Preview: Stanford Women’s Basketball returns to face UC Davis after impressive road trip
On Thursday, November 20th at 7:00 PM PT on ACCNX, Stanford women’s basketball will welcome UC Davis to The Farm. Stanford comes in at 5-0 overall while UC Davis comes in at 3-1.
Last time out: Stanford is coming off a road trip to the Pacific Northwest in which they defeated Washington State on Friday (November 14th) and Gonzaga on Sunday (November 16th). Stanford defeated Washington State 54-46 and Gonzaga 65-52.
BOX SCORE: Stanford at Washington State-Friday, November 14th
BOX SCORE: Stanford at Gonzaga-Sunday, November 16th
In the win over Washington State, freshman point guard Hailee Swain was the lone Cardinal to finish in double figures with 10 points on 5-11 shooting from the field. Stanford was pretty much in control the whole way, leading 16-11 after the 1st quarter, 32-25 at halftime, and 44-34 at the end of the 3rd quarter before winning 54-46. It wasn’t as close as the final score indicated, though Washington State still put up a legit fight.
In the win over Gonzaga, Stanford junior forward Nunu Agara led the way for the Cardinal with 16 points, 11 rebounds, two blocks, and three steals while junior wing Courtney Ogden had 14 points and six rebounds. Stanford got down 22-13 at the end of the 1st quarter before fighting back to win. They outscored Gonzaga 18-11 in the 2nd quarter to make it a 33-31 game at halftime as Gonzaga led by just two points. In the 3rd quarter, Stanford outscored Gonzaga 17-9 to make take a 48-42 lead into the 4th quarter. Stanford would finish strong, outscoring Gonzaga 17-10 in the 4th quarter to win 65-52.
On UC Davis: The Aggies are coming off a tough 91-77 loss at Boise State. They started the season 3-0 with wins over Jessup, Idaho, and Weber State (on the road). Sophomore guard Ryann Bennett is balling out with 18.3 points per game while senior guard Nya Epps is averaging 16.0 points per game. The Aggies have a strong backcourt that is capable of putting up points. Stanford better be ready to defend them. Especially from the perimeter, where they are shooting 39.2% from beyond the arc.
Keys to the game: For Stanford, the first thing they need to do is defend the perimeter. The Aggies can shoot the ball pretty well and if Stanford doesn’t do a good job rotating on defense, this game could get closer than expected.
Secondly, Stanford needs to control the pace. With guards like Hailee Swain and Shay Ijiwoye, Stanford can very quickly push the ball up and down the floor. If Stanford plays at the pace they want to play at, they should be fine.
Finally, Stanford needs to simply avoid offensive dry spells. So long as they can stay in a good offensive flow all night long, they should be fine. Where things can get dicey is if the offense starts to stagnate and shots aren’t falling.
Prediction: Stanford is the easy pick here. The question is by how much? I’ll say Stanford wins 79-53. Their offense struggled on the road a bit, so I don’t see them cracking 80 points.
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