Bedeviling defense defeats ASU

The Stanford women’s basketball team completed its sweep of the Arizona schools by defeating the Arizona State Sun Devils 66-56 at home on Jan. 22.

Marta, Brittany and Kaylee team up on defense. (Nhat V. Meyer, Bay Area News Group)

Stifling defense limited ASU to 29.6 percent shooting, while the Cardinal had a 45.8 percent success rate. Defense also led to several shot-clock violations by the visitors.

Also contributing to the win was relentless rebounding. Stanford had 37 rebounds, while ASU had 29.

Kaylee returns as starter

After missing several games and then coming off the bench for several more, junior forward Kaylee Johnson returned to the starting lineup. Playing 25 minutes, she had 6 points, four rebounds, two assists and no turnovers.

Joining her as starters were senior forward Erica “Bird” McCall, senior guards Briana Roberson and Karlie Samuelson, and junior guard Brittany McPhee.

All players were available except sophomore center Shannon Coffee, who was in street clothes. Head coach Tara VanDerveer said after the game that she wasn’t feeling well.

Bird led the scoring with 18 points, followed by Karlie with 15 and Brittany with 13.

Stanford led from start to finish. The score was 14-7 after the first quarter, 30-19 at the half and 49-33 after the third.

Helping to keep the crowd of 3,280 entertained, the cheerleaders and a portable cannon-wielding student tossed out T-shirts during the first quarter. In the third quarter, more T-shirts descended on parachutes.

Halftime started with the men’s soccer team parading onto the court carrying two NCAA national championship trophies –- one for last season and one for this.

A few minutes later, agility dogs from Ace Dog Sports showed their stuff, weaving through poles, jumping hurdles and scooting through tunnels, much to the crowd’s delight.

By the way, in the video showing Tara promoting this event, the attentive pooches on the sofa were her three golden retrievers.

Brittany hurts ankle but comes back to play

One scary moment came shortly before the half when Brittany fell under the south basket and gripped her ankle. She was assisted off the court to the locker room, and most fans assumed she was done for the day.

Thus there was a roar from the crowd when she returned from the locker room with her teammates to start the third quarter.

During the third quarter, an ASU player was assessed a flagrant 1 foul after a review of an encounter with Karlie, who made both free throws.

After the game, fans heard from associate head coach Amy Tucker, Karlie, Tara and Mary Murphey, commentator for the Pac 12 Network.

Commentator cites team’s improvement

Mary’s assessment of the team: “They’re getting better and better.” She praised Bird’s steady progress from her freshman year, when she was mentored by Chiney Ogwumike, ’14. “Don’t you see the Chiney effect?” Mary said.

In addition, “I love watching Karlie … Karlie is a great basketball player,” Mary said.

Amy echoed that sentiment, noting that Karlie is more than a 3-point shooter. “She’s one of the smartest players we’ve ever coached. She’ll be a fabulous coach.”

Karlie said she’s not sure what she’ll do after she graduates. Amy responded, “She’ll make a tremendous impact in everything she does.”

Free throw percentage, road wins lead conference

Even though some fans worry about free throws, Amy cited a little-known statistic: Stanford leads the Pac 12 in free throw percentage in Pac 12 games. The Cardinal logged a 77.3 percent success rate during that afternoon’s game.

Tara added that Stanford is the only conference team that’s undefeated on the road.

She was happy with this game’s defense and rebounding but not so happy with unforced errors. “Consistent play is what we’re looking for.”

She’s also pleased with the team’s camaraderie and its senior leadership.

Next the team will take its spotless road record to Washington State at 8 p.m. Jan. 27, followed by Washington at 5 p.m. Jan. 29. Both games can be seen on the Pac 12 Network.

Karlie joins elite group

Senior guard Karlie Samuelson has some distinguished company in the Stanford women’s basketball record book. During the team’s 73-46 defeat of Arizona in Maples on Jan. 20, she logged her 201^st career 3-pointer.

