Rebels’ stingy defense ends Cardinal tournament run 54-49

Stanford forward Cameron Brink (22) drives to the basket against Mississippi forward Madison Scott, right during the second half of a second-round at Maples Pavilion in Palo Alto on Sat Mar 19, 2023 (AP News photo)

By Daniel Dullum
Friday, March 17, 2023

A highly successful women’s basketball season came to an end for Stanford Sunday, as the No. 1-seeded Cardinal fell to No. 8-seed Mississippi 54-49 in the second round of the Seattle 4 Region tournament in a game played at Maples Pavilion.

Stanford finished its season 29-6, while the Rebels improved to 25-8 as they advance to the Sweet 16. The loss snapped the Cardinal’s streak of 14 consecutive years reaching the regional round.

“I thought our team really battled in the second half,” Cardinal coach Tara VanDerveer said in the postgame media session. “We kind of dug ourselves a hole, but you know, we battled back. We tied it up and we had an opportunity to win the game.

“I think Mississippi is a very experienced and very determined team. They made plays down the stretch that we didn’t make.”

Cameron Brink missed the Cardinal’s NCAA tournament opener against Sacred Heart with what was described as “a non-COVID-19 illness.” She played 34 minutes, scoring a team-high 20 points along with 13 rebounds, seven blocks and two steals. Brink also hit 10-of-10 free throws.

“I think I just – I felt sick,” Brink said. “I think I’m still getting back to my normal self but I definitely got a little winded throughout the game, but I tried my best.”

Senior Haley Jones had 16 points, eight rebounds and three steals in her final game for Stanford.

“I think Ole Miss is a great defensive team,” Jones said. “And we heard them say that they prided themselves on their defense. They packed it in their suitcase, and they were going to come in and execute that plan. I think they did a great job.

“They (Mississippi) were contesting shots in a great way. But we missed a lot of shots that we usually make, which is disappointing.”

Angel Baker was the top scorer for Ole Miss with 13 points, followed by Marquesha Davis with 12 and Madison Scott with 11. Davis had four of the Rebels’ nine steals, and Rita Igbokwe grabbed eight rebounds in 17 minutes.

The Rebels, who led 29-20 at halftime, never trailed and scored 24 points off 21 Stanford turnovers. After Mississippi built a 49-41 lead with 5:47 remaining in the fourth quarter, the Cardinal used an 8-0 run, capped by two Brink free throws, to tie the game at 49-49 with 1:15 left.

Scott sank a pair of free throws with 18 seconds remaining to put the Rebels back in front at 51-49. Three seconds later, after Jones turned the b ball over, Davis hit two free throws to increase the Ole Miss lead to 53-49. Myah Taylor stole the ball from Jones with 15 seconds remaining and sank 1 of 2 foul shots.

Mississippi will face 4-seed Texas or 5-seed Louisville in the regional in Seattle on Friday. The Longhorns and Cardinals play on Monday.

NCAA Tournament/Stanford Cardinal podcast with Michael Robeson: VanDerveer ready to lead Cardinal in round 2 vs. Ole Miss Sunday

Stanford Cardinal head coach Tara VanDerveer as seen coaching against the Sacred Heart Pioneers on Fri Mar 17, 2023 at Maple Pavilion is set for the next challenge against the Ole Miss Rebels Sun Mar 19, 2023 (AP News photo)

On the Stanford Cardinal podcast with Michael Roberson:

#1 Michael, the Stanford Cardinal (29-5) handled the Sacred Heart Pioneers (19-14) rather handedly 92-49 in the first round of the NCAA Tournament and they did it without high scorer Cameron Brink.

#2 Haley Jones picked up where Brink left off leading with 17 points Haley’s been a go to all season long.

#3 On defense the Cardinal held the Pioneers to 18 points in the first quarter, 8 points in the second quarter, 11 points in the third quarter, and 12 points in the fourth quarter.

#4 Michael, how important of a win is this for Stanford considering they opened the tournament without Brink and had to create plays and win that opening game.

#5 Michael, Stanford will carry on for their next opponent and their opponent will be well aware of the kind of season Stanford is having.

