Stanford’s hot start helps the Cardinal take down Cal, 75-50, to even the season’s Battle of the Bay series
Notes || Final Stats || Social Media
STANFORD, Calif. – No. 8 Stanford (18-3, 8-2 Pac-12) played aggressively early and wasted no time in dominating California 75-50 in the second game of the Battle of the Bay series between the teams Saturday afternoon at Maples Pavilion.
With two losses on their minds, one at Cal on Thursday and the other, a road loss at Utah on January 27, the Cardinal were in no mood to go into a three-game slide. In fact, the last time Stanford lost three games in a row within a season was during 2000-01 in a stretch against Tennessee, Purdue and Oklahoma.
“I liked this game a lot more than the other one,” Stanford head coach Tara VanDerveer quipped postgame. “We were playing with a chip on our shoulder. We didn’t like what happened the last two games. We talked about learning from Thursday night and we did everything better.”
On Saturday, the Cardinal established the tone of the game at the outset as younger players started the action with a 7-0 run. Freshman forward Lacie Hull made the first two shots of the game with sophomore forward Maya Dodson following up with a layup.
Dodson recently returned to action for the Cardinal after missing the first eight games of the year with a left foot injury. She was a key factor in helping to limit the effectiveness of Cal’s All-American forward/center Kristine Anigwe who leads the nation in double-doubles.
“She’s not going to play against anybody better all year,” said VanDerveer when asked about Dodson’s matchup with Anigwe. “I thought she did really well….To be able to come out after sitting for a whole month, you know, and not playing, to step up to that challenge, it was impressive. I think we’re just seeing the tip of the iceberg with her.”
Junior guard DiJonai Carrington took over the latter part of the period and led all scorers with seven points after the first ten minutes.
Cal junior guard/forward Jaelyn Brown ended the first quarter with an exciting moment for the Bears, hitting a shot from beyond the halfcourt mark as the buzzer went off. But after a review, the officials decided the incredible long-range jumper was no good.
Stanford shot 52.6 percent from the field and went 40 percent from beyond the arc in the first period. Cal, on the other hand, was 11 percent from the field (2-of-18) and 1-of-5 from the free throw line.
Five different Stanford players scored in the first quarter compared to just two from Cal. However, Anigwe grabbed eight rebounds. The Cardinal went into the second period with a 22-5 advantage.
Cal picked up the pace offensively in the second quarter, with a furious attempt to make up for the slow start, but they were still outscored by Stanford 15-12. The Cardinal went into the break with a 37-17 lead.
In Thursday’s game, Cal made a season-high 12 treys, going 40 percent from three-point land. However, in Saturday’s game, the treys were not in abundance. The Bears did not make their first one until 6:02 in the third quarter.
Stanford pulled away early in the quarter and finished with a 25-point lead heading into the last period, 56-31.
As with the rest of the game, the fourth quarter was an intense and physical affair with both teams jockeying for position in the paint. The teams scored 19 points each in the last period. There was never a point where it seemed Cal would overcome their double-digit deficit and come close to mounting a realistic comeback even with a 9-0 run midway through the fourth quarter. To make matters worse, Anigwe fouled out with 2:24 to go. She left the game with 20 points plus 20 rebounds. She is now one point shy of breaking Cal’s all-time scoring record which stands at 2,320.
“They played well and we weren’t ready,” Cal head coach Lindsay Gottlieb said about the defeat. “We got that same team coming off a loss and we didn’t respond well enough.”
For Stanford, Carrington and sophomore guard Kiana Williams finished with 19 points and five rebounds each. Senior forward Alanna Smith added 16 points plus four rebounds. Dodson contributed nine points, four rebounds and three blocks.
Grad transfer Receé Caldwell was the only other Cal player in double figures. She scored 12 points.
Next weekend, Cal and Stanford will host the Pac-12 teams from Oregon with the first two games scheduled for Friday, Feb. 8. Cal hosts Oregon while Stanford faces Oregon State.
Notes
- Washing Mystics assistant coach Marianne Stanley attended both games in the Battle of the Bay. Stanley was the co-coach of the Cardinal in 1996 when VanDerveer took the year off to coach the U.S. senior women’s national team to gold in the 1996 Summer Olympics.
- Anigwe also leads the nation in rebounding with 15.6 rebounds per game. She is just 21 rebounds away from breaking the program record.
- Anigwe became the first player in the nation this season to earn back-to-back 20-point, 20-rebound games. She had 25 points and 24 rebounds in Thursday’s game.
Stats
Social Media
Battle of the Bay Part 2 underway at Maples: @CalWBBall at @StanfordWBB, Bears looking for a sweep while the Cardinal back at home aiming for a win. https://t.co/dPSU8GGBaO #ncaaw pic.twitter.com/ZgBG02prQK
— Hoopfeed.com ? (@hoopfeed) February 3, 2019
.@StanfordWBB off to the races on a 7-0 run, freshman Lacie Hull with the 1st two shots including a trey, Maya Dodson follows up with a layup. Cal timeout at 6:46, 1Q #ncaaw
— Hoopfeed.com ? (@hoopfeed) February 3, 2019
Timeout Cal with @StanfordWBB up 7-0 with 6:46 1Q@lacie_hull made a three on her third attempt and Dodson went at Anigwe on next possession. She scored on a reverse layup. Cal has been off the mark to start. Anigwe has grabbed an O-board over two Cardinal players.