She’s tied for seventh all-time with Nicole Powell, ’04, with 201. No doubt she’ll move up as the season progresses.

The record for 3’s is held by Candice Wiggins, ’08,  with 295, followed by Jeanette Pohlen, ’11, with 268 and Karlie’s sister Bonnie, ’15, with 237.

Fourth on the list is Vanessa Nygard, ’98, with 210. She’s followed by Kelly Suminski, ’05, with 208 and Sebnem Kimyacioglu,’05, with 205.

Karlie hit her 200^th trey on a buzzer beater at the end of the third quarter. Her 3’s were among eight scored by the team. Adding to that total were senior forward Erica “Bird” McCall, junior guard Brittany McPhee, senior guard Briana Roberson and sophomore forward Alanna Smith, all with one each.

The game was essentially decided at the end of the first quarter when Stanford led 28-6, a 22-point margin. Likewise, the half ended 45-23, up 22 points. The third ended 63-36, up 27. The final score, 73-46, kept the margin at 27.

Starting the game for the Cardinal were Bird, Karlie, Brittany, Bri and freshman forward Nadia Fingall.

Much to the delight of the bench, all 11 available players had seen action by the end of the game, and all but sophomore guard Marta Sniezek had scored. Marta compensated for her lack of points by dishing out a game-high seven assists. She also had two rebounds and a steal.

Sophomore center Shannon Coffee was in street clothes and didn’t play. Freshman guard Anna Wilson wasn’t seen. Head coach Tara VanDerveer said after the game that Anna wasn’t feeling well.

Karlie led the scoring with 15 points to go with seven rebounds, two assists, a block and a steal. Bird and Britt had 13 each.  Junior forward Kaylee Johnson and Alanna both had 9. Like Karlie, Kaylee snared seven rebounds.

The team out-rebounded Arizona 44-27 and had the edge in assists, 19-8. Arizona was slightly better at hanging onto the ball, logging 16 turnovers, while Stanford had 17.

Next up is Arizona State at 3 p.m. Jan. 22. That game will be enlivened by the annual visit of the agility dogs during the half.

Tara helped to promote that game with a video of a coaching session with three dogs as her audience.

Outlasted by OSU

For the first time in 30 tries, Oregon State defeated the Stanford women’s basketball team at Maples, but it took two overtimes to accomplish the feat on Jan. 8.

In a hard-fought battle between the Pac 12’s two undefeated teams, regulation ended 51-51, the first OT 63-63 and the second OT 72-69 in the visitors’ favor.

Stanford had a chance to clinch the game at the end of regulation when junior guard Brittany McPhee hit a layup to tie the score and was fouled, but she missed the free throw.

More made free throws could have swung the game Stanford’s way. The team made only 17 of 26 FTs, or 65.4 percent. OSU was 11 of 14, or 78.6 percent.

Limited success from beyond the arc hurt, too, with only 4 of 9, or 44.4 percent, going in, with two from senior forward Erica “Bird” McCall and one each from Brittany and senior guard Briana Roberson. Senior guard Karlie Samuelson, usually so reliable from afar, got off no shots from that territory because someone from OSU was glued to her every step of the way.

A few more rebounds might have helped, with 45 by Stanford compared with 50 by OSU.

Brittany goes up for a layup. (San Jose Mercury News photo)

Brittany had missed the Oregon game with a sprained ankle, but she returned to the starting lineup for this one. She was joined by Bird, Karlie, Bri and freshman forward Nadia Fingall.

Anna Wilson, who had only recently returned to action, was in street clothes again.

It was a seesaw game with the score tied five times and the lead changing six times.

Bird and Nadia were the only Cardinal players in double figures with 25 and 10 points, respectively. Bri, Brittany and sophomore guard Marta Sniezek had 9 each. Nine players got into the game.

