No. 4 Stanford Tames Albany Great Danes, 79-35
STANFORD, Calif. – The undefeated No. 4 Stanford Cardinal (7-0) put a leash on the University of Albany Great Danes (4-2,), 79-35, when they visited the Farm in a first-ever matchup of the two teams Sunday afternoon.
Senior All-American Cameron Brink was the catalyst to the landslide victory, as she logged an impressive 20+ point double-double (21 points, 19 rebounds) in addition to blocking four shots.
“I thought Albany played real hard,” Stanford head coach Tara VanDerveer said. “They moved the ball really well; they just had no answer for Cam or Hannah Jump. They had to pick their poison.”
The Cardinal got out to a commanding 11-0 start of the contest, and a blowout seemed imminent. However, the Great Danes from the Empire State staged their own run to keep Stanford in sight during the first quarter. UAlbany went on a 6-0 run, after being down 11, to get within five, 11-6. That margin was the closest they ever reached the rest of the contest.
Brink placed her imprint in the first quarter, by posting seven points and six rebounds. Stanford ended the first quarter up by eight, 20-12. The Great Danes had to feel they still had a chance.
However, quarter number two subdued that potential as the Cardinal had a 12-0 run and seemed to grab every rebound.
Senior guard Hannah Jump chipped in 13 points, including three from beyond the 3-point line. She eclipsed the 300 mark on her first make, and the other two put her at 302 by halftime. Junior guard Elena Bosgana also converted a trifecta of treys, giving her 11 points after 20 minutes of game time.
Albany had only one player in double-figures, as senior guard Kayla Cooper put up 12 points at the midway point. The Cardinal had three in that category, including Brink with a double-double (15 points, 10 rebounds), Jump (13) and Bosgana (11).
Stanford shot 50% from the field and outrebounded Albany 25 to 9 at intermission, in addition to possessing a 13-point lead, 47-24.
During the second half, the lead ballooned to as high as 31 in the third and a whopping 46 in the fourth quarter. Over the two quarters, Stanford had a 19-0 run to completely obliterate their opponent from New York State’s capital city.
Junior forward Kiki Iriafen got into the mix in the second half, despite being in foul trouble and shooting below 50%. She was one rebound away from a double-double (11 points, nine rebounds). Jump added another three to her tally (303) and finished with 16 points for the game, while Bosgana stayed the same with 11.
Cooper led the Great Danes with 16 points and junior guard Meghan Huerter contributed 9 points for the cause.
When the final horn sounded, the Cardina won the initial game between both schools by an overwhelming 44-point advantage.
Stanford’s next action is Friday, December 1 in Southern California, when they take on the San Diego State Aztecs at 11 a.m. (Mountain West Network). UAlbany heads back across the country to host the Siena Saints on Saturday, December 2.
Notes:
- VanDerveer has a couple of connections with the University of Albany. She played for the basketball team as a freshman, before transferring to Indiana. Her father studied for his doctorate at the upstate New York school.
- Hannah Jump’s career 303 made three-pointers put her within eight of Stanford alumna Kianna Williams (311).
