Stanford women's basketball picks up dominant win in first game of the Kate Paye era

The new era of Stanford basketball got off to a very fast start.

Dec 18, 2022; Stanford, California, USA; Stanford Cardinal associate head coach Kate Paye throws a ball before the game against the Tennessee Lady Vols at Maples Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images / Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images

What a way to start the new era. On Monday night, the Stanford Women’s Basketball team opened its season at home with a matchup against Le Moyne in what was also the first game of the Kate Paye era, taking home a 107-43 win. Setting the tone early, Stanford wasted no time in starting off the season fast.

Setting a record for most threes made in a game (18), things were close in the first quarter, with Stanford holding only a 16-10 lead. However, it was in the second quarter where the Cardinal were really able to pull away, scoring 34 points while holding Le Moyne to only 12, making it a 50-22 game at the half, giving the Cardinal a big cushion to work with the rest of the way.

The second half is when things really started to go Stanford’s way as the Cardinal managed to step it up a notch on defense, holding Le Moyne to only 21 points while the offense continued its electric performance, putting up 57 points behind a big third quarter from Nunu Agara, who scored 11 points in nine minutes during the quarter, finishing the game third on team in total points with 18.

For the game, the Cardinal were shooting the ball well from the start, shooting over 55% from the field and over 50% from three. Jzaniya Harriel led the charge in that category, going 6-for-7 from behind the arc, going 4-for-4 in the first half and being the main scorer for the team through the first part of the game, ending the first half having scored 15 points. On the defensive end, the Cardinal were locked in, holding Le Moyne to only 26% shooting from the field and 33% shooting from three.

Transfer Mary Ashley Stevenson, or "M.A." led the way on defense, recording 10 rebounds off the bench while Elena Bosgana and Harriel were key starters on defense, with Bosgana ending the night with seven total rebounds and Harriel finishing with five. After her strong first half, Harriel also led the Cardinal in scoring, finishing the night with 24 points, and putting together her best career game. Last season, Harriel averaged 3.5 points off the bench and is poised for an even bigger role this season.

Other notables from the night include Agara (18 points, three rebounds), Bosgana (19 points, seven rebounds, two assists) and Clardy (15 points, four assists, five rebounds).

Projected to finish seventh in their first season in the ACC and also coming into a season unranked for the first time in decades, the Cardinal will play with a major chip on their shoulders all year long and if the first game was any indication of what is to come, the team may surprise a lot of people and continue to be the national powerhouse that they were all those years under Tara VanDerveer.  Now 1-0 to start the campaign, the Cardinal will look to add another win on Thursday when they head back into Maples Pavilion to take on former Pac-12 foes, Washington State. Tipoff is slated for 7 p.m. (PST) and will air on ESPN.