Author: joelami

By: Joe Lami

Earlier in the week it was Stanford that spoiled Cal’s senior night, as they defeated the Bears 59-47 on Wednesday at Haas Pavilion. However, this time it was the Bears that got the last laugh, as once they defeated the Cardinal 63-53 on Sunday afternoon. This week’s past series reminds us of the one played two years ago, where Stanford knocked off Cal in Berkley to start the week, and the Bears were able to return the favor at Maples Pavilion later on in the week.

Reshanda Grey led the way for the Bears with 17 points, but Mercedes Jefflo was the key for Cal, as she followed closely with 15 points. Jefflo made two three-pointers down the stretch that helped Cal get on a run to help beat the Cardinal. Jefflo then said after the game “It just puts out a statement that it’s not only Stanford anymore, it’s multiple teams, and always going to be a battle.” Cal coach, Lindsay Gottlieb later commented, “This is a big one for us, Stanford is so good and our conference is so good.”

Brittnay McPhee led the Cardinal with an astonishing 24 points, making head coach, Tara VanDerveer, thinking about getting her into the starting lineup. Before scoring 24 points, a career high, on Sunday, McPhee had only put up 45 points all season.

Amber Orrange was the only other Stanford player to hit double figures with 11 points, as the rest of the lineup distributed scoring equally.

The Cardinal have been officially eliminated from regular season champion contention with the loss, as it is now up between Oregon State and Arizona State. Both the Bears and Cardinal hope to ruin the hopes of Oregon State, as they each head up to Corvallis next weekend, as well as Eugene to take on the Oregon Ducks to end the season.

By: Joe Lami

The Stanford Cardinal defeated the UCLA Bruins 68-50 on Sunday, with much thanks to the Samuelson sisters, who combined for 38 of the Cardinals’ 68 points.

Older sister, Bonnie, led the way with 24 points, all of which came from beyond the arc, as she hit a career high eight three-pointers in the victory. Karlie was second in Cardinal scoring, adding 14 points, with 12 of them coming from three-point land.

Stanford finished the night shooting 43% from the field, though Lili Thompson was the only Stanford player not named Samuelson to score more than ten points, as she finished with 12.

UCLA was led by Jordin Canada scoring ten points. The Bruins were also held scoreless from three-point range.

Stanford improves their record to 19-7 going into the big week with games again Cal on Wednesday and Sunday.

By: Joe Lami

The Stanford Cardinal got back into the win column on Friday night with a win over the USC Trojans 79-60. It’s a huge recovery from last weekend, where the Cardinal were swept by the two teams in Arizona.

Lili Thompson led the way for the Cardinal off the bench with 14 points. Friday marked the first time of the season where Thompson wasn’t in the starting line-up. Briana Roberson also was put on the bench to try and shake things up, she finished the night with 13 points. Erica Payne and Jasmine Camp were their replacements, getting their first career starts. Payne and Camp played a combined 14 minutes and finished with two points each.

Stanford shot for a combined 55% from the field, including 35% from beyond the arc. Bonnie Samuelson was the Cardinal’s only answer from three-point land, as she finished with 12 points going 4 of 9.

Alexyz Valoetama led the way for USC with 14 points. Four total Trojans were able to get into double digits. Courtney Jaco contributed 11, Briana Barrett and Kaneisha Horn each added ten. Horn brought down 11 rebounds to get the double double.

By: Joe Lami

The Arizona weekend has turned into one from hell, as the Cardinal were swept by both Arizona teams after the Wildcats win over Stanford 60-57 on Sunday afternoon. It’s the first time the Cardinal were swept on a Pac-12 road trip since 2008, where USC and UCLA gave Stanford fits.

The Cardinal completely collapsed in the second half, as they went into halftime with a 12-point lead. Arizona came out of the half strong, dominating the Cardinal on a 15-6 run that lasted ten minutes. The last minute was the most crucial though, as Arizona was able to go on a 10-0 run to finish the win.

Candice Warthen had seven of the final ten points, as she led the Wildcats with 19 points. It marks Arizona’s first win over Stanford in 25 attempts. Sunday is just Arizona’s second conference win of the season.

Amber Orrange and Lili Thompson each led the way for the Cardinal with 13 points apiece. They were the only Cardinal to get into double figures in scoring. Bonnie Samuelson, Karlie Samuelson and Taylor Greenfield did get close with eight points each.

The Cardinal look to rebound from the loss, with a home game back on Maples Pavilion against USC on Friday.

By: Joe Lami

After a nine-point first half deficit, the No. 10 Arizona State Sun Devils surged in the second half to come back and beat No. 12 Stanford 53-52 on Friday night. It’s the second time this season Arizona State has beaten the Cardinal this season, as it ends a four-game winning streak the Cardinal had going. The last loss for the Cardinal came on January 19^th to the Sun Devils.

Quinn Dornstauder was the difference maker, as she scored a career high 22 points off the bench. Kelsey Moos was the only other Sun Devil to reach double digits, finishing with 12.