Join Michael Roberson for the Stanford Cardinal podcast at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Stanford Cardinal podcast with Daniel Dullum: Cardinal handle Sacred Heart without Brink in tournament opener 92-49

Stanford guard Haley Jones (30) shoots against Sacred Heart guard Ny’Ceara Pryor during the first half at Maples Pavilion in Palo Alto on Fri Mar 17, 2023 (AP News photo)

On the Stanford Cardinal podcast with Daniel Dullum:

#1 Daniel, the Stanford Cardinal (29-5) handled the Sacred Heart Pioneers (19-14) rather handedly 92-49 in the first round of the NCAA Tournament and they did it without high scorer Cameron Brink.

#2 Haley Jones picked up where Brink left off leading with 17 points Haley’s been a go to all season long.

#3 On defense the Cardinal held the Pioneers to 18 points in the first quarter, 8 points in the second quarter, 11 points in the third quarter, and 12 points in the fourth quarter.

#4 Daniel, how important of a win is this for Stanford considering they opened the tournament without Brink and had to create plays and win that opening game.

#5 Daniel, Stanford will carry on for their next opponent and their opponent will be well aware of the kind of season Stanford is having.

Join Daniel for Stanford basketball on http://www.sportsradioservice.com

NCAA Tournament/Stanford Cardinal podcast with Michael Roberson: Cardinal enter their 35th straight NCAA Tournament Friday

Stanford forward Francesca Belibi motions after scoring against UCLA during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game in the semifinals of the Pac-12 women’s tournament Friday, March 3, 2023, in Las Vegas. (AP News photo)

On the NCAA Tournament/ Stanford Cardinal podcast with Michael Roberson:

#1 Stanford enters it’s 35th straight NCAA Women’s Tournament as they will face either Sacred Heart or Southern on Friday night at Maples Pavilion.

#2 The Cardinal (28-5) got the No.1 seed for the third straight season and will be at the Spokane Region.,

#3 Stanford is one of the top overall seeds as they are ranked No.1 coming into the Tournament on Friday.

#4 Stanford will open it’s 36th overall postseason against either the Pioneers or Jaguars Friday. Also on the same day the big draw it will be Ole Miss No.8 (23-8) against No.9 Gonzaga (28-4).

#5 Some of the big names on the Stanford Women’s team to talk about Christine Brink, Haley Jones, Talana Lepolo, and Fran Belibi what year and what a performance this season.

Join Michael Roberson during the NCAA Tournament/Stanford women’s podcasts at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Stanford Cardinal podcast with Daniel Dullum: Head coach Jerod Haase to return for 2023-24 season

Stanford Cardinal head coach Jerod Haase will return next season after Athletic Director Bernard Muir reupped Haase for another year (AP file photo)

On the Stanford Cardinal podcast:

#1 Second-seed Arizona had its hands full with stubborn Stanford, but in the end, the No.8-ranked Wildcats held on and eliminated the Cardinal 95-84 Thursday in the Pac-12 men’s basketball tournament quarterfinals at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

#2 The win avenged the Cardinal’s 88-79 victory over U of A on Feb. 11.

#3 Oumar Ballo led the Wildcats (26-6) with 24 points, followed by Cedric Henderson Jr. with 23, Azuolas Tubelis with 20 and Courtney Ramey with 15. 

#4 Spencer Jones topped the Cardinal (14-19) with 22 points and six rebounds, Brandon Angel was next with 19 points and seven rebounds, Michael Jones had 13 points and Harrison Ingram added 12 points and five assists. Michael O’Connell had eight points, two steals and four assists.

#5 Stanford Athletic Director Bernard Muir announced that head coach Jerod Haase will return for next season. Haase lead the team to a overall 14-9 record, 7-13 in the Pac 12, this was the fifth consecutive season the Cardinal failed to finish above .500. Muir said after the 2021-22 season that he would bring Haase back for 2022-23 after the team had finished under .500 and Haase gets the nod for next season from Muir once again.

