Stanford WBB wins Pac-12 Tournament

C and R will admit, it did not look good for the Stanford Women’s Basketball team in the championship game. They made it to the finals of the Pac-12 Tournament, after losing to Oregon State in the regular season to lose a share of the regular season title, and wanted some redemption. With some good luck bouncing their way in the tournament, Washington losing in the earlier round, they breezed through Washington State and held off a pesky Oregon team to be here in the big lights. And their opponent? None other than the Oregon State Beavers, the team that had their number, beating them twice in the regular season (although it took double over time in the first match-up).

So when the tip off happened, and Stanford faced the Beavers, Stanford found themselves quickly down, 16-3. This did not look good. Stanford did the same to the Cougars two nights ago, and they could never recover. Stanford was down 12-22 at the end of the first quarter. This match up was billed as two defensive-minded teams facing each other, but 12 points?

Then, Alanna Smith to the rescue. The sophomore Aussie came off the bench to help Stanford slowly claw their way back in to this game offensively. She had 12 points for the half, and some good boards and blocks. Stanford found themselves *only* down 29-23 at the half. That score was somewhat misleading as OSU’s prolific score, Sydney Wiese, hit a crazy, banked-in three at the buzzer, even with Bri Roberson’s hand in her face.

Okay, let’s talk defense for a moment. OSU had 29 points at the half. But they scored 22 in the first quarter. Stanford’s defense held them to just seven points in the second quarter, and Syd Wiese to just five points for the two quarters. Take away that crazy three and OSU is really hurting.

Coming out of the locker room, after a quick peptalk/anger management session with their Hall of Fame coach Tara VanDerveer, the defense rose up again. Alanna got the start and Stanford tied it at 34 all with 3:24 to go on the third. The third quarter ended with OSU hanging on to a 36-34 lead.

Let’s do some more math shall we? Oregon State only scored SEVEN points in the third quarter. That is not de ja vu. Or maybe it is. Let me rephrase, that is not a typo!! Stanford’s defense again came up big, holding OSU down, and Sydney Wiese to just eight points through three quarters.

Fourth quarter, and it was all Stanford. But C and R you say in a high, falsetto voice, isn’t this where OSU’s scorer, Sydney Wiese makes her presence known and takes over the game? Isn’t this where she knocks down threes?

Sure, C and R answer, she hit a three. ONE three. One three for the quarter. It was Oregon State’s ONLY field goal of the fourth quarter. They only scored SEVEN points in the fourth quarter. Of a CHAMPIONSHIP game!! The Beavers went 4-for-24 from the field over the final 20 MINUTES! And now I broke my cap lock button.


Coach Tara VanDerveer hoists the Pac-12 Tournament trophy
Photo by Eric Evans
Defense wins championships. Of which Stanford now has 12 of them. Pac-12 tournament titles. Of which is the most in conference history. And gets the Pac-12's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. And C and R continue their streak of incomplete sentences.

Other notables, Alanna, the hero, had 18 points, including one 3-pointer for Stanford. Karlie Samuelson had 14 points, and made two 3-pointers. Erica McCall struggled under the basket, and OSU paid a lot of attention to her, and she ended the game with eight points and eight rebounds. Brittany McPhee also looked off and had six points and six rebounds, as Stanford must like square numbers. Syd Wiese for OSU finished the game with 13 points, below her average. C and R admired how she handled the handshake line, giving Stanford lots of respect, so we gotta respect her back. They will be in the NCAA tourney, for sure.

After the game.
Alanna was named to the all-tournament team, and Erica “Bird” McCall won Most Outstanding Player. Stanford gets the automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament, although Stanford fans (such as C and R) don’t get to see them play locally as Maples Pavilion is hosting the Pac-12 gymnastics championships. Huge Bummer. Home field advantage is huge, and Stanford tends to play better at home. Looking forward to the March Madness!

More Stanford Goodies at the original C and R's Stanford Women's Basketball Blog

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Stanford closes out regular season in a tie for Second in the Pac-12

Going in to the last weekend of regular season basketball, The Stanford Women’s Basketball team controlled their own destiny. They had two games left on the road in Oregon (or as my sister-in-law likes to say, Or-E-gone). A win against the Oregon State Beavers in the second-to-last game would guarantee them first place in the Pac-12 league, a shiny trophy and the number one seed in the Pac-12 tournament, where winner gets an automatic bid to the NCAA tourney. You couldn’t write a more perfect script.

Except Stanford forgot to study the script. They came out against the Beavs flat, and did not look like a team fired up to win a championship. Give OSU some credit for having lock down defense, and a scorer named Sidney Wiese, and Stanford could not get anything going offensively. OSU shut down Stanford’s three-point specialist Karlie Samuelson, as well as the rest of the team from behind the arc, and with no made threes, (0-8) and only 47 total points on offense, they did not look like a championship team. They did hold OSU to 50 points, but losing 50-47 hurts. Probably the biggest differentiator was rebounding, in that Stanford forgot how. They box score says it was OSU 47 to Stanford’s 37, but it seemed a lot more lopsided than that, nothing more frustrating as a series for OSU with FIVE O boards!

Still, Stanford could have won the regular season if Cal beat Oregon State and Stanford closed out the season with a win against the Oregon Ducks. Stanford did bounce back to get the win at Oregon, 65-59, but they still did not look like a championship caliber team. Cal, the one time we rooted for them, lost. Still, you can’t place your destiny in someone else’s hands, as more often than not you will come up short, as Stanford did.

Special shout outs to seniors Karlie with 18 against the Ducks, Erica McCall with a double double (16 points, 14 boards) and Stanford’s favorite beach player as of late, Alanna Smith with 14.