Next the Cardinal hit the road, playing Utah at 5 p.m. Jan. 13 and Colorado at 1 p.m. Jan. 15. Both games will be televised by the Pac 12 Network.

Alanna's night in the limelight

Although she reportedly had suffered a sprained ankle several days earlier, Alanna Smith led the Stanford women’s basketball team to an 81-60 victory over visiting Oregon on Jan. 6.

The sophomore forward from Australia scored 24 points in just 20 minutes, snared four rebounds, dished two assists and stole the ball twice. She was a perfect 5-for-5 from the free-throw line, helping the team reach 83.3 percent, or 15-of-18 there.

She wasn’t alone in her efforts. Senior guard Briana Roberson chipped in 15 points, followed by senior forward Erica “Bird” McCall with 14. Senior guard Karlie Samuelson and sophomore guard Marta Sniezek had 9 each. Marta had opened the game with a successful drive to the basket.

One of the night’s many highlights came early in the third quarter when Marta took an inbounds pass and lobbed it to Karlie, who in turn lobbed to Alanna for the basket –- all without the ball touching the floor.

Both junior forward Kaylee Johnson and freshman guard Mikaela Brewer were back in action after injuries, but played limited minutes. Junior guard Brittany McPhee was out with a boot, reportedly from a sprained ankle.

The starting lineup featured Bird, Bri, Karlie, Marta and freshman forward Nadia Fingall. All 12 available players saw action before the final whistle.

Scoring included six 3’s, with three from Bri and one each from Karlie, Alanna and Bird.

Assists (17) outnumbered the team’s turnovers (14). Stanford held the edge in rebounds with 41, compared with 36 for the Ducks.

Once again the game was missing the band, Dollies and Tree because the administration has suspended all band activities. Instead too-loud canned music filled Maples.

One well received new twist to the game came between the third and fourth quarters, when T-shirts attached to white mini-parachutes fluttered from overhead into the crowd.

The score was 18-13 after the first quarter, 35-27 at the half and 57-45 after the third.

Oregon State comes calling at 5 p.m. Jan. 8.

Anna makes debut as team romps

It will be a long time before Anna Wilson forgets the Stanford women’s basketball team’s 102-44 home victory over Yale on Dec. 28.

Not only did the freshman guard see her first action in a Cardinal uniform, but also she was one of four players in double figures, racking up 11 points plus one rebound, an assist and a steal in 17 minutes.

Playing the point, she entered the game to loud cheers with about six minutes to go in the second quarter and the score 32-9. Less than a minute later, she stole the ball on a Yale inbound pass and scored her first collegiate basket to even more cheers. She followed that up with a 3-pointer with less than two minutes to go before the half.

As the team headed for the locker room for halftime, senior guard Karlie Samuelson draped her arm around her young teammate. By the time Anna was done playing in the second half, she had two more of the team’s 10 treys.

Finally recovered from an injury just before she was to play in the McDonald’s All American game last spring (with classmates-to-be forward Nadia Fingall and guard DiJonai Carrington), Anna was in uniform for the team’s pre-Christmas road trip to Tennessee and George Washington, but she didn’t play.

Four score in double figures

Besides Anna, those in double figures were Karlie with a game-high 21, senior forward Erica “Bird” McCall with 19 and junior guard Brittany McPhee with 15.

Karlie drives to the  basket on her way to 21 points. (Photo by Bob Drebin)

The bulk of Karlie’s scoring came from beyond the arc, shooting 4-of-5 on 3’s.  With just more than seven minutes to go in the third quarter, she made three in a row.

In addition to Karlie and Anna, players with successful 3’s were sophomore guard Alexa Romano with two and Bird one. As a team, Stanford was 10-of-18 on 3’s, or 55.6 percent. Overall, the team shot 54.5 percent, compared with the Bulldogs’ 26.6 percent.

The team had 49 rebounds, led by sophomore forward Alanna Smith with a career-high 13, to go with 7 points. Yale had 33 rebounds.

