Stanford Wins at Home vs UC Davis

The Stanford women’s basketball team won at home, after their not so successful trip to Tennessee, but the game was closer than the score indicates. The score was Stanford 71, UC Davis 59, but at the half Stanford only had a 34-30 lead. UC Davis played a tough game, out rebounded the Card, and hung around until late in the game.

Stanford also had a bit of a new look on offense. All five players stood on the perimeter. Not a single person in red and white in the key. Then guards would dribble penetrate and kick out to a waiting three point specialist. Most of the time it worked.

Stanford's Bonnie Samuelson (left) scored a career-high 30 points and teamed with her sister, Karlie (44), to help down UC Davis (Photo by Bob Drebin/stanfordphoto.com)

Stanford hit 10 out of 17 of their threes. The Samuelson sisters made nine of them. Speaking of the sisters, they both got the start in this game, and you know how Stanford loves sister combinations. This was the first time both of them have started in the two years they have both been at Stanford. Younger Karlie (KSam) usually gets the start, but this was older sister Bonnie’s (BSam) first start this year. And of course starting Bonnie made Stanford head coach Tara VanDerveer look like a genius.

Bonnie scored a career-high 30 points, including six three pointers. It was the fifth time she scored six three and her previous game high was 21 points. She also scored 8-10 free throws. Normally that is a great percentage, but Bonnie had a 44-staight streak going on. So to miss once on FTs for her is rare, twice, doubly rare. She had not missed a FT since December 28, 1990. Although when UC Davis played the foul game at near the end Stanford smartly gave her the ball to absorb the foul.And oh, Bonnie’s 30 was the first non-Ogwumike 30-point game at Stanford since Jeanette Pohlen on December 30, 2010.

Freshmen Kaylee Johnson added 11 points and 11 rebounds for Stanford (7-4). Her second double double game. No one else got in double figures, which must vex Tara, and strangely, the other three was made by Lii Thompson but was her only points for the game. She started out the year with a couple of great games including 24 against UConn, (‘member that game?). Not sure what has happened to make her production go down.

Next game is after Christmas on December 28 back at Maples. Hope the players get to go home for the holidays and refresh before the Pac-12 conference games start in January.

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