Stanford beats Oregon, ties for 2nd place in Pac-12.
Photo courtesy of Stanford WBB.
So Oregon won the Pac-12 regular season title with a 16-2 record, and Stanford tied with Washington for second with identical 15-3 records. Stanford gets the number two seed at the upcoming Pac-12 tournament, due to a tie breaker that C and R can’t figure out. Point difference in the two games vs Washington, maybe?

So, to recap, Stanford gets a first-round bye for the Pac-12 tournament in Seattle March 2-5 and will play the winner of No. 7 Washington State and No. 10 Colorado on Friday at 6 PM. Tune on to all the games, as you will witness history every time Washington’s Kelsey Plum scores. She just broke the career points scored for D1 women’s hoops, needing 54 points in the next few games. She decided to just get it out of the way and scored 57 in one game. So any more points she scores is gravy.

Once again, Stanford controls its own destiny with the start of this tournament. Run the table, win three games in a row this weekend, and they still get the shiny trophy and the Pac-12 tournament champions moniker, and most importantly, the automatic bid to the NCAA tournament.

More Stanford Goodies at the original C and R's Stanford Women's Basketball Blog.

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Tara VanDerveer Celebrates Special Win #1,000

We get so used to seeing wins out of the Stanford Women’s Basketball team, with Tara VanDerveer at the helm. So used to catching victory balls on the home court at Maples Pavilion after those wins. So used to cheering in the face of opposition the times we venture off campus to support the team in a road game. These wins always send C and R home with a smile. However Stanford’s win over USC on Feb. 3 was truly special.

We got to celebrate career win #1,000 for Tara VanDerveer and look back on her legendary career. Tara, in her typical understated-ness said this was pretty much like any game, and would be on to victory #1,001 shortly after. However, it was great to see the joy her players had for being part of this historic run and this particular victory.

There was Erica “Bird” McCall, all fist-pumping and fired up for hitting a three at the half time buzzer to put the team up 31-22, and running C’s streak of free pizzas (She had guessed 30 points at the half). There was the pure unadulterated glee as Erica and Karlie Samuelson caught Tara unaware as they held a huge orange Gatorade Bucket over Tara’s head, her body language prepared to be doused, only to find out it contained confetti. And the pride the three seniors had, Erica, Karlie and Bri Roberson, presenting Tara with a commemorative plaque with a Stanford jersey with “Vanderveer” on the back and the number 1,000.


Stanford Coach Tara VanDerveer celebrates win #1,000.
Photo courtesy of Stanford WBB.
Final score, not that anyone cares, was 58-42, a low scoring affair for Stanford. Wonder if emotions had anything to do with it? The game was close until the third when Karlie Samuelson hit three 3-pointers in quick succession and added a jumper at the buzzer to help Stanford pull away. She would finish with a game-high 21 points. Erica added 18, and Brittany McPhee chipped in ten.

But when the final seconds ticked down, and Maples began chanting and cheering, the final score did not matter. More confetti rained down from the ceiling, Pac-12 commissioner Larry Scott gave Tara a commutative trophy. Former player and now much-in-demand TV analyst Ros Gold-Onwude (we said hi, she knew who we were!) summed up the night for the crowd, and finally the microphone was given to the coach herself.

Believe it or not, she, the master of dead-panned humor said she was speechless! Then in traditional Tara fashion thanked many and deflected glory. For Tara, echoed the many articles written before the game, the game is not about the victories but about the relationships. A wonderful video tribute played with so many people stating what Tara means to her, including many Stanford fan favorites of ex-players.

The night was attended by some of those players, such as Jennifer Azzi, who said more than a coach, Tara has been her friend for life. The game just happened to coincided with National Girls and Women in Sports Day, and in the lobby before the game, C and R walked by Simone Manuel and Katie Ledecky giving autographs and in Simone’s case, wearing flippers on dry land to race a young fan in a swim rely. At half time, Stanford introduced the National Champs in Women’s Volleyball, and just “a few” of Stanford’s Olympians, including Ledecky and Manuel. You know, every day people you might see in class if you went to Stanford.

So yes, it was great to make a big deal out of one victory for Tara VanDerveer, lest we forget every victory is special in its own way. Bay Area sports fan, we are lucky to have such a person who strives for success, yet puts more emphasis on watching and helping her players grow.

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Stanford Starts the Season 3-1

Women’s Basketball is back, and even though UConn is supposed to have a “down year,” they still remain queens of the hardwood. But what about the Stanford Women’s Basketball team?
After a rousing exhibition win over UC San Diego (and Stanford’s head coach Tara VanDerveer beating her sister Heidi at the helm for San Diego), the regular season started with a bang. Here are small synopses of the games:

Cal Poly
Playing at home at Maples Pavillion, Stanford handily beat Cal Poly 83-55. The nice thing about this win was we got to see a lot of the freshmen, and for the first time in a long time, we can say there is not a huge drop off when we go deep in the bench. Everybody scored, almost, Shannon Coffee being the lone active player with zero points, and freshie Anaa Wilson was injured and not suited up for the game. See all the points scored in the box score here:

Texas
This was a huge test, as then No. 11 Stanford beat No. 8 Texas 71-59. How did they do it? Stanford drove inside. The score was actually pretty even until midway through the third quarter. Stanford found their groove and drove to the basket, in particular Brittany McPhee and Erica McCall. Stanford also benefited from the very bad “hand check” rule, where if an opposing player puts her hand on the player with the ball, it gets whistled as a foul. Never mind that the hand does not push or shove or alter the dribbling player’s trajectory at all. It is a bad rule, as bodies go flying on drives to the basket and on rebounds and nothing gets called, yet the refs have to whistle for the hand check. Once Stanford got their confidence in going inside, and Texas was on their heels, forget about it. Hats off to Brittany McPhee with a career-high 28 points, and Erica McCall with 17 points. Erica had six blocked shots, one off her career high. Box score here.