Join Daniel for the Cardinal podcasts each Friday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

No, 8 Arizona sends Cardinal packing from Pac-12 tournament with 95-84 win

Arizona Wildcats Cedric Henderson (45) drives on the Stanford Cardinal at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas at the Pac 12 Tournament on Thu Mar 9, 2023 (USA Today photo)

By Daniel Dullum
Thursday, March 9, 2023

Second-seed Arizona had its hands full with stubborn Stanford, but in the end, the No.8-ranked Wildcats held on and eliminated the Cardinal 95-84 Thursday in the Pac-12 men’s basketball tournament quarterfinals at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

The win avenged the Cardinal’s 88-79 victory over U of A on Feb. 11.

Oumar Ballo led the Wildcats (26-6) with 24 points, followed by Cedric Henderson Jr. with 23, Azuolas Tubelis with 20 and Courtney Ramey with 15. Tubelis also had eight rebounds and four assists, Plle Larsson had seven rebounds and five assists, and Ballo grabbed six boards. Henderson added three assists and three steals.

Spencer Jones topped the Cardinal (14-19) with 22 points and six rebounds, Brandon Angel was next with 19 points and seven rebounds, Michael Jones had 13 points and Harrison Ingram added 12 points and five assists. Michael O’Connell had eight points, two steals and four assists.

Stanford connected on 14 of 29 from 3-point range with Spencer Jones, Michael Jones and Angel each hitting three from behind the arc.

The Wildcats led 47-43 at the half. Stanford took a 57-56 lead four minutes into the second half on a O’Connell 3 and extended that lead to 59-56 on an Ingram jumper. Arizona responded with a layup by Ballo and surged ahead 62-61 on a short jumper by Tubelis at 14:26.

Arizona used a six-point run to pull away 68-63. The Wildcats’ biggest lead was 95-81 with 34 seconds to play.

The Wildcats move on the tournament semifinals.

Stanford Cardinal podcast with Michael Roberson: How Stanford will shake off last two loses going into March Madness

Cameron Brink (22) center Stanford Cardinal skilled at the block shot but it just wasn’t enough against the UCLA Bruins at the Pac 12 Tournament on Sun Mar 5, 2023 at the Michelob Ultra Arena in Las Vegas (AP News photo)

On the Stanford Cardinal podcast with Michael:

#1 Michael, when you look at the Stanford women’s last two loses out of their last three games to Utah and UCLA how much do you define that as ending their season in a negative way or it was just a learning experience and they’ll get em in March Madness.

#2 Do you believe that losing the last two games out of three actually makes the Cardinal sit up and pay attention of some of the things they need to work on before the big dance.

#3 In the Pac 12 Tournament this will be the first time in years that the Cardinal will not go in as a contender a finalist as it were. Does that play on the Cardinal psyche going into the rest of March.

#4 After two loses like that do you see Cardinal head coach Tara VanDerveer making adjustments, some changes before they get into their next game?

#5 Talk about a few of the key players that had made a big difference going into the big dance this month and how they’ll be an impact Hannah Jump, Haley Jones and Cameron Brink?

Join Michael for the Stanford Cardinal podcasts all throughout March Madness at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

No. 19 Bruins stun No. 6 Stanford 69-65 in Pac-12 women’s semis

UCLA guard Kiki Rice (1) drives to the basket under pressure from Stanford guard Haley Jones (30) during the first half  at the Michelob Ultra Arena in Las Vegas on Fri Mar 3, 2023 at the Pac 12 Tournament (AP News photo)

By Daniel Dullum
Thursday, March 2, 2023

In a Pac-12 women’s basketball tournament that has already seen its share of upsets, UCLA pulled off the latest one on Friday. The 19th-ranked Bruins used a furious second half to overtake No. 6 Stanford 69-65 in the semifinal round at Las Vegas.

It was only the second time in program history that Stanford lost a semifinal game in the Pac-12 tournament. UCLA becomes the first 5-seed to reach the title game.

Kiki Rice led the Bruins (25-8) with 22 points, five rebounds and five assists in addition to hitting 12 of 13 free throws. Emily Bessoir was next with 14 points and six rebounds, Charisma Osborne had 12 points followed by Gina Conti with 11 points, including 3 of 6 3-pointers.

Cameron Brink was the top scorer for Stanford (28-5) with 19 points to go with 11 rebounds and two blocks. Haley Jones was next with 15 points, 10 boards, three assists and two blocks. Hannah Jump and Francesca Belibi each contributed three assists.

