With Grit, Stanford Beats the Odds on the Road

 

Warren Grimes

On the road, Stanford overcame adversity with an inspiring 75-74 overtime victory over a strong Virginia Tech team.  Stanford trailed for most of the game, including the fourth quarter, but went on a late game run to tie the game in regulation, and win it in extra time.  This game was, in many respects, a satisfying reverse image of Stanford’s early season overtime loss to LSU.

On paper, Tech should have won this game.  They came into the contest with a 16-9 record, compared to Stanford’s 13-12 record.  Stanford had won only one road game all season.  This was a game in which grit was Stanford’s secret weapon. 

Stanford won despite the unavailability of its star Nunu Agara.

Stanford won despite shooting just 26% from the three-point line and only 61% from the foul line.

Stanford won despite the foul trouble of its two senior scorers: Elena Boscana played just over 10 minutes and had only 3 points while Brooke Demetre played 27 minutes, with just 5 points.

Stanford won despite being substantially outrebounded (32 boards to Tech’s 42).

Stanford won with defense.  That was especially true in the fourth quarter, when Stanford held Tech to 16 points while disrupting their offensive flow with steals and turnovers that produced points and a tie game at the end of regulation.  Chaos-generating turnovers were a winner for Stanford.  Tech had 22 turns, with many leading to Stanford scores. 

The underclassmen really were the difference makers in this game, scoring 65 of Stanford’s 75 points.  Playing 43 plus minutes, Chloe Clardy had a career high 30 points, including 3 of 7 three pointers, one of which finally erased Tech’s late fourth quarter lead.  Clardy also contributed 5 assists and 3 steals.  All of Stanford’s 9 steals came from underclassmen, with 2 each from Shay Ijiwoye and Kennedy Umeh.  Courtney Ogden was in double figures with 15 and Ijiwoye had 10 points, including vital overtime lay ups and two late seconds free throws that sealed the deal.

Special recognition goes to Mary Ashley Stevenson, who has been starting in place of Agara.  Stevenson’s statistical line was modest, with 6 points, 7 boards, and 2 assists.  But she played mistake free basketball (no turnovers) for 43 exhausting minutes.    

Stanford is a team without a high margin for error.  It won against Tech despite poor outside shooting and tepid rebounding.  The determination and focus the team displayed was a high point and should be a confidence booster.  With or without Nunu Agara, let’s hope that the game provides momentum for a team that hopes to extend its three-game winning streak and get deep into the ACC tournament.

Stanford Shows Resilience in Addressing Vertical Challenges

Warren Grimes

Stanford has now played four games without a meaningful presence for its star Nunu Agara.  It lost the first two on the road against Notre Dame and Louisville but picked up important wins at home against Syracuse and Boston College. 

Agara played the opening minutes against Notre Dame before going down with an injury, missed the next two games against Louisville and Syracuse, then made only a token appearance against Boston College.

Agara has been a major presence for Stanford, leading the team in points and rebounds.  Her versatility is part of the package – she shoots the threeball but can also score inside with finesse and power moves.  She is also an assist leader.  Her abrupt departure in the first quarter is at least partly responsible for the humbling defeat in the Notre Dame game. 

In the loss against Louisville, Stanford figured out how to play without Agara but still fell short in a fourth quarter comeback attempt.  Back home at Maples, Stanford rediscovered its three-point shooting and found sufficient rebounding and inside scoring to win, decisively against Syracuse and more narrowly against Boston College. 

Most of the scoring in the Maples games came from three starters and one player off the bench: Elena Boscana, Brooke Demetre, Chloe Clardy, and Tess Heal.  Mary Ashley Stevenson started both games and contributed valuable points, boards, and assists. 

There is growth in the performances of all these players.  Boscana is still hitting a high percentage of her outside shots while improving conversions on her improvised inside drives.  Demetre is notably improving her shot blocking while converting her threes and fall-away inside shots.  Clardy is improving her assist turnover ratio while still hitting from outside and on drives.  Heal continues her torrid, above 50% shooting from three-point distance.

Stanford remains a vertically challenged team.  The team does not have the same inside game -- height, power, and finesse -- of recent Stanford teams.  In another sense, Stanford also needs a stronger vertical game.  The team can do perimeter passing as well as anyone but needs to be able to move the ball inside to draw defenders away from its three-point shooters.  In the last two games, Stanford perimeters showed increased ability to penetrate and still dish the ball back outside. 

Agara is a player who can draw multiple inside defenders and helps Stanford deal with these vertical challenges.  The timing for her full recovery and return to form remains uncertain.

Stanford understandably remains cautious in dealing with head injuries.  Female athletes have had some unfortunate outcomes.  Jamie Carrie, after a promising first year start at Stanford, suffered a head injury and ended up transferring to Texas when the medical staff there cleared her to play.  Career-ending head injuries to a star soccer goalie and a hard-hitting volleyball player are part of Stanford’s history.

I have my fingers crossed that Agara’s injury is one which will allow her a rapid and full recovery.