Texas highlights from Stanford Athletics::


Gonzaga
Remember how we said Stanford found their groove against Texas by driving inside? Well, they lost that groove, and that driving mindset, to unranked Gonzaga, losing 68-63. Stanford could not get the ball inside and was trailing most of the game. Their offense was very stagnant. When you work the ball on the perimeter, you better make some threes. Stanford was 3-18 from beyond the arc. Well, if the threes aren’t falling, you better drive inside. And that’s what Stanford didn’t do for most of the game.

Finally, in the third quarter, Britany McPhee started to drive inside and Stanford was helped by a foul calls. Erica McCall hit some tough jumpers just outside the paint (she would end up with 17 points). Stannie took the lead with 2 minutes left in the third. Then they stopped going inside and Gonzaga got hot from behind the arc and took the lead back with 6 minutes in the 4th. Stanford had the ball and was trailing by 1 with 27 seconds and called a time out. What worked for Stanford the last few scoring plays? Brittany McPhee going left and driving to the basket. What did Stanford do for a must get basket? Britany McPhee driving left to the basket (she would score 22 total points). How many Gonzaga defenders beat her to the spot? Three, with a Gonzaga player named Tinkle blocking her shot (more on Tinkle below).

Wasn’t Britany’s fault, when you are one-dimensional, the other team can predict. Still, Stanford had a shot with 14 seconds and down by three. Not sure what play Tara drew up in the time out, but Alana Smith inbounded the ball and threw a rainbow across the key to three-point specialist Karlie Samuelson, and the high, arching pass was easily intercepted by Gonzaga.

Let this loss be an eye opener to diversify their scoring options. Know what else drove a dagger in Stanford’s heart? A Tinkle. Former Stanford Alum Joselyn Tinkle’s little sister Elle plays for Gonzaga and she scored 18 points and added three blocked shots (including the last one on Brittany). She was especially good in the fourth. Jill Barta, the Zags tall athletic center scored 26. Laura Stockton, daughter of NBA great John Stockton, played guard for Gonzaga and contributed 12 points and 4 assists. Full box score.

CSUN
After a bad loss to an unranked team, Cal State Northridge was just want the doctor ordered. And you can bet Tara had the team work on getting the ball inside, and drives to the basket. Erica McCall scored 17 points, Brittany McPhee and freshie Nadia Fingall, benefiting from extended minutes also had 14 and Stanford beat CSUN 88-54. In fact, Tara gave extended minutes to everyone active, and 11 of 12 players scored and grabbed rebounds for Stanford. Passing was also crisp, and Stanford had 19 assists.

What’s next? Stanford will travel to the Cancun Challenge for Thanksgiving, and will take on Northeastern (Nov. 24), Wichita State (Nov. 25) and Purdue (Nov. 26). Guess who is following? C and R will be live tweeting from games…except if we book a snorkeling or boogie boarding excursion…or I can’t figure out how to do wifi in Mexico. Look for us over your Thanksgiving!!

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Women’s Basketball is Back!

The Stanford Women’s Basketball team had their first practice this week and games are right around the corner. Always fun to get a sneak peak at the freshmen, yet we are missing some familiar faces, too. Senior guard Lili Thompson opted out of playing, although she is still at Stanford and is on track to graduate with her class. Kailee Johnson will forego her senior season, graduate two quarters early and pursue a career in real estate investment. Gotta strike while the market is hot.


The Stanford Women's Basketball Team 2016-17 The Stanford Women’s Basketball website also has a new look and feel (thanks to them I had to redo all my links), and here is a cool page on Cardinal Facts.

Check out their first day of practice (and why is Karlie Samuelsson wearing a cast?)


Can’t wait for the season to start!

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Stanford’s Sweet, Sweet Sixteen

So the Stanford Women’s Basketball Team was playing Notre Dame in the Sweet Sixteen. No one, and I mean no one, thought they could win. In fact, for ESPN to fill the pre-game show they had to ask the analysts what Stanford could do to win the game and, well, the commentators, let’s just say, were all firmly in Notre Dame’s camp.

So, C and R asked each other what does Stanford need to do to win??

Stanford would have to take control early in the game and play lock down D and outscore ND. If we do that, we gonna win.

Have to hold ND’s Brianna Turner to zero points in the first half, then we gonna win.

Get high flying ND guard Lindsey Allan in foul trouble and send her to the bench and limit her to six points in the first half, then we gonna win.

Have Erica McCall get going early and score 19 by the half, we gonna win.

Be up by 11 at the half, we gonna win.

If Kaylee Johnson is scoring, we gonna win.

Get Kaylee Johnson involved in the offense, score early and have a double double, then we gonna win.

Have Erica McCall keep the scoring up and score a career-high 27 points and drain at least one 3-pointer and go 12-18 from the field…we gonna win.


Erica McCall, whom coach Tara VanDerveer calls the most improved player in the nation, led all players with 27 points. Photo: Mark Zerof/USA TODAY Sports
Cut off ND’s screen to the elbow play. Do that, and we gonna win.
Shoot 59% from the floor, we gonna win.

Shoot 55% from the three point line, including one from Marta Sniezek, only her second made three of her young career… we gonna win.

Score 11 3-pointers, we gonna win.

Have Karlie Samuelson go 5-6 from behind the line, gonna win

Have freshie guard Marta Sniezek drive in for lay ups and get in double figures for a career high..gonna win.

Heck, if Stanford gets four players in double figures, we gonna win.

Keep a double digit lead for most of the game, we gonna win.

Hold off ND when they make a run, not once, not twice, but THRICE…then we gonna win.

Have Lili Thompson give out a career high in assists, we gonna win.

Have Kaylee Johnson score 17 and gran , say 12 boards, then we gonna win.

Score 90 points… we gonna win.

And if Karlie can score 20 points and make some key baskets just when Stanford needs them…we gonna win!