— Stanford Rivals (@StanfordRivals) February 3, 2019
McKenzie Forbes comes in for Cal after the timeout for Recee' Caldwell. Stanford's DiJonai Carrington hits a trey right away. #ncaaw
— Hoopfeed.com ? (@hoopfeed) February 3, 2019
.@StanfordWBB is off to a fast start ?
DiJonai Carrington sinks a 3 from the top of the arc ?
Watch on our app: https://t.co/9l6NAvoq9H pic.twitter.com/bp5QYuYX2p
— Pac-12 Network (@Pac12Network) February 3, 2019
DiJonai Carrington picking up where Lacie Hull left off, with 5pts so far, about three minutes left in 1Q, Stanford leading 18-4 #ncaaw
— Hoopfeed.com ? (@hoopfeed) February 3, 2019
I bet Friday's @StanfordWBB practice was hellish, Stanford has come out on fire! #GoStanford
— C and R (@StanfordWBBBlog) February 3, 2019
Hall of Fame coach Tara VanDerveer not trying to have 3 straight losses on her watch, she's got her players locked in and hungry for redemption. Stanford leads Cal 22-4 with less than a minute left in 1Q. #ncaaw
— Hoopfeed.com ? (@hoopfeed) February 3, 2019
End of 1Q: Stanford 22, Cal 5 #ncaaw pic.twitter.com/W9WC7V9lL7
— Hoopfeed.com ? (@hoopfeed) February 3, 2019
Jaelyn Brown's cross-court shot didn't count, but…
???
Watch the 2Q coming up: https://t.co/9l6NAvoq9H pic.twitter.com/uXzk9P8RO3
— Pac-12 Network (@Pac12Network) February 3, 2019
Nice to have you back @mydod_15.
? » @Pac12Network #GoStanford pic.twitter.com/L4eSD4Cc2O
— Stanford Women’s Basketball (@StanfordWBB) February 3, 2019
She stayed with it.
What a block from Maya Dodson ?????
Watch @StanfordWBB: https://t.co/9l6NAvoq9H pic.twitter.com/DJsdi50yJs
— Pac-12 Network (@Pac12Network) February 3, 2019
Cal beating themselves right now, can't take care of the ball; careless ball handling & lack of court awareness are not doing them any favors. 23-7 Stanford, 7:18 in 2Q #ncaaw
— Hoopfeed.com ? (@hoopfeed) February 3, 2019
Maya Dodson going to work for Stanford now, a layup and then a block on Asha Thomas on the other end. 25-10 Cardinal, 6:09 in 2Q. Stanford not shooting as well in this quarter but still dominating. #ncaaw
— Hoopfeed.com ? (@hoopfeed) February 3, 2019
Having Dodson back returns some depth to the bigs. Still going to miss Nadia but getting Maya back is huge down this important stretch https://t.co/8D5kV0KzOX
— Joe Lami (@joe_lami) February 3, 2019
Halftime: @StanfordWBB 37, Cal 17 #ncaaw pic.twitter.com/7NjfYgUkCG
— Hoopfeed.com ? (@hoopfeed) February 3, 2019
Cal gets their 1st trey of the game at 6:02 in 3Q from McKenzie Forbes. They are 1-11 from beyond the arc. Alanna Smith hits right back with a layup for the Cardinal. Stanford leading 50-27. #ncaaw
— Hoopfeed.com ? (@hoopfeed) February 3, 2019
End of 3Q: Stanford 56, Cal 31 #ncaaw A more even game in 3Q, Stanford still outscored Cal though, 19-14 pic.twitter.com/SKpGAnoLew
— Hoopfeed.com ? (@hoopfeed) February 3, 2019
Cal goes on a 9-0 run to get within 20 with 5pts from Recee' Caldwell. Maya Dodson ends the Stanford drought with a layup. 64-42 Stanford at 4:51 in 4Q #ncaaw
— Hoopfeed.com ? (@hoopfeed) February 3, 2019
Kristine Anigwe fouls out at 2:24, she leaves with 20pts/20rebs, just one point shy of breaking Cal's all-time scoring record, she is tied now at 2,320. #ncaaw
— Hoopfeed.com ? (@hoopfeed) February 3, 2019
Final: @StanfordWBB 75, Cal 50 #ncaaw The Cardinal rebound from Thursday's loss with a dominant win today in the 2nd game of the Battle of the Bay series. pic.twitter.com/l3afPf8AYa
— Hoopfeed.com ? (@hoopfeed) February 3, 2019
.@StanfordWBB's Tara VanDerveer starts her postgame remarks with a dry quip: "I like this game a lot better than the last one." ? pic.twitter.com/FlfsTfVZjd
— Hoopfeed.com ? (@hoopfeed) February 3, 2019
When asked what she loves about this team, Tara answered it's that they get along, and are happy for each other's success. #GoStanford
— C and R (@StanfordWBBBlog) February 3, 2019
.@WashMystics asst. Marianne Stanley also in attendance at today's Cal-Stanford game, 2 of the top seniors in nation on display again. Even in the loss, Kristine Anigwe with incredible stats. Alanna Smith below her averages but not cause for concern as Stanford shares the wealth. pic.twitter.com/jlSmtTnT11
— Hoopfeed.com ? (@hoopfeed) February 3, 2019