Head coach Tara VanDerveer used all 11 available players. Junior forward Kaylee Johnson was still out with a foot injury, but she was no longer wearing a boot. Freshman guard Mikaela Brewer had a boot on her foot.

Everyone played at least 11 minutes (sophomores Shannon Coffee, center, and Marta Sniezek, guard), and no one played more than 27 (Alanna). Everyone scored.

The starting lineup featured Bird, Karlie, Brittany, senior guard Briana Roberson and, for the first time, Nadia. Nadia contributed 8 points on 4-for-4 shooting, a career-high four assists, a block and six rebounds.

Defense helps to fuel win

Tough defense was a highlight of the team’s energetic play. Scoring began with three consecutive baskets made off Yale turnovers. Yale didn’t have its first basket until about seven minutes to go in the first quarter, making the score 8-2.

Several times the Cardinal disrupted Yale passes, contributing to the opponent’s 19 turnovers. For its part, the Cardinal had only seven turnovers. Stanford had 13 steals to Yale’s one. The assist edge for Stanford was 19-11.

Among the game’s highlights were savvy passes by Marta. Twice in the third quarter, she took an inbound pass and hurled it down court for baskets by Brittany and Bird.

The score was 24-6 after the first quarter, 50-18 after the second and 83-31 after the third. The final score marked the first time since a 100-71 win over Arizona on March 11, 2011, that the team had passed the century mark.

Alanna made sure of that by scoring with two minutes to go, capped off by a free throw by Brittany with just over a minute left.

Thus the team ended its pre-conference schedule and looked ahead to the Pac-12 season. It will start with a trip to the desert to face Arizona State at 3 p.m. Dec. 30 and Arizona at 1 p.m. Jan. 1.

And now for a bit of editorializing: As the crowd of 3,564 no doubt noticed, the game was missing the band, the Dollies and the Tree. Administrators have suspended all band activities because of some of its behavior over the years.

Speaking strictly as an SWBB fan, I appreciate the band’s enthusiasm and support of the team. Often it’s the largest student contingent at the games.

I missed its playing of “All Right Now” just before tipoff and after each win, followed by “Hail, Stanford, Hail.” (Recordings of the band playing those two songs did come after the Yale game.)

The band and its supporters have launched a letter-writing campaign to convince the administration to reverse its order to suspend the student-run band and reorganize it under professional leadership.

It’s urging people to write letters to President Marc Tessier-Lavigne, Provost John Etchemendy and incoming Provost Persis Drell and email them to marctl@stanford.edu, etch@stanford.edu, persis@stanford.edu  and freethestanfordband@gmail.com.

Use the subject line “In support of the Stanford band” followed by the sender’s name.

Victory over UCD ups record to 8-1

Despite a dearth of threes and frees –- plus no Tree –- the Stanford women’s basketball team handily defeated UC Davis 68-42 on Dec. 4 in Maples and improved to 8-1 on the season.

The team wore turquoise uniforms with red lettering and trim in honor of Native American Heritage Month. In Navajo culture, turquoise represents harmony, friendship and fellowship.

With junior forward Kaylee Johnson sidelined by a foot injury, the starting lineup featured sophomore guard Marta Sniezek, senior guards Briana Roberson and Karlie Samuelson, junior guard Brittany McPhee and senior forward Erica “Bird” McCall.

Bird topped the team with 17 points and 13 rebounds to go with one block. The only other Cardinal player in double digits was Brittany with 11, plus four rebounds, one assist and 
one block.

Everyone scores

All 11 available players saw at least six minutes of action, all scored, and no one played more than 28 (Marta). As the game clock wound down, only sophomore center Shannon Coffee hadn’t scored. However, thanks to an unselfish assist from freshman guard DiJonai Carrington, Shannon scored the team’s final basket, evoking cheers from her teammates.

Never trailing, the team led 20-8 after the first quarter, 36-20 at the half and 47-26 after the third.

