On Sunday during the special Nike N7 game honoring Native American Heritage month, No. 11 Stanford women’s basketball (8-1) marched to its sixth consecutive win, besting the UC Davis (5-2) Aggies 68-42 in another blowout at Maples. Sunday’s victory was the first home game for the Cardinal in two weeks.
The Cardinal women fought their way to victory through their excellent play around the rim, scoring 47 of their 68 points in the paint while also dominating the rebounding margin (+16) on the night. No. 11 Stanford also flexed its renewed depth, playing all 11 players in addition to having nine different Cardinal women with double digits in the minutes column.
Stanford started the game aggressively and eventually grabbed a 16-point lead heading into halftime. The Cardinal women scored 31 of their 36 points in the paint, with senior forward Erica McCall scoring 12 points on 75-percent shooting at half, indicative of her excellent post play. Throughout the first half, Stanford was able to outdo the Aggies’ defense thanks to an efficient passing game.
“I think a lot of different players have been able to play well and give us good minutes,” head coach Tara VanDerveer said. “Bird [McCall] and Bri [guard Brianna Robertson] obviously lead the way for us, but we are able to play a deeper rotation.”
Despite owning a solid lead throughout the second half, the Cardinal continued at a rapid pace during the second half of the game. Action in the paint allowed the Cardinal to draw 19 fouls during the game, yet Stanford’s incredible play under the basket excused an otherwise dreadful 3-11 shooting performance outside the perimeter on the night.
Stanford continued to be plagued by its shooting woes, however, as VanDereer’s squad shot 9-for-24 at the free throw line, failing to take advantage of its aggressive play.
“I think we need to finish better, knocking down some open shots. I would guess that this is one of our worst free throw shooting games since I have been here,” VanDerveer said.
Stanford finished with 47 points in the paint, with McCall leading the charge with a double-double on 17 points and 13 rebounds.
“Bird has become a double-double machine for us, which we love.” VanDerveer said.
Overall, the team continued its efficient play in this young season, totaling 15 assists and 54 rebounds — 18 of which were on the offensive glass.
Defensively, the Cardinal extended their post dominance and allowed only 10 Aggie points in the post throughout the game. The Stanford defense also kept UC Davis at 23.4-percent shooting, while boasting three blocks and nine steals.
“I think our defense and rebounding won the game for us,” Vanderveer said.
Stanford’s four freshmen (Nadia Fingall, DiJonai Carrington, Alexa Romano and Mikaela Brewer) all got to play, including some last-minute garbage time, during which they were on the court together. All of them showed that they had their place in the team through a high-intensity of effort.
Stanford women’s basketball now has to wait two weeks before its next game on Dec. 18 at Tennessee.
Contact Alexandre Bucquet at bucqueta ‘at’ stanford.edu.