Have Karlie Samuelson heave, and I mean heave a throw WELL beyond the three point line with time expiring on the shot clock, with a minute and a half to play, and have it bank off the glass for three to make it 84-78 Stanford lead and stop a ND run……WE GONNA WIN!!

WE GONNA WIN!

So that, Ladies and Gentlemen, are all Stanford needs to do to win…..and they did. They beat Notre Dame 90-84, with four players in double figures, career highs in points for Erica and Marta and assists for Lili, a double double for Kaylee, 11 threes and whatever else we said above. Next up is a familiar Pac-12 foe, Washington, on Sunday (yes Easter Sunday) at 10 AM Stanford time. This will be the rubber match, and I don’t think Tara has been beaten by Washington twice in one season since the 80s. We gonna win!

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Stanford Glad to be Or-e-Gone

The Stanford Women’s Basketball team (ranked #11) split two in the state of Oregon. First they played unranked Oregon, were trailing the whole game, and barely won 64-62. Then they played #12 Oregon State, built up a huge lead, and then couldn’t score in the fourth to lose 58-50. Two very contrasting games.

Oregon
Stanford was without their tall tree Erica McCall, who was “not feeling well.” However they held Oregon’s lead scorer Jillian Alleyne to only three points in the first half and five total points. Stanford’s defense is often overlooked.

Kaylee Johnson got the start and made the most of it, and scored in double figures, finishing with 16 points. In fact, Kaylee looked like a different woman out there, hustling, yes, but so sure and confident, really going up strong when she got the ball, or an offensive rebound. We have not seen the type of swagger in her one and a half years on the farm.

What happened in the game, quite simply, Oregon was beating Stanford with threes. They connected on 12-21. Hats off to Karlie Samuelson for making a few herself (4-5) to keep it close. The fourth quarter started with Stanford only down by four.

In the fourth, after trailing the whole game, sometimes as much as nine points, Stanford got it within one with four minutes left, trailing 61-60. That score stuck around until Oregon’s Jillian made a free throw with 53 seconds left.

Lili Thompson wanted it! Samuel Marshall/Emerald)

Cue the music, cue lights, cue our hero, Lili Thompson. Lili drove to her left and made a very tough lay up over two defenders with 35 seconds left to tie the game. And she was fouled! And she missed the free throw. Then rinse and repeat. Lili goes left, makes a tough lay up to go up by two with 2.2 seconds left, is fouled, and misses the free throw. A timeout advances the ball for Oregon and they even got a shot off, but it missed. Stanford hangs on to win 64-62.

Kaylee Johnson with 16, Lili with 16, and Karlie Samuelson with 18.

Oregon State
Which is harder for a fan to watch, trailing all game and heart attack with 2.2 seconds left for the win, or building up a huge lead, feeling good and munching popcorn, only to watch your team slowly starve to death for points and finally lose 58-50? C and R will answer for you. The second one.

This game was not without some Stanford highlights. It was good to see Kailee Johnson (no relation to Kaylee Johnson) have a break out game, take the ball up strong against a taller post and score 14, I believe a career high. Erica McCall was back in the lineup and scored 12. Alas, Lili’s magic from last game could not save them, and she ended up with nine points, and Karlie Samuelson had seven and fouled out of the game.

Tale of Two Halves
After trailing early in the first quarter, Stanford built up a nice lead against the Beavers in the second and even held them to nine points in the second quarter with a 17-6 run. The half time score was 30-21.

Then, Stanford held the Beavs (no relation to Justin Bieber) to nine points again in the third, but only scored ten points themselves, leading 40-30 to start the fourth. Then two things happened, Oregon State went to a zone and Stanford stayed in their same offense, which was not working, and Oregon’s Jamie Weisner got untracked. Wesiner only scored four points in the first half, and ended the game with 18. Also, Devan Hunter made 5-7 threes to end the game with 19. She had only made seven all season long.

How bad was it? Oregon State went on a 22-4 run to win 58-50. Wait, our math must be wrong. Oregon State outscored Stanford 28-10 in the fourth. Yowzza. Here’s more math. This win for Oregon was the first time in 15 years, snapping a29-game losing streak. The last time they won was 2001.

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Stanford Blows Out UC Santa Barbara

Stanford blew out UC Santa Barbara 90-34. The undersized gauchos only shot 20% the first 20 minutes, resulting in 13 points at the half. And what exactly is a gaucho, you ask? Well, we learned from a helpful person wearing a UC Barbara shirt that a gaucho is an Argentinean cowboy, and not stylish short pants.

Brittany McPhee (12) rebounds next to teammate Amber Orrange (33) (GEORGE NIKITIN — AP Photo)

With the lopsided score, Stanford Head Coach Tara VanDerveer got to rest her starters and play all 15 Stanford players, and 12 of them scored. Even with the limited minutes, four players were in double figures. Lili Thompson lead Stanford with 12, Karlee Samuleson and Briana Roberson each had 11, and freshie Brittany McPhee had 10. Loved Brittanys hustle, diving after balls, making blocks, and doing the little things to help her team. Bonnie Samuelson added nine. Speaking of the sharp-shooting Samuelson sisters (say that five times fast), each made three 3-pointers, going a combined 6-9 from downtown. Shout out to Erica McCall with a career high 12 rebounds and eight points. Double shoot out to Jasmine Camp who scored her first basket of the season, a three. She followed that up with a second three pointer.

