Stanford Women's Basketball Showing Early Success From Deep

Jason Burke | Nov 10, 2024

Oct 9, 2024; Charlotte, NC, USA; Stanford head coach Kate Paye during ACC Media Days at The Hilton Charlotte Uptown. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images / Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images

After three games, the Stanford Cardinal women's basketball team is 3-0 and what has really stood out overall is the number of three pointers they have been hitting each game. Launching threes has also helped the Cardinal create some separation in their margin of victory. They have been winning by an average margin of 41.3 points, and have won by at least 29 in each game thus far.

Coach Kate Paye said after the game on Sunday, "Having so many shooters on the floor, hopefully we can spread the floor, open the floor up, and that'll allow us to attack the basket. We're not out there just trying to jack up threes. We're just trying to take great shots, and that's what's been available to us."

In the season opener against Le Moyne, they drained a program record 18 triples, going 18-of-34 (52.9%) from beyond the arc. On Thursday, facing Washington State, the Cardinal went 14-of-20 (70%), and on Sunday against Gonzaga they dropped in 13-of-24 (54.2%). Shooting 40% from three would be seen as excellent, and so far the Stanford women have been exceeding 50% each and every game. They're shooting 57.6% from three as a team.

Jzaniya Harriel leads the team in three pointers made, dropping in 11-of-16 so far this season, good for 69% through three games.

Last season it took until January 12 at Utah for the Cardinal women to have a third game where they produced double-digit three pointers. This year they have done so in their first three games. A big reason for this is the personnel on the court. Last year the women on the team, like then-freshman Nunu Agara, said that she could just dump the ball into Cameron Brink and let her work. Stanford doesn't have star player like Brink, or Kiki Iriafen, on the roster, so the ball movement is key.

Before the season everyone that we spoke with talked about how each game could have a different leading scorer, and that the team is very unselfish. So far, the Cardinal have had three different leading scorers, with Harriel leading the way with 24 in the opener, then Elena Bosgana with 19 on Thursday, and Nunu Agara hanging 18 on Gonzaga on Sunday.

Not only are they spreading the scoring around, which will make them a more difficult team to game plan for as the year progresses, but they are also getting contributions from a number of shooters from deep. On Sunday, Stanford has six players connect from deep, including sophomore transfer Mary Ashley Stevenson, who knocked down the first triple of her career.

This team is going to be extremely interesting to keep an eye on this season as they make an adjustment to the ACC, and also playing without their legendary coach Tara VanDerveer who retired after last season. This year's team is beginning to find their identity.

The Cardinal will be back on the newly minted Tara VanDerveer court at Maples on Wednesday night at 7 p.m. when they host UC Davis.