Warren Grimes
Coach Paye tells us she really likes this team. A lot of coaches say that, but some really
mean it. After the bounce-back weekend
for this Stanford team, of course Paye means it. The thing about liking your team is that it’s
a mutual kind of thing. If a coach likes
her team, it’s going to be reciprocal.
This Stanford team plays hard for themselves and their coach because the
environment is one of mutual respect and appreciation.
The North Carolina road trip began with a major slap-down, a
74 to 46 loss against NC State. It was a
cold shooting night for Stanford – just 30% overall with 15 straight misses in
the second half. Against a sagging NC
State defense, three-point shooting would have been a remedy. From distance, however, the team converted
just 17% of its 23 attempts. Stanford was decisively out boarded and had only 7 points from the bench. One reason
for that was the absence of Chloe Clardy on concussion protocol.
While the NC State game was being played, Clardy was on a
plane to North Carolina to rejoin the team.
Her return was a good sign, and Stanford showed up ready to play on
Sunday. The North Carolina Tarheels did
not sag on defense, creating a markedly different challenge. While Stanford trailed for most of this
game, they fought throughout and never trailed by more than 7 points. They won the fourth quarter, and had a shot
at winning in regulation (Clardy missed a last second contested layup).
In overtime, playing without Nunu Agara, they got the edge
and then converted free throws to seal a 77-72 victory. Agara had foul trouble, was limited to 6
points and 4 boards, and played only 18 minutes. The win was genuinely a team win, with 9
players playing meaningful minutes.
Ogden had a team high 21 and made lots of critical shots in the fourth
quarter and overtime. Somfai had 13
points and 8 boards. The third and
fourth highest scorers came from the bench – Clardy had 12 points (and a team
high 9 boards) while Alex Eschmeyer added 10 points in just under 8 minutes. Her role was pivotal with Agara on the bench
in most of the fourth quarter and overtime.
Overall, the team shot 45% and 35% from distance. Stanford guards had 18 of the team’s 40
rebounds. That had to be more than an accident -- the coaches gave the guards a green light to find the gaps between bigs busy blocking one another out. What a difference from NC
State.
Yes, this was a big win, on the road against the 17th
ranked team in the nation. It was a
depressing loss for former Stanford player, point guard Indya Nivar, who led
the Tarheels with 3 assists and 4 steals.
North Carolina had leads of 7 points several times and led for almost 34
minutes of this game. In the fourth
quarter and overtime, they could not match Stanford’s intensity and team
chemistry.
In a tie game that goes to overtime, every play by every
player can be pivotal. A fair account of
this win, however, is not complete without mention of Shay “The Disruptor”
Ijiwoye. She had a very positive stat
line: 5 boards, 4 points, 1 assist and 1 steal.
The 5 boards are impressive for the smallest player on the team, but
stats don’t tell the full story for this player because her disruptive role often
doesn’t show in statistics. My favorite play? Late in overtime, Ijiwoye came storming in from
the perimeter to grab an offensive board from the bigs on both teams, put up and
missed a follow-up shot, then grabbed her own board only to be double-teamed by
Carolina players. She fought off both,
barely managed to get the ball to Talana Lepolo, who fed Ogden on the perimeter. At this point, Carolina defenders were distracted. Ogden had an open lane for a left-handed
layup, giving Stanford a four-point lead that the team padded with last-minute free
throw conversions. That was it.
Yes, Ijiwoye is just one of the nine players who made a
difference in this upset win. But Shay
is quick, strong, has hops, and, most of all, non-stop intensity. She's an important part of Stanford chemistry that makes this team a
contender.