And yet…

Here, let’s let our guest blogger, D, tell you about it (She got to take R’s place, who is out of town for the holidays).
D: Two things I noticed. When the Stanford posts screen, they are not effective. The other team sees them coming and can slip by the screen.
C: I heard the other team shout our “screen” as it was being set.
D: Exactly, the screen is telegraphed too much.
C: And you can’t discount the fact Stanford has been doing this high screen all season long and teams are noticing this on game film. What was the other thing?
D: Remember that cheer. BE aggressive, B-E aggressive!?
C: Yes.
D:  The post players are just not aggressive, in my opinion. They are not absolute ball hounds going for rebounds and when they catch the ball outside the paint, they are not a threat. They catch the ball and are on their heels looking for the next pass. They do not look like a threat to shoot or drive. The other team can back off of them on defense. They should be able to hit a shot outside the paint to keep the defense honest.
C: Yes, the lack of post play has been a concern of many who follow Stanford. Let’s hope they can keep working on this as Pac-12 play starts.
D: And what is up with the Stanford Tree?
C: That's three things, and I think he is supposed to be a palm tree.
D: I prefer the more Christmas-tree look of past seasons.
C: You gotta admit he is a great dancer.
D: That he is. Let me go take some video…


Enjoy the rest of 2014. We will see everyone back at Maples in 2015 for Pac-12 play (look out for Oregon State).

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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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Stanford Shines in Preseason

Stanford women’s Basketball Fans got a look at what we have been waiting for: The Stanford Women’s Basketball Team. More specifically, this offense that is dubbed “not the triangle.”
Stanford played NAIA Vanguard University, and despite the lack of height (although Vanguard was even smaller), ran all over them to the tune of 105-50. And boy do we mean run. Sophomore Briana Roberson is so, so quick.

Sophomore guard Lili Thonpson is picking up right where she ended her freshmen year, hitting killer shots, pushing the ball, seeing the floor well, and not backing down. She was a bright spot among many (four Stanford players in double figures). Lili scored 26 points. Fellow sophomore Erica McCall had 15 points and 10 boards, one of the players in double figures but she hit hers in the first half! Karlie Samuelson (KSam) added 17 points in 19 minutes. Her specialties are threes and she was 3-6 behind the line. Freshmen Kaylee Johnson had 12 points and 16 boards.

Lili Thompson goes for two (Photo Courtesy of GoStanford -Stanford Official Site)

Yes, we have two players with the same last names, and no they are not sisters. One is Sophomore Kailee Johnson and one is Freshmen Kaylee Johnson. One is pronounced Kay-lee and one is pronounced Ki-lee, but we can’t tell you which one is which. Not to be confused with two players with the same last name of Samuelson, who ARE sisters. Senior Bonnie and sophomore Karlie, hence the BSam and KSam nicknames. Maybe for the Johnsons, KJ1 and KJ2 for the freshie? Or thing 1 and thing 2? What do they do in practice?

Speaking of freshmen, C and R were hoping to get a good look at all the freshies, but one stayed under wraps and on the bench. Kailee Johnson started and scored (See above), Taylor Rooks came in the second half but did not score. We did not get to see freshie Brittany McPhee.

So Stanford proved they were able to score without a triangle or a super tall person. There were a couple of times where they did all the right things, cut to the basket, passed, hit the open man, but the ball did not fall. That is fixable and will come later. C and R were a little leery of the defense. When a Vanguard guard drive by our guards, other Stanford players had trouble picking them up and impeding their path to the basket. Something super all-everything Chiney Ogwumike was very, very good at doing. But it is still early…. And preseason.

Looking forward to more.

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Stanford Rains Threes on Arizona

So this is the story of the Stanford Women’s Basketball Team. During their loss to Washington they shot too many threes (and didn’t make many threes, going 9-41). Then against Arizona State, they didn’t shoot enough (or make enough, going 0-4). Then against Arizona, they shot (and made) just right…you get the idea.

Bonnie Samuelson Shoots Lights Out (Photo Courtesy Stanford Athletics )

First, on to the downtown party. Let’s set the stage. Stanford’s Lili Thompson hits a three with 15 minutes left in the first to tie the game at 11. Then Stanford three-point specialist Bonnie Samuelson came in, she hits all kinda threes (three of them). Stanford goes on a 28-2 run over 10 minutes and it’s now 36-13 with five minutes left. Stanford’s inside player Chiney Ogwumike scores 11 of her 15 points during this period.

Bonnie would also hit three more in the span of one minute and ten seconds towards the end of the half. Freshie Kailee Johnson heaved one with the clock ticking down just before the half and got in on the fun. Lili Thonpson, who scored nine points, and Taylor Greenfield, who scored six points, would each swish two three pointers, and guard Amber Orrrrange would add nine points, all from three pointers. She hit three of four from behind the arc and also passed out nine assists. Over all, Stanford hit making 13 threes on of 24 tries! Ten of them were in the first half! Just right indeed.

And how was Stanford’s defense this game? Also just right. They held Arizona without a basket for a ten-minute period in the first. The half ended with a 49-19 Stanford lead. Stanford would build up a 40-point lead. Not a typo folks, 40 points. How was Arizona’s three point shooting. They were 0-5.

Bonnie Samuelson hit five 3-pointers which is one shy of her career high. All of Bonnie’s 17 points were in the first half, and she scored 17 points in 16 minutes. She also was Stanford’s high scorer. Sister Karlie (KSam) who can also shoot a three was out this with a foot injury but is expected to return next game. ESPN reported it got stepped on Feb 7th.

When the lead got to 40 with 15 minutes left to play in the second, Coach Tara VanDerveer pulled her starters. Chiney Ogwumike, who usually averages in the high 20’s and gets a double-double at the drop of a hat, finished with 15 points and nine rebounds in 22 minutes. It was only the second time this season that Chiney Ogwumike wasn’t Stanford’s leading scorer. We know TVD doesn’t care about records and just wants to win, but we hate to see Chiney’s numbers suffer. Those east-coasters are easily swayed by numbers and we want them to vote her player of the year!

Stanford holds a three-game in Pac-12 play with four games left.