Defense was tight, limiting Davis to 23.4 percent shooting, compared with Stanford’s 44.4 percent. The Cardinal also had a rebounding advantage, 54-38.

When the players in turquoise shot from beyond the arc, though, things weren’t so bright. Only three of 19 treys, or 15.8 percent, went through the net. Bri, sophomore guard Alexa Romano and freshman guard Mikaela Brewer accounted for them. Davis had more success, making six of 25, or 24 percent.

Free-throw shooting was deficient, too, with only nine of 24, or 37.5 percent, going in.

After the game, season ticket holders were invited to a gathering in Dallmar Court to enjoy refreshments and to hear from the coaches and players.

Tournament was good experience

Associate head coach Amy Tucker began the event by noting that the team had played and won three games in three days at a tournament in Cancun, Mexico, over the Thanksgiving break. “It really benefited our team,” she said.

She asked Alexa to talk about the three weeks she had spent in India as part of a service program with Duke during the summer. Paired with five Duke athletes and four others from Stanford, Alexa taught English and basketball in New Delhi.

Head coach Tara VanDerveer then took the microphone, saying, “This was a big win for us.” Davis had lost only one game coming into Maples. “We did a great job defensively,” she said.

The team had preceded this win with one at Cal State Bakersfield, coached by Bird’s father, Greg, in her hometown. “It was amazing” to beat her dad, she said, and she was pleased by the surprise visit of her sister, DeWanna Bonner, who plays for the WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury.

Tara complimented Bird, saying she “runs the floor as well as any post player we’ve had.”

As for the two inactive players, Tara said she hopes to have Kaylee back soon. It hasn’t been decided if freshman guard Anna Wilson, who hasn’t played because of a concussion in the spring, will redshirt. “We’re hoping she plays,” Tara said.

Seniors name influential classes

She asked the three seniors which Stanford classes had been most influential. Karlie cited the autism class she’s taking, while Bird named cultural psychology and Bri listed ethics and politics of public service.

Before introducing each player, Tara said, “We’re just getting better and better. … Our freshmen are phenomenal. … This is a special team.”

Of sophomore forward Alanna Smith, the Australian who’s the team’s first international player, she said, “She has stepped up her game.”

The team’s second international player, Mikaela from Canada, is “very athletic (and) a quick learner.” She’s the oldest of six children.

Alexa is “a quiet assassin out there. She gets things done.”

Anna has been “working very hard on the sidelines (and) will be a great addition to our program.”

DiJonai is “very aggressive (and) coachable. She listens well.”

For Marta, also from a large family as the eighth of nine children, “the sky’s the limit,” Tara said. Earlier Tara called Marta “a phenomenally talented point guard (and) an extremely unselfish player.”

Bri, one of the team’s four captains, is “becoming a defensive stopper for us,” in addition to having “great offensive skills.”

Another captain, Bird, ‘is just scratching the surface.” She’s a “great leader,” too.

The next captain, Karlie, could be a coach. She’s “one of our glue players,” and “very unselfish.”

As for Kaylee, the fourth captain, “you know what to expect from her.” She’s a “blue collar player (and) a vocal team leader.”

Freshman forward Nadia Fingall “is off to a great start. She can score on anybody,” making about 75 percent of her shots.

Shannon “is another very smart player (who) passes the ball well.” She’s healthy this year, unlike last year.

What’s on tap for the team

Looking ahead, Tara said the game at Tennessee on Dec. 18 will be tough. “We’ve got a lot of improving to do.”

In the meantime, this is dead week at Stanford, to be followed by finals next week.

After the Tennessee game, the team will travel to the nation’s capital to face George Washington U on Dec. 21.

Players will have four days off to celebrate Christmas before returning Dec. 26 to host Yale on Dec. 28.

Pac-12 competition begins at Arizona State on Dec. 30 and at Arizona on New Year’s Day.

Tournament tuneup?

