Stanford Women’s basketball (13-8, 7-2 Pac-12) won big versus No. 25 Arizona State (14-7, 5-4) on Friday in Maples Pavilion. The Cardinal, after losing to the Sun Devils by seven points two weeks ago, came out hungry for redemption. Behind senior captain McPhee’s 24 points and junior point guard Marta Sniezek’s 13 points and six assists, Stanford crushed Arizona State 74-50.
McPhee, who scored her 1000th point versus ASU on 9-of-11 shooting from the field, said, “It feels really good. I obviously didn’t even know that I was even close. It’s just really fun because I know its thanks to my teammates that I was able to do it.”
Teammate Sniezek was definitely another x-factor for the Cardinal. She led the team into the second half with a three pointer and a trip to the foul line, and her offensive aggressiveness opened looks for teammates and for herself down the stretch.
Sophomore Dijonai Carrington also stepped up for Stanford with 13 points and 8 rebounds. With under a minute to go in the second quarter, she swooshed a three and scored a buzzer beater put back.
Stanford outrebounded the Sun Devils and outscored them 42-20 in the paint. During the fourth quarter, the team shot 66.7% from the field, making eight of their 12 field goal attempts. The win kept Stanford at second place, behind only the Oregon Ducks, in the Pac-12 standings.
“Our team came out and was aggressive, focused, and we rebounded well,” said head coach Tara Vanderveer. “Our defense was outstanding.”
But the Cardinal aren’t satisfied yet. Coach VanDerveer added, “I think we’re capable of even playing better.”
Next up, Stanford will face Arizona on Sunday Jan 28 at 5 p.m. PST in Maples Pavilion.
Contact Ellie Chen at ellie170 ‘at’ stanford.edu.