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Battle of the Bay Part 1

So, R prefers to see a close game and C likes the blow-outs, especially when Stanford wins. This time, we both got what we wanted. The Stanford Women’s Basketball Team jumped out to a 30-point lead with 13 minutes left in the game against the Cal Bears (C high-fiving other fans). Cal cut it to five with 18 seconds left (R visibly sweating). Can you say schizophrenic? (Good, cause we can barely spell it).

This game marked the midway point in the Pac-12, and for the first 23 minutes, it was going like all of Stanford’s Pac-12 games so far this year. They were enjoying a wide lead getting bigger as the minutes went by in the second half. Except, Cal went off script in the final seven minutes.

Stanford built up a big lead at the end of the first, 43-25, thanks to Karlie (KSam) Samuelson’s three at the buzzer, and unstoppable inside play by Chiney Ogwumike. Freshie Erica MCCall even got in on the act, doing her best Chiney impression inside, scoring in almost identical fashion off the low blocks. Stanford out rebounded Cal and Cal didn’t even attempt a free throw in the first.

Chiney Ogwumike goes for a lay-up against Cal's Brittany Boyd (Photo: Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group)

Reps from the WNBA were here to watch Stanford’s All-everything Chiney Ogwumike to see if the stats don’t lie. Chiney is the only player in the country to rank in the top ten in field-goal percentage, scoring, rebounding, and double-doubles. What they learned is she can play defense. Well, so can the rest of the team, for a while. After all, this is a Tara VanDerveer production.

Stanford held Cal’s leading scorer Reshanda Gray scoreless. No, not for the half, for the whole game! Stanford’s Mikaela Ruef guarded her for most of the game and limited her to just five rebounds. And Chiney is the best “help defense” player we have seen, so it is usually not just one player guarding the other team’s best, think of it more like one and a half, with Chiney ready to step in.

Granted, Gray was in foul trouble and sat a lot the first half. Funny, we just looked up the box score and Gray only played 14 minutes, yet had two fouls. Why did Cal coach Lindsey Gottlieb keep her on the bench? She is your leading scorer, let her foul out. But we digress.

So Stanford is enjoying a huge lead. Taylor Greenfield hits two consecutive 3-pointers, to put them ahead by 30, 59-29 with 13 minutes left in the game, and all is right with the world, when “it” happened. That one play that changes everything, swings momentum, changes fortunes. Of course, the play we are talking about is the hard foul Cal's Brittany Boyd gave Stanford's Erica McCall. Our friends watching at home said the replay didn’t look that bad, and that Stanford was holding Brittany first. Heck, there was a lot of holding; Chiney got held on every rebound (see photo). The Twittersphere had the understated quote of the night saying, “refs are staying out of this one.”

But in real time, on Boyd’s foul, she gave a hard forearm to Erica, and when the whistle blew, she kept going after Erica until she angrily tackled her to the ground, and that is what C and R have a problem with. It was an out of control outburst, especially after the whistle. The refs huddled but did not make it flagrant.

Maybe it was the stoppage of play that threw off Stanford’s rhythm. Maybe it was coach Tara VanDerveer taking out Chiney with a comfortable 23-point lead after the foul. (Remember what we said about Chiney’s help defense?). We think others are a little used to having her around that they can let their players go by to avoid fouling because Chiney has their back. Well, she can’t while on the bench.

Chiney subbed out when the Stanford lead was 23. She subbed in a minute later and it was a 17-point lead.

Or it could be what one of the Cal blogs called, “playground mode.” Brittany Boyd would grab a rebound and put her head down and charge to the basket until she made it or was fouled, rarely passing. And Stanford let her. No one stopped ball. Brittany would end up with 25 points, 16 of them coming after the hard foul. C and R hate that kind of basketball, but it can be streaky and can get you points as Boyd proved. Stanford, whether with Chiney on the floor or not, cannot let a player take over the game like that.

But Stanford got some key stops in the final two minutes and Chiney scored Stanford’s final two baskets to hang on 70-64.

Box Score:
Chiney scored 23 points and grabbed 12 rebounds for her 16th double-double of the season.
Ruefie scored eight points and grabbed 12 rebounds and had excellent defense, as we mentioned.
KSam the Freshie came off the bench to score 14 points, going 2-3 from the 3-point line, including that one at the buzzer to end the first. But she looked nervous in stretches and only scored 2 points in the second.
Taylor Greenfield added 10 points, to mkae three players in double figures.
Freshie Erica (Baby Chiney) McCall had eight points with four rebounds.
Freshie guard Lili Thompson limped off a few minutes before halftime after appearing to bang her right knee on another player but she came back in the second with a bandaged appendage. She finished with eight assists and a 3-pointer.

Well, we won't have to debate this game for long, as with this quirky Pac-12 scheduling, Stanford travels to Cal to play them Sunday. Of course it is Superbowl Sunday and Twittersphere again said, “why do the powers that be hate women’s sports so much to schedule a great match up like this on Superbowl Sunday where it will be lost amidst the football roar (or something like that, it’s hard to get on a soap box in in 140 characters or less).

Which team will respond differently and how? Stay tuned for part 2.

Follow C and R for Part 2 on Facebook and Twitter, too!

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Stanford Beats USC, Remains Undefeated in Pac-12 Play

So the Stanford Women’s Basketball Team was involved in ESPN’s “Big Monday” to showcase women’s college basketball. They played Pac-12 foe USC in the second half of a double header.  Finally some national coverage for Stanford and for their Player of the Year Candidate, Chiney Ogwumike.

Um, C and R are not really sure what happened in the first half. A Stanford PR person came around to our section to ask for volunteers to shoot the half court shot for prizes. Now, C will knock people down just to catch a hurled T-Shirt of victory ball. So who do you think instantly volunteered? C of course.