Perhaps looking ahead to the coming week, when the Stanford women’s basketball team has three games in a row, head coach Tara VanDerveer substituted freely and frequently in the team’s 88-54 victory over Cal State Northridge on Nov. 20.

The team will spend the Thanksgiving holiday at a tournament in Cancun, Mexico, facing Northeastern, Wichita State and Purdue on consecutive days starting Nov. 24.

Tara altered the starting lineup somewhat, sticking with senior forward Erica “Bird” McCall, junior forward Kaylee Johnson, senior guard Briana Roberson and junior guard Brittany McPhee but substituting senior guard Karlie Samuelson for sophomore guard Marta Sniezek.

Karlie returns to starting lineup

Karlie hadn’t started previous games after recently recovering from a hairline fracture in her left forearm, but she was usually first off the bench.

However, Marta came in about halfway through the first quarter, joined by freshman forward Nadia Fingall.

By the end of the first half, when the score was 41-23, 11 of the 12 available players had seen action. The only exception was that night’s featured player, sophomore center Shannon Coffee, but she came onto the court only 30 seconds into the third quarter and wound up playing a total of seven minutes.

The most anyone played was 25 minutes, logged by Bird.

Shannon goes up for a score. (Bob Drebin/Isiphotos)

Shannon shines in short time

Shannon’s seven minutes were the least by anyone. She made the most of her time, though, with a career-high 8 points on 3-for-3 shooting from the floor and 2-for-2 shooting from the free-throw line. She also added three rebounds and a steal to her stat line.

Bird led the scoring with 17 points plus five rebounds, two assists and one block. Brittany and Nadia were right behind her with 14 points each in 21 and 16 minutes, respectively. Brittany also had one each in rebounds, assists and blocks plus two steals. Nadia had seven rebounds.

Two of Nadia’s classmates, guard DiJonai Carrington, playing 13 minutes, and guard Mikaela Brewer, playing 15 minutes, chipped in with 7 and 3 points, respectively.

The team had a total of 52 rebounds, compared with 29 by the Matadors. Kaylee, Nadia and sophomore forward Alanna Smith each had seven.

The turnover picture was improved with 13, while free throw shooting was admirable, 17 of 20, or 85 percent.

The three-point percentage was only 33.3, with five of 15. The threes came from Brittany, Karlie, Bird, Mikaela and Alanna.

Halftime entertainment was provided by Native Boogie and Beats, a group of Native American dancers in colorful costumes accompanied by two men in street clothes drumming and chanting. The dancers were mostly women and a few children.

After returning from Mexico, the Cardinal travel to Cal State Bakersfield to take on the team coached by Bird’s father at 7 p.m. The next home game is against UC Davis at 2 p.m. Dec. 4.

Family's first for Joslyn

When Stanford WBB alum Joslyn Tinkle, ’13, returned to Maples Nov. 18, she was wearing a Gonzaga shirt and sitting behind the Gonzaga bench.

Why? Because her sister, Elle, a redshirt senior, was a starting guard for the Zags as they faced their Cardinal hosts. As it turned out, Elle also was her team’s second-high scorer in its 68-63 victory.

It wasn’t an easy game for either team. Gonzaga held one-point advantages, 15-16 and 27-28, at the end of the first and second quarters, respectively, but Stanford was ahead 51-46 after the third.

Sara, Joslyn recount recent doings

That’s when Joslyn and teammate Sara James, ’14, were interviewed. Joslyn said she’d been playing professionally overseas, but she’s taking this year off to keep up with her family. Besides Elle with Gonzaga, her dad, Wayne, is the men’s basketball coach at Oregon State, and her brother, Tres, is on the team.

Sara, who earned her master’s degree in the pediatric nurse practitioner program at Columbia in New York City, is now a nurse at Stanford Hospital.

Both were warmly greeted.