Stanford led 17-8 after the first quarter and built a 35-22 halftime advantage. The Bruins erased a 16-point deficit in the second half, outscoring the Cardinal 29-15 in the fourth quarter.

UCLA used a 20-9 run to surge ahead 60-59 after Jones was called for a shoving foul which led to a Rice jumper with 2:07 remaining, Stanford had a chance to tie or take the lead after Rice missed the second of two free throws with 21 seconds to play and the Bruins leading by two. But Conti got the rebound, was fouled and hit two free throws to give UCLA a four-point lead.

The Bruins move on to the championship game on Sunday, facing Washington State, which has defeated No. 3 Utah and No, 20 Colorado in the tourney. Stanford now waits to see where they will be seeded in the NCAA tournament.

Ducks crush Bears in Eugene 84-51; Couisnard leads Oregon with 17 pts

The Cal Bears forward Monty Bowser (2) takes the ball down the floor against the Oregon Ducks at Matthew Knight Arena in Eugene Or on Thu Mar 2, 2023 (CK Hicks Cal Bears photo)

By Michael Duca and Morris Phillips

The Oregon Ducks (17-13) ran all over the visiting Cal Bears (3-27) in Eugene on Thursday night 84-51 With the win the Ducks picked up their second straight win. The Cal defense all they could do is watch the Ducks run past them as the Ducks had five players finish in double figures.

The Ducks Jermain Couisnard led the with 17 points, the Ducks shot 55% from the field and out rebounded Cal 45-21. The Ducks scored 42 points in each of the first and second halves. Cal’s Sam Alajiki was the only Cal player to finish in double figures with 11 points. Alajiki was followed up by Grant Newell nine points, and Lar Thiemann with nine points.

The Bears Joel Brown had seven points and Thiemann returned after sitting out the last game against Washington State on Feb 25th at UC Berkeley. Thiemann finished tied for second in scoring and came off the bench to do it in less than 23 minutes.

One of the keys to the Ducks success Thursday night was they hit six 3 pointers and shot 59% in the opening 20 minutes of the ball game against the Bears giving the Ducks a 42-26 lead after the first half of the game. The closest the Bears got in this contest was within five points with 6:32 left in the first half. The Ducks then went on a 12-4 run and led by double figures and putting much put the game out of reach for Cal the rest of the way.

The Bears will try and close out the regular season with a win against the Oregon State Beavers (10-20) this game might be the Bears best chance to get back in the win column. The Beavers have been struggling losing their last game to Stanford 83-60 on Thursday night and having lost four in a row and nine of their last ten games. Tip off is 5:00pm in Corvallis this Saturday night.

No. 6 Cardinal women defeat Oregon 76-63 in Pac-12 quarterfinals

Stanford forward Cameron Brink, left, grabs a rebound next to Oregon center Phillipina Kyei during the second half at the Pac 12 Tournament in Las Vegas on Thu Mar 2, 2023 (AP News photo)

By Daniel Dullum
Thursday, March 2, 2023

Cameron Brink enjoyed another big night for Stanford Thursday, leading the No. 6 Cardinal past Oregon 76-63 in the Pac-12 women’s basketball tournament quarterfinals in Las Vegas.

Brink, a junior center, scored 22 points, grabbed 11 rebounds for her 14th double-double of the season. Hannah Jump was next for Stanford (28-4) with 13 points, Talana Lepolo scored 10 points, and Haley Jones had eight points along with eight assists and 13 rebounds.

The Cardinal dominated the boards, outrebounding Oregon 56-39. Stanford converted 21 offensive rebounds into 21 second-chance points.

Te-Hina Paopao netted a career-high 28 points for Oregon (17-14), including a tournament record-tying seven 3-pointers. Endyia Rogers added 15 points for the Ducks, who hit 29.4 percent of their field goals (20 of 68).

The Cardinal opened the game with an 11-2 run, including 7-of-7 free throws. Brink had eight of Stanford’s 21 points in the second quarter, as the Cardinal built a 37-24 halftime lead. Oregon rallied to start the second half, but the Cardinal used a 7-0 run to close the period.

Stanford will face UCLA in the semifinals on Friday.