After a brief discussion with R on how I should shoot it (throw it baseball style, turn around backwards and fling it over my head?), I made my way down to the sidelines as instructed at the 12-minute mark with Stanford holding a brief lead 19-16 lead, and met the other guy who was shooting with me. The only problem was we weren’t shooting until the eight-minute mark. I couldn’t really see want was going on the court, plus I was concentrating on making sure my pants didn’t fall down. I lost four whole minutes where Stanford was slowly expanding their lead. Or something.

Then at the eight minute timeout, they called my name and I threw the basketball baseball style and was a little over zealous and hit the backboard and the ball actually went in the basket then scooped out to fall to the side, which was a good thing because I forgot to call bank. R told me they showed my incredulous reaction on the miss three times on the Jumbotron.

Meanwhile, back on the farm, Stanford used a 14-0 run to get to 37-20 lead with 4 and a half minutes left and to end up with a 46-28 lead at halftime. What happened, I don’t know, I was emotionally spent. After checking my texts and messages from all my friends who saw me act like a fool, I watched Chiney go to work in the second.

Chiney Ogwumike shoots against USC (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)

Well, that is easy to explain, it was all Chiney, all day. Heck, it looked like she kept scoring on the same play. Throw it to Chiney on the right hand side of the basket and let her bank it in (and she doesn’t call it, either). USC could not stop her and she scored 30 and grabbed 12 boards before Stanford Coach Tara VanDerveer was happy that the East Coast got to see Chiney and took her out. Final score 86-59, Stanford.

This time, though, five Stanford players scored in double figures to help her. Stanford Mikaela Ruef gave some perspective after the game.

"I think what happened last year was that we depended on Chiney too much," said Ruef, one of five Cardinal players to score in double figures. "If other people are scoring, they can't double off me or the guards and that means we can find Chiney even more." And more they did.

With Chiney’s 30 points and 12 rebounds, she got her 15th double-double for the season. She has scored at least 30 points for the 10th time this season, adding to her Stanford record.

Ruef added her own double-double, third of the season for her, with 11 points and 10 rebounds with a side of an unexpected 3-pointer. Guards Amber Orrrrange and Lili Thompson scored 12 points apiece, with Lili making two 3-pointers. Karlie Samuelson (KSam) had 10 points and shot 2-4 from three-point land, and got an assist from BSam, her sister Bonnie. Although Stanford as a team was 7-20 from behind the arc, a little off for them.

Shout out to Twitter Buddy Hoopfeed, and not just because we hope she will mention us on twitter, but because she writes about women’s basketball out of love and came all the way from Dallas to see Chiney in person, although we are concerned that she was staying with people from Cal.

Speaking of which, next game is Cal at home on Thursday, then Cal away on Superbowl Sunday.

Follow C and R for more half-court shots on Facebook and Twitter, too!

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Stanford Beats UCLA

Well, we finally got a close one. UCLA almost beat #4 Stanford, and funny how the Twitterverse was rooting for the upset to make things interesting in the Pac-12. Heck, Cal had already lost that night to USC, giving them two strikes in the Pac-12 loss column. The Stanford Women’s basketball team’s 72-55 win over UCLA was their closest margin of victory in the Pac-12 so far this season. It also gives them a so far perfect 7-0 start in conference play.

This one was close due to UCLA’s physicality. The weird thing was the refs called it super tight in the first half. They whistled every little hand check, and UCLA was getting most of the fouls going against them. Then the refs took the second half off. Nothing, and I mean nothin’ was getting called. Bodies went flying, players knocked to the ground and lots o’ contact being called jump balls (Poor Karlie Samuelson was the recipient of a particular severe take down).

Chiney Ogwumike reaches for a rebound against UCLA (Marcio Jose Sanchez - AP Photo)

UCLA’s physicalness limited Stanford’s All-Everything Chiney Ogwumike. For the game, Chiney posted her 14th double-double of the season with 21 points and 15 rebounds. That would be a great night for 99% of the women’s college basketball players out there. But Chiney is in that top 1%. She was averaging 27 points per game and was second in the nation in field goal percentage. She had uncharacteristic misfires, missing five of her first six shots and going 10-18 from the field. (Of course she was pushed and hit a lot when she shot and did not get the usual foul calls to go to the line). But you can’t keep an Ogwumike down for long, and she made nine of her final 12 shots to help Stanford put some distance between themselves and UCLA.

UCLA coach Cori Close said she’d "never been so thrilled to hold someone to 21 points." Now that’s a quote!

Speaking of coaches, Stanford head coach Tara VanDerveer said her team will have to play much better when they meet USC in ESPN’s Big Monday match up. Stanford committed 16 turnovers and gave up too many offensive rebounds for VanDerveer's liking.  "I was upset with how casual people were with the ball," VanDerveer said.

Shout out to Taylor Greenfield who held UCLA’s scorer Atonye Nyingifa in check.. Although Nyingifa would lead her team in scoring with 18 points, she did not score in the final 10 minutes of the game with Taylor on her. That’s a shut down.

Here’s where Stanford’s Hall of Fame coach earns her big bucks (well we hope she gets big bucks). Your best defender is Chiney Ogwumike. With her long arms to cut off passing lanes and leaping ability to block shots, she can shut down just about anyone. So whom does Tara VanDerveer have Chiney guard? The worst player on the floor.  While Stanford was in a man to man formation, with Taylor Greenfield fronting Nyingifa, Chiney was playing zone, standing under the basket, an arms length away from Nyingifa,to keep from any back door passing happening. Heck, Chiney was ignoring her player. The few times her player did get the ball far out on the wing, Chiney didn’t even move, and let her shoot a long jumper. Guess what, she missed a lot. So Tara has her two best defenders taking care of UCLA’s best shooter and their worst player shooting long jumpers that have a low chance of going in. Brilliant!

This game was also strange in that usually when Chiney is well defended inside, Stanford bombs the three. This time Stanford was only 5-11, and although my phone calculator says that is 45%, five made threes are behind Stanford’s average. And the true bombers, The Samuelson sisters, KSam and BSam, plus Taylor Greenfield did not make one of them.  Freshie guard Lili Thompson had two of them and Sara James had three of them, going 3 for 3 from behind the line.

