Weekend Update: After Demoralizing Loss, Conferce Chaos to the Rescue

 

Warren Grimes

For those who slept through the weekend, there were upsets of each of the top three teams in Pac-12 play.  First place Stanford lost on Friday to seventh place Arizona, leaving the Cardinal with only a one game lead over the tied second place teams.  On Sunday, conference chaos produced upset losses for each of the second-place teams.  Playing on the road in L.A., sixth place Utah upset USC.  Playing at home in Seattle, tenth place Washington upset Oregon State.

The upshot was that Stanford players were donning conference champion t-shirts at Maples.  By defeating Arizona State, and with a little help from short term friends Utah and Washington, Stanford had guaranteed itself at least a share of the championship.

The story has more drama than a brief synopsis can impart.  Going back to Maples last Friday evening, one team achieved a come-from-behind Cinderella result while the other suffered a gut-wrenching loss.  Last Friday, it was Stanford that suffered the demoralizing and frustrating defeat. 

Stanford led Arizona from the get-go and did not give up that lead until there was only 1:56 left in the fourth quarter.  An Iriafen lay up tied the game again, but with just 31 seconds on the clock, Arizona guard Jada Williams banked in a three-pointer.  Stanford did not score again. 

The fourth quarter was a disaster for Stanford.  Beginning with an 8-point advantage, Stanford gave up 31 points to Arizona while scoring only 16 of their own.  The Arizona run was punctuated by lots of turnovers and some exceptional shooting from Arizona guard Williams.  All of Arizona’s three-point conversions (4 of them) occurred in the fourth quarter. 

Emblematic of Stanford’s fourth quarter trials was an offensive foul on Talana Lepolo.  Arizona had tied the game on a lay-up following a Stanford turnover.  Talana Lepolo rushed down the court to accept the inbounds pass, in the process obliterating an Arizona defender whom she had not seen.  Lepolo was called for an offensive foul and Stanford had turned the ball over before even attempting an inbound pass.

The Arizona win was an upset, but less so because Stanford was Brinkless.  Cameron Brink was recovering from a tough case of the flu and did not play on Friday.  Is that a big deal?  Brink has a unique and potent set of tools.  On defense, she blocks, alters shots, and steals.  On offense she scores, boards, and shoots free throws with ruthless efficiency.  Her unavailability is a difference maker. 

Stanford, however, still played to win.  Kiki Iriafen stepped up with more than usual stats:  21 points, 15 boards, 4 assists, and 3 blocks.  Booke Demetre replaced Brink in the starting line up and generated 15 points, 4 boards, and 2 blocks of her own.  Hannah Jump contributed 13 points on 3 for 5 shooting from distance.  And for the second time in conference play against Arizona, Chloe Clardy clocked major minutes as a ball handler.  In 20 minutes, Clardy contributed 7 points and 2 assists.   Clardy also was credited with 2 steals that were critical in a late third quarter Stanford run.

Going into Sunday’s game against ASU, Stanford knew that its lead against second-place USC and OSU was down to one game.  The big question was: could Brink play?  

Play she did.  Although she later conceded feeling only 60%,  in just 23 minutes on the court, her stats were the usual exceptional: 14 points, 9 boards, 7 assists, and 5 blocks.  Iriafen, perhaps benefiting from Brink’s presence, had an All American performance with 22 points, 20 boards, and 4 assists.  There is, however, more drama to this game.

Talana Lepolo, Stanford’s stalwart point guard, was held out of the game pending further medical input on an injury.  Her point guard role was filled by Jzaniya Harriel, who started her first game at Stanford.  Harriel contributed just one assist but led the offense with only a single turnover and added 12 points on 4-8 shooting from distance.  In her final conference home game, Hannah Jump added 11 points and 4 assists.  Nunu Agara added her own 11 points on some impressive offensive boards and putbacks. 

Stanford is a team with very good chemistry.  When Agara comes in off the bench for just 13 minutes and contributes 4 offensive boards and 11 points (on 4 for 5 shooting), that’s a sign that she has learned how to contribute to team success.  Players who learn to play their role, and play it well, add to team strength and generate more good chemistry.  

Tara VanDerver has been a leader of the soon to disappear Pac-12 conference.  She frequently reminds the world that the conference’s competitive schedule is a major plus in preparing Stanford and its rivals for the big dance.  The results of last weekend demonstrate the conference’s high level of play from top to bottom.  Tenth place Washington brought down second place Oregon State.  Eleventh place ASU lost on the road to first place Stanford, but the game was competitive from start to finish.  ASU is unlikely to be chosen for the big dance.  It is still a very good team that has a non-conference record of 8 wins and 4 losses.   Given a chance, ASU could certainly defeat some of the 64 teams that will play in the NCAA tournament.

As a fan of Stanford and the game, I am excited about Stanford’s chances in the tournaments ahead.  I am also disgusted that the economics of college athletics have produced the demise of a wonderful conference, not just for women’s hoops, but for most of the other sports in which Stanford competes.