Photos by Tom O'Connor
Two Stanford bigs started the game and helped their SF Bay Area Pro-Am team to its first victory July 24 at Kezar Pavilion in San Francisco.
Both senior forward Erica “Bird” McCall at center and freshman forward Nadia Fingall had double-doubles as their Palo Alto TnT team defeated Bay City 85-78 before a sparse crowd that included fewer than a half-dozen Stanford fans.
My unofficial tally shows both with 13 rebounds. In addition, Bird had 25 points and eight blocks, while Nadia had 13 points and two blocks.
Bird’s total included a couple of 3-pointers (I didn’t keep track), and Nadia took some shots from beyond the arc. Bird had one foul while Nadia had three.
Bird played all but the final 1:16 minutes of the game, when both she and Nadia returned to the bench with their team safely ahead. Nadia played most of the game but needed a two-minute breather as the second quarter neared its end.
In a brief conversation before the game, she said she loves being at Stanford but the conditioning is tough.
Because I didn’t keep stats for the other players, I don’t know if Bird had the most points on her team. It seemed that several quick guards did their fair share in the points department.
Bay City led 23-18 after the first quarter, but Palo Alto led 40-31 at the half and 62-59 after the third quarter.
Both Cardinal women were active on defense and set screens for their teammates.
My overall impression is that Bird is picking up right where she left off as Stanford’s leading scorer last season. Nadia shows lots of promise and is likely to make her mark as her Stanford career progresses.
The Palo Alto team was coached by Stanford alum John Paye, brother of assistant coach Kate Paye.
Guard Markisha Coleman, ’07, was there for the second game between her San Francisco team and Mission Recreation Center, but I left before it started. Mission Rec went on to win 101-68.
With a record of 1-4, Palo Alto TnT’s next game is at 3:30 p.m. July 30 against undefeated Mission Rec.
Kezar Pavilion is at the east end of Golden Gate Park, 705 Stanyan St., San Francisco. Admission is free. There’s a paid parking next door.
