Based upon recent history, Cal (9-1) should not have much of a chance to defeat Stanford tomorrow night. The Cardinal has beaten the Bears badly 12 consecutive times by an average point margin of 24.8 points. This is a very different Stanford basketball team, however. They do not have twin 6-4 towers like Cameron Brink & Kiki Iriafen upfront anymore. They also do not have legendary coach, Tara Van Derveer, any longer. This year's version of the Cardinal is a much better matchup for the Bears. They are still a good team (7-2) that still does many things well. Stanford has played only three good teams and has lost twice. They are undefeated at home but are 0-2 on the road.
Stanford Cardinal - Official Athletics Website
Stanford is shooting 50.1% from the field for 2024-25. They have shot well in 7 of 9 games. They were not on their game at home vs UC Davis (69-56 W) and at Indiana (79-66 L). On both occasions, they scored in the sixties. LSU (#4 in the nation) edged Stanford in the deep South, 94-88, in OT in their last game. Obviously, they almost pulled off a major upset.
Bottom line: Cal needs to play to their potential to put an end to Stanford's winning streak. Both teams are similar in height now and both hit approximately 9 1/2 three pointers per contest. Stanford handles the ball well but does not force many turnovers. They outrebound their oppositon by an average of 10 boards (40-30). The Bears will have to neutralize that advantage to stay in the game and possibly win. My prediction is Cal will pull off the victory tomorrow night by a 74-72 score. To succeed, the Bears will have to hit their outside shots. Last season, the Cardinal defense held their archrivals to 11 of 53 (20.75%) on their treys.
Kate Paye is the new HC and she rotates eight players right now. PG Talana Lepolo is injured and has missed their last four games. Their starting PG is 5-10 RS junior Jzaniya Harriel. She is tied for the most threes with 19 and hits an unbelievable 52.8% of her attempts! She is fourth in scoring with 9.1 ppg. The starter at SG is Tess Heal, a 5-10 junior transfer from Santa Clara. She stands sixth on the team in scoring at 7.9 points. Chloe Clardy, a 5-9 soph, splits the minutes there and averages 8 ppg and is 2nd in steals.
Their second leading scorer is 6-2 senior wing, Elena Bosgana. The southpaw tallies 13.7 ppg. She leads Stanford is steals (19) and is tied for the three-point lead w/ 19. She is a key rebounder who is second on the team with 5.4/g. Courtney Ogden, a 6-1 soph, is her backup. She plays 15.2 minutes & contributes 5.1 points to the cause.
The starting SF is 6-3 senior, Brooke Demetre, who is 3rd in both scoring (11.8) and rebounding (5.3). She is also third in treys with 14 on the season. She is invaluabe because she leads the team in assists with 21 while only commiting 6 turnovers. Purdue 6-2 sophomore transfer, Mary Ashley Stevenson, is fourth in rebounding (4.3) and chips in 5 ppg.
The emerging star for Stanford is 6-2 soph PF, Nunu Agara. This young lady plays 30.3 minutes per game and leads the team in offense w/ 18.8 points and rebounds w/ 7.0. She is the top shot blocker with 10 and is 2nd in assists w/ 20. She erupted against LSU last week for 29 points and 13 boards. Wow!
Women's Basketball 2024-25 - Stanford Cardinal - Official Athletics Website
This battle should be competitive and I'll keep my fingers crossed that Cal plays a great ballgame in both team's ACC opener. GO BEARS!
Stanford Cardinal - Official Athletics Website
Stanford is shooting 50.1% from the field for 2024-25. They have shot well in 7 of 9 games. They were not on their game at home vs UC Davis (69-56 W) and at Indiana (79-66 L). On both occasions, they scored in the sixties. LSU (#4 in the nation) edged Stanford in the deep South, 94-88, in OT in their last game. Obviously, they almost pulled off a major upset.
Bottom line: Cal needs to play to their potential to put an end to Stanford's winning streak. Both teams are similar in height now and both hit approximately 9 1/2 three pointers per contest. Stanford handles the ball well but does not force many turnovers. They outrebound their oppositon by an average of 10 boards (40-30). The Bears will have to neutralize that advantage to stay in the game and possibly win. My prediction is Cal will pull off the victory tomorrow night by a 74-72 score. To succeed, the Bears will have to hit their outside shots. Last season, the Cardinal defense held their archrivals to 11 of 53 (20.75%) on their treys.
Kate Paye is the new HC and she rotates eight players right now. PG Talana Lepolo is injured and has missed their last four games. Their starting PG is 5-10 RS junior Jzaniya Harriel. She is tied for the most threes with 19 and hits an unbelievable 52.8% of her attempts! She is fourth in scoring with 9.1 ppg. The starter at SG is Tess Heal, a 5-10 junior transfer from Santa Clara. She stands sixth on the team in scoring at 7.9 points. Chloe Clardy, a 5-9 soph, splits the minutes there and averages 8 ppg and is 2nd in steals.
Their second leading scorer is 6-2 senior wing, Elena Bosgana. The southpaw tallies 13.7 ppg. She leads Stanford is steals (19) and is tied for the three-point lead w/ 19. She is a key rebounder who is second on the team with 5.4/g. Courtney Ogden, a 6-1 soph, is her backup. She plays 15.2 minutes & contributes 5.1 points to the cause.
The starting SF is 6-3 senior, Brooke Demetre, who is 3rd in both scoring (11.8) and rebounding (5.3). She is also third in treys with 14 on the season. She is invaluabe because she leads the team in assists with 21 while only commiting 6 turnovers. Purdue 6-2 sophomore transfer, Mary Ashley Stevenson, is fourth in rebounding (4.3) and chips in 5 ppg.
The emerging star for Stanford is 6-2 soph PF, Nunu Agara. This young lady plays 30.3 minutes per game and leads the team in offense w/ 18.8 points and rebounds w/ 7.0. She is the top shot blocker with 10 and is 2nd in assists w/ 20. She erupted against LSU last week for 29 points and 13 boards. Wow!
Women's Basketball 2024-25 - Stanford Cardinal - Official Athletics Website
This battle should be competitive and I'll keep my fingers crossed that Cal plays a great ballgame in both team's ACC opener. GO BEARS!
