STANFORD – After Cal swept Stanford final season for the primary time since 1985-86 following the retirement of Cardinal coach Tara VanDerveer, it appeared just like the title of greatest ladies’s school basketball staff within the Bay Space could also be altering arms.
However Stanford made a stand Sunday, scoring 12 straight factors within the fourth quarter to defeat Cal 78-69 at Maples Pavilion.
Junior ahead Courtney Ogden scored a career-high 25 factors within the ACC opener for each groups.
“Certainly no one liked what happened last year, but that was last year,” Stanford coach Kate Paye mentioned. “We’re driving ahead. We’re not looking in the rearview mirror.”
Stanford noticed its streak of 36 straight NCAA Tournaments snapped final season, whereas Cal made it to the NCAAs for the primary time since 2019. However the Cardinal (9-2), ranked thirty third within the NET, seems to be again on observe to start out one other postseason streak, whereas the Bears (8-4), ranked 67th, have some main work to do to repeat final yr’s accomplishment.
An enormous distinction on Sunday was Ogden, a five-star recruit who was identified extra for her taking pictures vary when she first arrived at Stanford. Ogden hit just one 3, however she was 10 of 12 from the sphere and exceeded her earlier excessive by seven factors.
“Kate has encouraged me to attack the basket more, put my head down and drive,” the 6-foot-1 Ogden mentioned. “So I’ve definitely tried to utilize that in games, practice that in practice against our bigs, and it paid off.”
Stanford’s Courtney Ogden (40) goes up for a basket previous Cal’s Lulu Twidale (10) within the third quarter of their sport at Maples Pavilion in Stanford, Calif., on Sunday, Dec. 14, 2025. The Stanford Cardinal defeated the California Golden Bears 78-69. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Space Information Group)
Cardinal freshman Lara Somfai had 12 factors, 13 rebounds and three blocks, whereas Chloe Cardy was 3 for 4 from behind the arc and completed with 13 factors.
Ahead Taylor Barnes had 16 factors to guide the Bears, whereas fellow freshman Aliyhana “Puff” Morris had 12 factors and 4 assists, however on 4 of 15 taking pictures.
Morris hit a 3-pointer to finish the third quarter after which made a lay-up to start out the fourth quarter to provide Cal its largest lead at 57-52.
However Stanford responded with 12 straight factors to take management. A steal and lay-up by Cardy put the Cardinal up 58-57 with 6:39 to play, and 3s by Somfai and Talana Lepolo prolonged the result in 64-57.
The Bears went 5 ½ minutes with out scoring through the decisive stretch.
Paye credited her staff’s conditioning and expertise in powerful conditions, similar to being down 22-13 after the primary quarter in entrance of a hostile crowd at Gonzaga and trailing by 8 with 5 minutes left in opposition to Colorado State. Stanford would win each these video games.
Cal missed eight lay-ups within the fourth quarter and shot simply 35 p.c from the sphere and 25 p.c from behind the arc. It nonetheless scored 69 factors, essentially the most Stanford had allowed all season.
“I think our team played hard,” Cal coach Charmin Smith mentioned. “We just made some mistakes down the stretch that were too much to overcome, and we have to be better if we’re going to win in the ACC.”
Cal fell to 0-4 in opposition to main convention opponents, with earlier losses to SEC groups Vanderbilt, Auburn, and Missouri.
“We can walk from this with some confidence knowing that we competed, that we had the lead more than they did, we did some things right,” Smith mentioned. “We just have to continue to get better. We’re highly disappointed but we have to get ready for the next one, and I do believe this team has a lot of special moments left in it.”
Each groups are coming into what Paye referred to as the “Pac-12 stretch” of their schedules. On Sunday, Stanford will face Oregon and Cal will play No. 16 USC in a doubleheader on the Chase Heart. Earlier than that, the Cardinal hosts No. 20 Washington on Friday.