Of course, Sara’s threes came at an opportune time. With the game tied at 39 early in the second half, she hit consecutive 3-pointers to ignite a Cardinal run that eventually led to a 66-51 advantage heading into the final five minutes.

C and R wanted to point out another Stanford contributor, Freshie Erica McCAll. Erica had a great game, and the difference was hustle. She looked really hungry and went after the ball despite UCLA’s tall bodies and arms. She scored a season-high 12 points on 6-for-8 shooting and matched her season best with eight rebounds.

Four Cardinal players scoried in double figures. Besides Chiney and Erica, Lili Thompson had 15 points and Sara James had 11, and were the only two to make 3-pointers. Point guard Amber Orrange passed out eight of Stanford's 20 assists against just one turnover.

Next up for Stanford is ESPN’s Big Monday, a game against USC. As we said, USC upset Cal this weekend, so hopefully it will be a good game. As long as it is not too close. And Stanford wins. And Chiney scores 30. To impress the voters for Player of the Year. On the big stage. On National TV. Because no one sees Pac-12 play.

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Stanford Easily Handles Arizona State

So C and R thought, “Finally, this is going to be a competitive game in the Pac-12.” Stanford was playing Arizona State, who is in the top 25. ASU just beat Cal 68-59 last game. Stanford will have to work for this Pac- 12 win. Spoiler alert, same old results (not that C and R are complaining, mind you).

The Stanford Women’s Basketball team beat ASU 80-56. Last game Stanford shot the three ball and occasionally threw it to the best inside player in the country in Chiney Ogwumike. This time they just threw to Chiney.

Mikaela Ruef, left, and Chiney Ogwumike are tall trees for Stanford. (Photo by: Michael Schennum/azcentral sports)

Chiney scored 30 to post her ninth 30-point game of the season, and grabbed 16 boards, and she did it in only 30 minutes (a point a minute, now that’s production). She spent most of the first half on the bench with two fouls. She would make up for lost time scoring18 in the second half. And yes, you are right, that was another double-double, make that 13 for the year for #13. 

Chiney had some help, of course. Fellow senior Mikaela Ruef scored nine points with 11 rebounds and five assists. Freshies Lili Thompson and Karlie Samuelson had 11 apiece and Taylor Greenfield added 14. Wow, four Stanford players in double figures, even with Chiney’s monster game, now that is some good news.

Funny after bombing all those threes last game, where Stanford matched the school record with 15 made 3-pointers Saturday at Arizona, they only attempted six this game and made three. One from KSam, one from BSam, the swinging Samuelson sisters Karlie and Bonnie, and one from Greenfield.

Finally, Stanford is back at Maples, facing UCLA and USC this weekend. Again, on paper, it looks like a good match up, and both teams should give Stanford a game. That’s what they said about all the other Pac-12 games so far this year.

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Stanford Assaults Arizona

This Stanford’s Women’s basketball game was fun to watch on TV.  While the state of California has a drought alert, it was raining 3's in the desert, to quote Twitter. The State of Stanford routed Pac-12 foe Arizona 96-52 and set new season highs with 96 points scored and a 46-point margin of victory.

Karlie Samuelson shoots threes so quickly, finally a photo of her. (Photo: John Miller, Associated Press)

So what do you do when you have the best inside player and Player of the Year candidate in senior Chiney Ogwumike? Well, if you are Stanford head coach Tara VanDerveer, you pass the ball on the perimeter and have the first open player shoot a three. Stanford would make a season-high 15 3-pointers, in 32 attempts. Oh, don’t get Tara wrong, just when Arizona’s defense would try to come out more on the hot Stanford shooters, Stanford would throw it inside to Chiney. And Chiney don’t miss. She was 12-for-13 from the field for her best single-game field-goal percentage of the season (92.3 percent). TVD is not in the basketball Hall of Fame for nothin’.

Speaking of Chiney, besides going 12-for-13 from the field, she posted her 12th double-double of the season with 24 points and 12 rebounds. TVD took her out to give others a chance (all 15 players got to play in this game, only the second time that has happened this season) but her 24 points a game is actually below her scoring average, and if Stanford wants to get Chiney any POY consideration from those East Coasters, they need to keep that average up!

Sisterhood is strong at Stanford. The Samuelson sisters were outstanding, as Karlie and older sister Bonnie combined for 25 points. Freshmen KSam (Karlie) was lights out, going 4-8 from behind the line and finished with 16 points. BSam (Bonnie) scored nine and hit three triples of her own. Together they went 7-for-14 from 3-point land and 9-for-16 from the field.

Lest you think Arizona should have keyed on those two with the hot hand, seven different Stanford players hit from outside (Taylor Greenfield, Sara James, Kailee Johnson, Amber Orrange, Bonnie Samuelson, Karlie Samuelson, Lili Thompson), the most in a single game this season. With all those quick passes to set up those threes, Stanford matched its season high with 28 assists, led by eight from guard Amber Orrange. Freshman guard Lili Thompson scored 12 points and matched her season high with six assists.

It also seemed like one of the fastest played games of the season, and here’s why: there were hardly any foul calls. Stanford attempted season-low three free throws, and had a season-low one made (wow, gotta get that free throw shooting percentage up, no matter how many times you go to the line). Arizona’s seven fouls were the lowest by a Cardinal opponent this season. Well, when you are hitting threes, no one is driving and drawing fouls. And with Chiney scoring practically a lay up even with contact every time she touched the ball, it seemed like the refs just let it go to keep the game moving.

Well, with the Cal loss to Arizona State, Stanford is definitely in the drivers seat for the Pac-12 crown. However, Stanford plays Arizona State Monday so we will see if they are for real or not.

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