Recap: #2 Stanford WBB squeezes past Oregon in Eugene
On Sunday, #2 Stanford women’s basketball defeated Oregon 66-62 on the road in Eugene. Stanford junior guard Haley Jones led the way for the Cardinal with 18 points and 9 rebounds while freshman forward Kiki Iriafen had 11 points and 5 rebounds. Oregon sophomore guard Te-Hina Paopao was the top performer for the Ducks with 23 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists. Stanford improves to 23-3 overall and 14-0 in the Pac-12 while Oregon falls to 18-9 overall and 10-5 in the Pac-12.
Oregon would lead 7-4 with 4:31 to go in the 1st quarter. Sophomore guard Sydney Parrish was up to 5 points for the Ducks while junior forward Francesca Belibi was up to 3 points for the Cardinal. Stanford was shooting 1-9 from the field, not getting nearly enough shots to drop.
At the end of the 1st quarter, Oregon led 14-10. Parrish was up to 8 points for Oregon, doing a great job of pacing the Ducks. As for Stanford, senior guard Lexie Hull was starting to come alive with 7 points. Stanford shot 2-17 from the field in the 1st quarter. They were still cold.
Oregon would continue to put the pressure on Stanford as they led 24-18 with 4:09 to go in the 2nd quarter. It was really important for Stanford to finish the half strong. Oregon was hoping to gain even more separation.
To Stanford’s credit, they closed the gap slightly to trail 36-31 at halftime. Sydney Parrish (10 points & 5 rebounds) and junior guard Endyia Rogers (10 points & 3 rebounds) were leading the way for Oregon. As for Stanford, Iriafen was now the top scorer with 9 points on 4-5 shooting from the field. She was balling out.
Oregon would continue to lead up 43-37 with 3:55 to go in the 3rd quarter. Stanford was shooting 13-43 (30.2%) from the field while Oregon was shooting 16-39 (41.0%) from the field. Stanford’s 2-14 (14.3%) shooting from 3-point range in particular was hurting them.
Stanford finished the quarter strong, cutting Oregon’s lead down to just one point as they entered the 4th quarter. It was a 47-46 Oregon lead. Sixth-year guard Anna Wilson had a nice 3-point play for Stanford while sophomore guard Agnes Emma-Nnopu followed with a 3-pointer. The Cardinal were starting to gain some momentum.
Oregon got off to a hot start in the 4th quarter as Oregon led 53-46 with 8:48 to go. Stanford called for time. Paopao and Parrish each had 3 points in the 4th quarter so far.
Things continued to look favorable for Oregon as they led 56-49 with 6:31 to go. Paopao was up to 21 points for the Ducks. She was on fire. Iriafen was still the leading scorer for Stanford with 9 points.
Rather than falling apart, Stanford came roaring back to tie the game up 60-60 with 2:08 to go. Stanford was on an 8-0 run as Haley Jones was up to 7 points in the 4th quarter. She was going wild, getting some tough finishes to fall inside plus a clutch block. Sophomore forward Cameron Brink got a bucket inside to tie the game up at 60 but would shortly thereafter foul out.
With 46.2 to go, Stanford had the ball and called for time. The game was still tied 60-60. It was just a matter of executing in crunch time and getting across the finish line.
In the next possession, Haley Jones would hit the shot of the game. Falling down, nearly with her back on the ground, she threw the ball up at the rim and it went in. Count the basket plus the foul. She would go on to make the foul shot, making it a 63-60 lead for Stanford with 36.4 to go.
With 28.8 to go, it was now a 63-62 lead for Stanford after Sabally made both of her foul shots. Stanford had the ball, still in the driver’s seat.
Lexie Hull would then get fouled and make both of her foul shots, making it a 65-62 lead for Stanford with 20.1 to go. Oregon called for time. On the next Oregon possession, Endyia Rogers would get a shot up inside, but miss. Emma-Nnopu would get the rebound for Stanford and get fouled, sending her to the foul line. After going 1-2 at the line, Stanford would lead 66-62 with 6 seconds to go. With so little time left, Oregon was unable to work any magic, resulting in a 66-62 Stanford victory.
For Stanford, this kind of win is a testament to their toughness and resiliency. With a Pac-12 championship in hand, they could have let this one go at the end, but instead, they dug deep and found a way to get into that next gear that separates championship level teams from the rest of the competition. Haley Jones scoring 10 of her 18 points in the 4th quarter is just the stuff of pure greatness. Nothing more needs to be said.
Up next for Stanford is a home game against Washington State on Thursday. That game will tip-off at 8:00 PM PT on Pac-12 Networks and Varsity Network radio.
To connect with CardinalSportsReport.com on Twitter, click here.
To connect with Ben Parker, click here.