Stanford escapes a near upset, improves to 4-0

It may not have been pretty, but the Cardinal rallied together and showed why they still belong in the upper tier of women's college basketball.

Feb 10, 2024; Stanford, California, USA; The Stanford Cardinal logo at center court before the game between the Stanford Cardinal and the USC Trojans at Maples Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: Robert Edwards-Imagn Images / Robert Edwards-Imagn Images

Even when you think they won’t do it, they do. On Wednesday night, the Stanford Cardinal returned to Maples Pavilion to face off against UC Davis and while it was a tight battle, the Cardinal ultimately pulled away, winning the game 69-56 to improve to 4-0.

Led by Nunu Agara, who put together a career best game of 25 points and 10 rebounds also making it her first double double, the Cardinal pulled away in the fourth quarter and were able to continue their win streak, even with it being a tight battle all the way through. After being outscored in the third quarter, at one point falling behind, the Cardinal outscored Davis 20-9 in the fourth to take home the win.

In the first half, the Cardinal struggled to put the ball in the basket, shooting only 36% from the field and 20% from three, leading to Stanford only being up 29-21. And to start the third quarter, UC Davis took full advantage of the game staying close, eventually taking a 47-46 lead after Tova Sabel made both of her free throw attempts following a Stanford foul. However, the Cardinal quickly regained the lead heading into the fourth after Courtney Ogden hit a three pointer to give Stanford a two point lead.

The fourth quarter was a different story. At one point in the final quarter, the game was tied 51-51 before the Cardinal went on a 12-0 run over four minutes, fueled by Ogden, Agara, Elena Bosgana and Jzaniya Harriel. Eventually, Stanford found itself up 63-51 with just over five minutes to go and with the momentum firmly on their side, UC Davis was unable to get anything else going and failed to make a shot over the final three minutes of the game.

Turnovers were an issue for the Cardinal all game long, as they committed six turnovers in the first half and seven in the second, with UC Davis scoring 15 points off of Cardinal turnovers during the game. And while shooting was an issue for them as well in the first half especially, they started to improve dramatically in the second, making over 50% of their second-half shots. 

The Cardinal dominated on the glass, recording 14 offensive rebounds as well as outscoring UC Davis 13-0 on second chance points. Recording 10 steals as well on the defensive end, this is the first time since February 2022 that the Cardinal have had at least that many steals in three or more consecutive games.

Aside from Agara’s game-leading performance, other notables for Stanford include Ogden (16 points, five rebounds), Brooke Demetre (11 points, eight rebounds, two assists) and Bosgana (eight points, six rebounds).

Remaining on a hot streak, the Cardinal will now get ready for their first road trip of the season, where they will head to Bloomington to take on Indiana on Sunday, Nov. 17. Tipoff for that game is slated for 11 a.m. (PT) and will air on Fox Sports.