Cardinal dodges the 'Horns

Updated November 24: Added game report by C and R and photo gallery from Texas Athletics.

Another game of two halves — the first one effectively without Chiney, the second one with Chiney at full throttle. They added up to a 63-54 victory for the Cardinal.

Texas bigs 6'7" Imani McGee Stafford and 6'5" Kelsey Lang, with the assistance of their smaller teammates, smothered Chiney under the basket all through the first half. She tried shooting from her extended range instead, but with little success. She took eleven shots in the half and made just two of them.

The Cardinal stayed in the game with good defense, four jumpers and two free throws from Mikaela and four 3-pointers — two from Sara and one each from Lili and Karlie. But Texas led 37-30 at the end of the half.

Chiney and the Chinettes returned after the break with renewed energy and determination. They were more aggressive, attacked inside and were soon back in the game.

With 13 minutes left to play, the Cardinal took the lead on a steal and fast-break layup by Amber. Amber stole the ball again a minute later, but missed her shot; Chiney stole the rebound from Chassidy Fussell and sank a jumper. The 'Horns never regained the lead.

Chiney fouled out with two minutes left to play and the Cardinal ahead by eight. The Cardinal stayed in control in spite of missing five of their next 12 free throws.

Cardinal highlights:

• Mikaela stepped up big on both offense and defense and tallied her third career double-double with 11 points and ten rebounds.


• Sara played for 18 minutes and is a strong member of the team again. In addition to her two 3-pointers, she had four rebounds and four assists.


• Karlie started and played for 30 minutes. She doesn't show up huge in the box score (six points, two rebounds, two assists), but she was an excellent defender on the perimeter where she kept Chassidy Fussell, the 'Horns leading scorer, in check. Fussell made just four of 16 field goal attempts.


• Amber was a pest on defense. She matched her career-high five steals and grabbed eight rebounds. She also scored 13 points.


• Chiney came through as a strong leader after a frustrating first half. She ended with 18 points, six rebounds, an assist, two blocks and three steals.


• The Cardinal took good care of the ball. In this fast-paced, fiercely defensive game, they turned the ball over only nine times — their season low.

Here are game reports and commentary:

• Defense powers Cardinal the game recap from (Stanford Athletics)
• Ogwumike, No. 6 Stanford women beat Texas 63-54 by Jim Vertuno (Associated Press)
• Stanford women rally for basketball win at Texas from Palo Alto Online
• Deep in the heart of Texas by Wally Mersereau, FBC traveller
• Stanford comes back from first half deficit, defeats Texas on the road, 63-54 by C and R (Swish Appeal)

The box score and play-by-play,

Stanford-Texas Postgame Notes from Stanford Athletics

A photo gallery from Texas Athletics,

And a couple more photos by Michael Thomas (Associated Press):