By Cheryl Coward
STANFORD, Calif. – Courtney Ogden scored a career-high 25 points and Stanford used a decisive fourth-quarter run to defeat California 78-69 on Sunday afternoon at Maples Pavilion, opening ACC play with a victory over its rival in the 105th meeting between the programs.
The Cardinal (9-2, 1-0 ACC) outscored the Golden Bears 26-14 in the final period, shooting 61.5% from the floor while holding Cal to just 25.0% shooting in the quarter.
“That was a great win for our team. We’re very excited,” Stanford head coach Kate Paye said. “I was really proud of the way our team battled. I thought it came down to the fourth quarter. I think our conditioning really kicked in and really helped us.”
Ogden was nearly perfect, finishing 10-of-12 from the field while adding seven rebounds. Lara Somfai recorded her fourth double-double of the season with 12 points, 13 rebounds, and a career-high three blocks for Stanford.
“Courtney kind of stole the show,” Paye said. “They call it cooking with Courtney.”
Fourth-Quarter Surge
Cal’s Aliyahna Morris opened the fourth quarter with a driving layup to put the Golden Bears ahead 57-52, but Stanford responded with a game-changing 12-0 run over the next 4:31.
Chloe Clardy ignited the spurt with a steal and coast-to-coast layup that gave Stanford a 58-57 lead, the game’s final lead change. Talana Lepolo capped the run with a banked three-pointer at the 4:46 mark, extending the Cardinal advantage to 64-57.
“I have confidence in our team,” Paye said of the comeback. “We’ve been in those situations before. Look at people in the huddle. They’re talking to each other, they’re positive, they’re encouraging each other.”
Cal’s Sakima Walker converted a three-point play to cut the deficit to four with just over three minutes remaining, but Clardy answered with a triple on Stanford’s next possession. After Somfai blocked Walker in the post, Ogden drove for a layup while drawing a foul on Morris and completed the three-point play to push the lead to 72-62 with 1:44 remaining.
The Cardinal made seven of their final eight shots to seal the victory, while Cal missed 11 consecutive field goals over a five-minute stretch in the fourth quarter.
Balanced Attack
Clardy contributed 13 points off the bench, connecting on 3-of-4 from three-point range. Nunu Agara scored 12 points, nine rebounds and a career-high five assists, with three of those assists coming in the fourth quarter.
“This is a great team win,” Paye said. “It takes everyone to kind of do something like this. Some fantastic individual performances. Chloe Clardy is so steady for us out there, and she really got her knocking down three threes. That was very helpful. And Talana four assists, no turnovers.”
Stanford finished with 13 assists against just six turnovers and shot 57.1% from three-point range (8-of-14) for the game. The Cardinal held a 42-40 rebounding edge, with Somfai’s 13 boards leading all players.
Somfai’s dominance on the glass drew praise from her coach.
“Lara is a total glass eater,” Paye said. “I mean, she just gobbles them up. 13 rebounds, that was huge.”
Cal’s Effort
Taylor Barnes led Cal (8-4, 0-1 ACC) with 16 points, scoring seven in the opening quarter. Walker and Morris each added double figures with 13 and 12 points, respectively. Gisella Maul pulled down a team-high 10 rebounds off the bench, her second double-digit rebounding performance of the season.
The Golden Bears played most of the game without starting guard Lulu Twidale, who was limited to 17 minutes due to foul trouble before fouling out. Cal shot 36.8% from the field for the game compared to Stanford’s 43.9%.
The game featured six ties and seven lead changes before Stanford took control in the fourth quarter. Cal led 15-13 after the first quarter and trailed 34-31 at halftime. The Golden Bears outscored Stanford 24-18 in the third quarter to take a 55-52 advantage into the final period.
Consecutive three-pointers from Twidale and Barnes tied the game at 44-44 midway through the third quarter, and Morris hit a step-back three at the buzzer to give Cal the three-point edge heading into the fourth.
Series History
The victory improved Stanford to 82-23 all-time against Cal and 39-9 at home in the series. The win also snapped Cal’s two-game winning streak in the rivalry after the Golden Bears swept Stanford last season for the first time since 1985-86.
What’s Next
Stanford will face No. 20 Washington on Friday at 7 p.m. at Maples Pavilion before participating in the Invisalign Bay Area Women’s Classic, a doubleheader on Sunday, December 21, at Chase Center in San Francisco. The Cardinal will face Oregon at 3 p.m. PT in a game televised on ESPN. The second game features Cal taking on USC at 5:30 p.m. PT.