Head coach Tara VanDerveer kept the starting lineup intact with sophomore guard Marta Sniezek, senior guard Briana Roberson, junior guard Brittany McPhee, junior forward Kaylee Johnson and senior forward Erica “Bird” McCall.

Bri scored first for the Cardinal, and freshman forward Nadia Fingall was the first player off the bench, subbing for Kaylee. Next came senior guard Karlie Samuelson, subbing for Marta.

Five players do the heavy lifting

Altogether, Tara used 10 of the 12 available players, but Bird, Bri, Brittany, Karlie and sophomore forward Alanna Smith had the lion’s share of minutes.

Brittany led the team with 22 points plus eight rebounds, three assists and one block in 32 minutes.

Bird gets the team ready to run onto the floor.  Bob Drebin/Isiphotos

Bird added 17 points and 11 rebounds for her first double-double of the season. She also had one assist, one block and one steal in 34 minutes.

Also in double figures was Karlie with 10 points plus one rebound, three assists, one block and three steals in 37 minutes, but she fouled out late in the game.

Zags hot beyond the arc

Perhaps the most telling difference between the two teams is that the Zags were hot with their treys, making eight of 13, or 61.5 percent. Meanwhile, Stanford was cold, scoring on only three of 18, or 16.7 percent. Bird, Bri and Karlie each had one.

The team showed some improvement in turnovers, 11 for the game. However, the last one, an intercepted inbounds pass when Stanford had a final chance, proved to be a killer, combined with the Zags’ successful free throws after Stanford’s intentional fouls.

Overall, it was a tight game, but the home team couldn’t overcome cold shooting, 37.9 percent for the game, compared with the visitors’ 50 percent.

The team has a short time to regroup before hosting Cal State Northridge at 11:30 a.m. Nov. 20.

Father knows best

When Darren Smith, father of sophomore forward Alanna Smith, was asked what advice he had for the Stanford women’s basketball team during the third quarter of its game against Texas, he had just five words: “Get the ball to Brittany.”

Evidently the team heard the man who had played professional basketball in Australia for 12 years. Junior guard Brittany McPhee poured in a team-high, game-high and career-high 28 points to lead the 11^th- ranked Cardinal to a decisive 71-59 victory over the visiting 8^th-ranked Longhorns on Nov. 14.

Alanna’s father and mother, Simone, were visiting their daughter from their home in Australia.

Alanna drives to the basket.

As if heeding her dad’s advice, Alanna immediately dished an assist to Brittany, raising the score to 48-39 and giving Brittany her 25^th point, one past her previous career high of 24.

A few minutes later, though, Alanna went to the floor during a scrum under the Texas basket and didn’t pop up right away until senior guard Karlie Samuelson helped her to her feet. Trainer Katelin Knox accompanied Alanna toward the locker room, but she returned to the bench a short time later.

She didn’t see any more action, but she eagerly joined her teammates in tossing victory balls after the game. Her stat line showed 5 points, one rebound and two assists in nine minutes.

Brittany gets a high five from Kate after the game.

Not content with merely scoring 28 points, Brittany had seven rebounds, two assists, one block and one steal in 39 minutes. Her scoring included two-of-two on treys. Also contributing 3’s were Karlie and senior forward Erica “Bird” McCall with one each.

Bird has six blocks

Although Bird’s 17 points were second on the team, they were almost overshadowed by her six blocks. For example, early in the second quarter she made two in a row during one Texas possession. She also had five rebounds, two assists and one steal in 39 minutes.

Bird, Brittany, junior forward Kaylee Johnson, senior guard Briana Roberson and sophomore guard Marta Sniezek started the game. In an encouraging sign, Marta scored the team’s first 2 points on a drive to the basket. A second drive was unsuccessful. She finished with 3 points, thanks to a free throw, but she also had five assists and one steal in 25 minutes.

Karlie was first off the bench, filling in for Bri.

