STANFORD — Cal is all of a sudden the brand new commonplace in Bay Space ladies’s basketball.
There’s no higher strategy to put it after the No. 22 Golden Bears wrapped up a 75-72 win over Stanford at Maples Pavilion on Thursday night time, snapping a 10-year dropping streak contained in the Cardinal’s residence constructing.
However wait: there’s extra, rather more. By ending off Thursday’s victory, Cal (18-3, 6-2 ACC) has now swept Stanford (10-9, 2-6 ACC) within the groups’ regular-season collection for the primary time since 1985-86, legendary coach Tara VanDerveer’s first yr in control of Stanford.
The importance of the win was not misplaced on Cal coach Charmin Smith, who performed for VanDerveer from 1993-1997, coached below her as an assistant from 2004-2007 and was winless in 5 seasons teaching towards her within the rivalry from 2019 to 2024, when VanDerveer introduced her retirement.
California Golden Bears’ head coach Charmin Smith speaks to her staff throughout a sport towards Stanford at half time at Stanford’s Maples Pavilion in Stanford, Calif., on Thursday, Jan. 23, 2025. (Shae Hammond/Bay Space Information Group)
“It is special, right?” Smith stated. “This means a lot, because this is my home. This is my alma mater, and I’ve taken a ton of butt kickings (from them) as well. So to be able to do this, it feels really good. And it’s because, again, the amount of respect that I have for Stanford.
“It’s not easy to win at Maples. At the beginning of the season, I was like, ‘I think we can get the split.’ And then when we won at our place, I was like, ‘Wait a minute, have we ever won the first game?’”
Getting into the 2024-25 season, it had been a very long time – 12 video games consecutively – since Cal had overwhelmed Stanford. The Bears took care of that with a 83-63 win over the Cardinal on Dec. 13.
However Thursday’s win signified one thing completely different. Cal was as soon as once more the staff that dictated phrases, opening up a 19-point lead halfway by means of the third quarter. And whereas Stanford made issues fascinating down the stretch, the Bears have been the group displaying the veteran poise required to win a decent sport.
California Golden Bears’ loanna Krimili (21) takes a shot towards Stanford’s Mary Ashley Stevenson (22) and Stanford’s Courtney Ogden (40) in the course of the third quarter at Stanford’s Maples Pavilion in Stanford, Calif., on Thursday, Jan. 23, 2025. (Shae Hammond/Bay Space Information Group)
They seemed, frankly, rather a lot like VanDerveer’s Stanford groups.
“Credit to Cal,” stated first-year Stanford coach Kate Paye, additionally a former VanDerveer assistant. “They have a much-improved team this year. They have a sixth-year senior, three fifth-year seniors, a very improved sophomore. They’re having one of their best years, best seasons in a long time.”
Contemplating the Bears maintain bucking developments that return a long time, Paye’s competition is spot-on.
“I’m just really proud of our group,” Smith stated. “It’s just a special group, and I’m really proud of how we held on and fought through a lot of adversity. I haven’t coached a team that has such synergy the way that they do, and sometimes I just step back and let them handle it.”
The California Golden Bears have a good time throughout a sport towards Stanford within the second quarter at Stanford’s Maples Pavilion in Stanford, Calif., on Thursday, Jan. 23, 2025. (Shae Hammond/Bay Space Information Group)
That’s precisely what Smith did on Cal’s closing offensive possession. Stanford had lower the Bears’ result in 73-71 with 45.8 seconds remaining, however sixth-year guard Ioanna Krimili didn’t panic.
With the shot clock working down below 10 seconds, Krimili introduced the ball out close to half court docket, calmly sized up the protection and beat Stanford’s protection to the correct aspect of the ring for a layup that put Cal up 75-71 with 18.7 seconds left to play.
“I was thinking that I wasn’t really having a good shooting night,” stated Krimili, who completed 1 for 8 on 3-pointers. “Ten seconds is a lot of time, and my growth is to realize that 10 seconds is a lot of time. Because sometimes I just pull a 3 with the defense on me. And Charmin has been talking about that, so I was trying to get a better look. And I was confident that I would make the right play, and I did.”
Cal additionally bought clutch buckets down the stretch from sixth-year guard Kayla Williams, a switch from USC who led the Bears with 18 factors. Krimili added 17 for Cal.
Stanford’s Shay ljiwoye (6) jumps for the ball towards California Golden Bears’ Kayla Williams (4) in the course of the first quarter at Stanford’s Maples Pavilion in Stanford, Calif., on Thursday, Jan. 23, 2025. (Shae Hammond/Bay Space Information Group)
Chloe Clardy led Stanford with a career-high outlay of twenty-two factors. Nunu Agara hit a number of clutch 3s for the Cardinal within the closing minutes to key Stanford’s comeback and completed with 19 factors.
However the night time belonged to the visiting Bears, who’ve formally been enshrined as the brand new staff to beat within the Bay Space.
“I feel really good about where we are,” Smith stated. “I thought we had this capability, and I’m really excited that we’re doing it. We were picked 14th (in the ACC). But a lot of work still to be done. We’re still in January, and I know they’re super hungry, and we’ll keep working.”
Stanford’s Tess Heal (34) takes a shot towards California Golden Bears’ Lulu Twidale (10) and California Golden Bears’ Michelle Onyiah (0) in the course of the first quarter at Stanford’s Maples Pavilion in Stanford, Calif., on Thursday, Jan. 23, 2025. (Shae Hammond/Bay Space Information Group) 
Stanford’s head coach Kate Paye speaks to her staff throughout a sport towards California Golden Bears at half time at Stanford’s Maples Pavilion in Stanford, Calif., on Thursday, Jan. 23, 2025. (Shae Hammond/Bay Space Information Group) 
California Golden Bears’ Lola Donez (5) takes a shot towards Stanford’s Nunu Agara (3) in the course of the third quarter at Stanford’s Maples Pavilion in Stanford, Calif., on Thursday, Jan. 23, 2025. (Shae Hammond/Bay Space Information Group) 
Stanford’s Tess Heal (34) takes a shot towards California Golden Bears’ Gisella Maul (12) in the course of the second quarter at Stanford’s Maples Pavilion in Stanford, Calif., on Thursday, Jan. 23, 2025. (Shae Hammond/Bay Space Information Group) 
Stanford’s Elena Bosgana (20) takes a shot towards California Golden Bears’ loanna Krimili (21) in the course of the second quarter at Stanford’s Maples Pavilion in Stanford, Calif., on Thursday, Jan. 23, 2025. (Shae Hammond/Bay Space Information Group) 
California Golden Bears’ loanna Krimili (21) takes a shot towards Stanford’s Nunu Agara (3) in the course of the third quarter at Stanford’s Maples Pavilion in Stanford, Calif., on Thursday, Jan. 23, 2025. (Shae Hammond/Bay Space Information Group) 
Stanford’s Shay ljiwoye (6) falls after leaping for the ball towards California Golden Bears’ Kayla Williams (4) in the course of the first quarter at Stanford’s Maples Pavilion in Stanford, Calif., on Thursday, Jan. 23, 2025. (Shae Hammond/Bay Space Information Group) 
Stanford’s head coach Kate Paye speaks in the direction of her staff throughout a sport towards California Golden Bears within the third quarter at Stanford’s Maples Pavilion in Stanford, Calif., on Thursday, Jan. 23, 2025. (Shae Hammond/Bay Space Information Group)