Both teams shot incredibly poor, shooting under 40%. Neither team was able to score in the final 4:35 of the game.

Stanford had a chance to win the game, but fell short. They had the ball with 20 seconds left, deciding to hold for a last shot. The game fell into the hands of Briana Roberson, but she was unable to hit the 15-foot jump shot with a second remaining.

Amber Orrange led the way for the Cardinal with 15 points. Lili Thompson shot 33% to finish the night with 11 points.

The Sun Devils are now in the driver’s seat to winning the Pac-12 regular season championship, as they are tied with Oregon State. Each team has one loss, with just seven games remaining before the tournament in Seattle. Friday night’s loss puts Stanford in unfamiliar territory, as they sit in third place with just a few games remaining. They hope to get back on the right track with a trip to southern Arizona to take on the Wildcats.

By: Joe Lami

The last two weeks, the Stanford Cardinal have been cruising, as they won their fourth straight over Washington 82-69 on Monday night.

The Cardinal pummeled the Huskies in the first half, as they went into the break leading 45-29. Washington would be resilient however in trying to comeback as they cut the lead to as low as six with just over nine minutes remaining, but Stanford wouldn’t let them get any closer. Washington did win the second half battle 40-37, but it wouldn’t be nearly enough, as Stanford won by 13.

Stanford’s scorers are starting to light it up, as five different players got into double digits. Bonnie Samuelson led the way with 17 points, include two three-pointers, and a perfect nine for nine from the foul line. Briana Roberson got the start once again, and used to her advantage finishing with 15 points. Amber Orrange added 14, and Kaylee Johnson contributed 11. Johnson also brought down an astonishing 17 rebounds for the double-double.  Karlie Samuelson was the only bench player to score ten points. Lili Thompson was Stanford’s only starter not to get into double figures, finishing with seven points.

Stanford’s play has been in question of late, but their scorers are finally having back-to-back games where they are finding the bucket. This is especially important heading into the last month of the regular season, with only seven regular season games before the Pac-12 tournament in Seattle. Stanford has another challenge in front of them, as they travel to Tempe to take on the #10 ranked Sun Devils, who defeated the Cardinal for the first time ever at Maples Pavilion just a few weeks ago. The Cardinal seek their revenge on Friday.

By: Joe Lami

It was a tail of two halves on Saturday afternoon at Maples Pavilion, as the Stanford Cardinal defeated the Washington State Cougars 57-56. At the end of the first half, Washington State actually had a two-point lead, 39-37. However, Stanford started to play better basketball in the second half, as the first half was a complete nightmare for the Cardinal, which saw 13 turnovers.

Washington State capitalized on those turnovers, scoring 14 points off of them in just the first half. The turnovers dwindled in the second half for the Cardinal, as they only lost the ball five times.

The Cardinal ended the day shooting 49% from the field, including a poor 39% from three-point land, but it was enough to keep Stanford’s 59-game winning streak over the Cougars going. The shots also stopped falling for the Cougars in the second half, as they made just seven of their 36 shots.

Lia Galderia led all scorers as she had 18 of Washington State’s points. Mariah Cooks added 14. The difference maker was the poor shooting for Tia Presley, who finished the night with four points on one of ten shooting.

Amber Orrange led the way for Stanford with 15 points. Erica McCall followed with 14. Brianna Roberson continues her strong play, as she scored 11. The Cardinal proved once again that they can play better basketball when it matters, but they prefer to just play better from the start.

The No. 12 ranked Cardinal return to action against the 16-5 Washington Huskies on Monday.

By: Joe Lami

The Cardinal started their Los Angeles road trip with a win over the UCLA Bruins 79-70 on Friday night. It was a good rebound game after the Cardinal lost their first Pac-12 game of the season earlier in the week against Arizona State.

Both Briana Roberson and Bonnie Samuelson got rare starts in the game, and they used it to their advantage, as they led the way for Stanford with 21 points each. Amber Orrange was right behind them in points with 20 points, as only six of the ten players that saw action got points. Kaylee Johnson was the other key contributor with ten points. Johnson finished with a double double, also earning a career high in rebounds, with 17.

It was an off day for Lili Thompson, as the star guard finished the night 0-for-6 from the field with one point coming from the charity strike.

The Cardinal had to rally back from a three-point first half deficit to earn the seven-point victory. The long distance shooting was extremely valuable for the Cardinal, as they finished the night 42%. UCLA coach, Cori Close, commented on the comeback, “They asserted their aggression in the second half, they knew exactly what they were looking for and were incredibly focused”.

Nirra Fields led all scorers finishing with 22 of UCLA’s points. Jordin Canada also contributed 14. UCLA has struggled against ranked opponents so far this season, as Friday night marks their seventh loss to a Top 25 team this year. They have also lost 14 straight to ranked teams dating back to last season.

Stanford hopes to continue their dominance on Sunday, as they take on the Ladies of Troy of USC.