it was decided to pool the funds. This arrangement has worked well, Heather said, especially since it has been able to “ride the wave of the success of the football team.”

The arrangement has been especially good for the sports that don’t always draw big crowds. Now “people support Stanford athletics” instead of individual teams, Heather said.

Referring to the Fast Break Club, though, she said, “This is a tried and true group” when it comes to financial support. One fan asked about the annual auction, which has not taken place the past two years. She said it could perhaps return, depending on what volunteers decide to do. It’s a lot of work.

Even though Buck/Cardinal Club funds are pooled for all sports, individual teams can still raise funds for things like foreign travel.

Team to travel abroad

Amy noted that a foreign tour is in the offing for WBB team in September, but she’s not sure where. The last foreign tour took the team to Italy in 2009. Fans are welcome to come along if they pay their own way, Amy said.

Speaking again of the USC game, Amy called it “a game of spurts. It’s a good message to our team that teams don’t give up.”

Looking ahead to the Utah game on Jan. 25, Tara said the visitors are “an unbelievably great 0-5 (now 1-5) team.”

“It has never been easy. We get teams’ absolute A games,” she said.

When the team was in Colorado earlier this month, Tara visited with her 85-year-old mother, who lives there. Her mom goes to Pac-12 games and wants to go to the women’s tournament in Seattle with some friends. “I’m real excited that she’s coming,” Tara said. “There are going to be some great games.”