Head coach Tara VanDerveer used eight of the 12 available players. Besides Karlie and Alanna, the only other player off the bench was freshman forward Nadia Fingall, who had one rebound and one assist in four minutes.

The evening opened with a well received operatic rendition of the national anthem from Steve Goodman, Stanford professor of medicine.

Shortly thereafter, Lili Thompson arrived and sat courtside opposite the Texas bench. Lili left the team for undisclosed reasons after last season but is completing her senior year at Stanford.

Despite all the bright spots and the victory, the team still has areas of concern, especially the 20 turnovers. It also was outrebounded 38-32.

The team made only 11 of 18 free throws, or 61.1 percent, but Texas was worse, making six of 14, or 42.9 percent.

Team edges ahead after first quarter

The game’s start wasn’t all that promising, with Stanford lagging 17-18 after the first quarter. The team pulled away during the second quarter, which ended 35-29, and the third, when the score was 58-50.

Attendance, 2,447, seemed sparse for a game between nationally ranked teams, but the 5 p.m. start time on a work night could have been a factor, as could have been the national telecast. Some fans arrived after the game had started.

Next up is another home game, this one against Gonzaga at 7 p.m. Nov. 18. It will be quickly followed by another home game against Cal State Northridge at 11:30 a.m. Nov. 20.

Photos by Don Feria IsiPhotos

Game one is won

The Stanford women’s basketball team opened its regular season with a decisive 83-55 win over Cal Poly in Maples on Nov. 11.

Except for the very first few minutes, Cal Poly never led. The closest the Mustangs got after that came late in the second quarter, when they trailed 25-23. That’s when junior guard Brittany McPhee knocked in two consecutive baskets to put the Cardinal ahead 29-23. There was no looking back after that.

The score was 38-27 at the half and 61-41 after the third quarter.

Bri led all Cardinal players with 16 points

Bri leads the way in scoring

Senior guard Briana Roberson was the night’s star, compiling 16 points, including four 3’s, to lead the team.

Also contributing to the team’s eight 3’s were senior guard Karlie Samuelson and freshman guard Mikaela Brewer with two each. Sharpshooter Karlie’s first 3 came late in the second quarter, a good sign for a player who had been cleared to play only a few days earlier after recovering from a hairline fracture in her left forearm.

She also was the first player off the bench, entering the game to loud applause about halfway through the first half. She finished the game with 10 points plus two assists and a steal in 19 minutes.

Besides Bri and Karlie, the other three players in double figures were senior forward Erica “Bird” McCall with 14, junior forward Kaylee Johnson with 11 and Brittany with 10.

Bird, Kaylee, Brittany, Bri and sophomore guard Marta Sniezek started the game. By the time it was over, all 12 available players saw action and contributed in some way. Freshman guard Anna Wilson has yet to be cleared.

Mikaela on her way toward making both of her 3's

Freshmen show their mettle

Fans were especially pleased at the other three freshmen’s contributions. Besides Mikaela’s 6 points, forward Nadia Fingall chipped in with 6 points, while guard DiJonai Carrington had 5. Moreover, Nadia had two blocks, and Di had one steal. In all, the freshmen scored 17 points, slightly more than 20 percent of the team’s total.

With everyone making at least two, the team had 45 rebounds, led by Kaylee and sophomore forward Alanna Smith with eight each. The team also had 21 assists, including 10 from Marta.

The 2,684 fans were joined by the band, Tree, Dollies and cheerleaders. The game opened with a presentation of colors by a Navy contingent in honor of Veterans Day.

Alexa talks about trip to India

Sophomore guard Alexa Romano was the featured player, speaking in a video about her experiences with a Stanford-Duke program in India during the summer. She also was featured in This or That questions with such queries as whether she liked pie or cake, or pancakes or waffles.

Although there were many bright spots for the team, there also were areas for improvement, such as free throws, only 7 of 15, or 46.7 percent; and turnovers, 16.

Next up is Texas at 5 p.m. Nov. 14 at Maples.