SAN FRANCISCO – Two of the West Coast’s nice girls’s basketball packages had wildly completely different experiences on the Chase Middle on Friday evening.
Hometown Stanford was rocked 84-59 by No. 11 Ohio State within the first sport of the doubleheader, with the Buckeyes’ press taking the Cardinal unexpectedly as former coach Tara VanDerveer sat courtside. VanDerveer was Ohio State’s coach from 1980-85 earlier than starting her legendary run at Stanford.
No. 1 UCLA was with out former Stanford participant Lauren Betts (lower-leg harm) however was nonetheless a dominant power. In a rematch of final season’s second-round NCAA Match sport with Creighton, the Bruins jumped out to a 26-4 first quarter lead and romped previous the Bluejays 70-41.
Right here’s 4 takeaways from Friday’s school basketball showcase in The Metropolis.
Stanford guard play outclassed by Ohio State
Ohio State’s Likelihood Grey #21 scores over Stanford’s Chloe Clardy #13 within the second quarter at Chase Middle in San Francisco, Calif., Friday, Dec. 20, 2024. (Karl Mondon/Bay Space Information Group)
Ohio State relentlessly pressed and trapped Stanford’s guards, and the Cardinal admitted to being puzzled by the tactic.
Stanford, which fell to 8-4 and entered the vacation break having misplaced three of its previous 4, bought lower than ultimate guard play out of Elena Bosgana, Jzaniya Harriel and the remainder of the backcourt.
Coach Kate Paye, who took over from VanDerveer after final season, burdened that the group remains to be a work-in-progress because it will get prepared for its first ACC journey towards SMU on Jan. 2 and Clemson on Jan. 5.
“We’re not ready yet, we’re a cake that’s still cooking and baking,” Paye mentioned. “It’s not going to get any easier in ACC play. This is when you have people stepping into new and larger roles, and the challenge is to be consistent.”
Stanford was pressured into 19 turnovers towards Ohio, whereas the Buckeyes had simply 5. Talana Lepolo’s athleticism and vitality was felt as she missed her seventh sport in a row with a knee harm.
“Talana is working to get healthy, and there’s not timeline and we’re hopeful that she gets healthy,” Paye mentioned.
Nunu Agara stands out
Stanford’s Nunu Agara #3 drives on Ohio State’s Ajae Petty #1 within the fourth quarter at Chase Middle in San Francisco, Calif., Friday, Dec. 20, 2024. (Karl Mondon/Bay Space Information Group)
The sophomore publish was one of many few vivid spots in an in any other case abysmal evening for Stanford. Even because the deficit grew, Agara continued to assault from the low block, main the group with 17 factors and in addition including 10 boards towards an athletic Ohio State entrance line.
“I really thought Nunu got it going in the second half, and she has aspirations of being a great player and certainly has all of the tools,” Paye mentioned.
The 6-foot-2 Agara has been a revelation since being thrust right into a starring position after Kiki Iriafen transferred to USC. She’s scoring a mean of 17 factors per sport and is taking pictures over 50% from the sector and 40% from 3-point land.
She nonetheless noticed room for enchancment, each for herself and as a group, after Ohio State took the Cardinal aside.
“We turned it up a little too late,” Agara mentioned.
No Betts, no drawback
Creighton’s Kiani Lockett #11 dives for a ball towards UCLA’s Angela Dugalic #32 on the Chase Middle in San Francisco, Calif., Friday, Dec. 20, 2024. (Karl Mondon/Bay Space Information Group)
Betts is arguably the most effective participant within the nation, a 6-7 shot blocker who averages 19.8 factors per sport and grabs double-digit rebounds for the nation’s top-ranked group in UCLA.
Those that went to Chase Middle hoping to see one other dominant efficiency from the previous Cardinal large – she spent her freshman 12 months on The Farm earlier than transferring to UCLA – as an alternative noticed her sidelined with a leg harm.
Her absence didn’t gradual the Bruins. With star juniors Kiki Rice, Gabriela Jaquez and Janiah Barker within the lineup, UCLA nonetheless pounded Creighton. And junior ahead Angela Dugalic picked up the slack on the inside, scoring 13 factors and knocking down 14 rebounds.
UCLA routed the identical group that the Bruins solely beat 67-63 in final season’s NCAA Match, sending a message to the remainder of the nation within the course of.
“If you look at the whole roster, and the people who are out, like there’s basically no way of stopping us,” Dugalic mentioned. “To put it bluntly.”
Valkyries loom over Chase Middle
Former Stanford girls’s basketball coach Tara VanDereer indicators an autograph throughout a break within the sport versus Ohio State on the Chase Middle in San Francisco, Calif., Friday, Dec. 20, 2024. (Karl Mondon/Bay Space Information Group)
The groups enjoying in Friday’s video games could have been collegiate, however the Bay Space’s latest skilled basketball group loomed over the occasion.
The WNBA’s Golden State Valkyries have been closely promoted earlier than and throughout the sport, and the ability gamers within the group’s entrance workplace have been seen chatting it up with VanDerveer at halftime.
The subsequent time the world will play host to a girls’s basketball sport, it will likely be on Could 16 when the Valkryies play their inaugural sport towards the Los Angeles Sparks.
“Everything has been totally first class,” Paye mentioned of enjoying within the professional enviornment. “Our team was really excited for the opportunity.”
UCLA’s Kiki Rice #1 passes to Angela Dugalic towards Creighton’s Brooke Litrell #33 on the Chase Middle in San Francisco, Calif., Friday, Dec. 20, 2024. (Karl Mondon/Bay Space Information Group)
