On Thursday, #2 Stanford women’s basketball defeated Washington State 61-54. Stanford sophomore forward Cameron Brink finished with 16 points, 15 rebounds, and 4 blocks while junior guard Haley Jones had 14 points, 11 rebounds, and 4 assists. Washington State sophomore guard Charlisse Leger-Walker finished with 17 points and 4 rebounds as the lone Cougar in double figures. Stanford improves to 24-3 overall and 15-0 in the Pac-12 while Washington State falls to 18-9 overall and 10-6 in the Pac-12.

“I’m really impressed with the job that Kamie Ethridge is doing and how well their team is playing,” Stanford head coach Tara VanDerveer said after the game. “This is a great win for us. Washington State being in second place the last weekend of the conference is really exciting for them and they gave us a heck of a game. They move the ball really well, they shoot the ball really well, they came in with a game plan, and we had to really battle. I thought Cam did a great job inside for us and Haley had a double-double. Really rebound and pushing the ball for us. Getting assists.

“We were missing Lexie today and we didn’t have the energy that we usually have, honestly. But, different people came in. I thought Jana contributed. Anna Wilson had a really good game. Lacie was steady and I thought Fran was involved. Fran gave us great energy. She kinda got in and got going for us. I think we were a little flat honestly and we need to come out against Washington with more energy.”

With senior guard Lexie Hull out with injury, junior guard Hannah Jump was inserted into the starting lineup for Stanford. Being without Lexie proved to make things a lot more challenging for the Cardinal.

After a tight start, Stanford was able to gain some separation to lead 18-10 at the end of the 1st quarter. Cameron Brink was already off to a hot start with 6 points, 4 rebounds, and 2 blocks. Stanford was shooting 7-12 (58.3%) from the field while Washington State was shooting 4-13 (30.8%).

Stanford’s lead grew 24-13 with 4:58 to go in the half. Cameron Brink was now up to 8 points and 7 rebounds while Haley Jones was up to 6 points and 4 rebounds. It was a strong start for the Cardinal.

Stanford’s lead wouldn’t grow any more the rest of the half as it was a 28-17 Stanford lead at halftime. Cameron Brink almost had a double-double for Stanford with 11 points, 9 rebounds, and 2 blocks. Charlisse Leger-Walker was doing her part for Washington State with 7 points.

The 3rd quarter was a battle as Stanford led 37-26 with 4:57 to go in the quarter. Stanford was still in a good spot, but Washington State was hanging around. Brink was the only Cardinal in double figures with 14 points, 11 rebounds, and 2 blocks. Others needed to get going.

At the end of the 3rd quarter, Stanford led 44-32. Stanford outscored Wazzu by just one point (16-15) in the quarter. Brink’s 14 points, 14 rebounds, and 3 blocks were really carrying Stanford across the finish line. She was up to 4 fouls. It was imperative for Stanford that she not foul not.

“I think it’s kinda what I usually see,” Brink said of what she saw from the Wazzu defense. “They were doubling me, so it was harder to score down low. But, I took shots that were open and I know I could rebound well. So that’s what I did. I know teams are definitely scouting me now that I obviously like to go right all the time. So, Tara and Kate, they’ve all done a really good job on helping me use my left. Like go left and you’ll score and that’s what’s been working.”

Stanford would lead 54-42 with 3:39 to go. Haley Jones was up to 12 points for Stanford while Charlisse Leger-Walker was up to 14 points for Wazzu. To the Cougars’ credit, they weren’t going away. After Leger-Walker knocked down a triple, Washington State cut Stanford’s lead to eight points. However, Brink would respond with a bucket inside for Stanford, giving her 16 points. With 1:29 to go, it was a 58-48 Stanford lead.

“I think my role on the team, I think Tara likes me to just, she used the term steady a few weeks ago,” Jones said. “I try to be consistent in my play. So, I think a lot of that comes from playmaking for my teammates if that’s finding Cam, it’s hitting Hannah Jump, Lacie, driving to the basket when I’m open, shooting my pull up. Whatever it may be, I think I try to read the defense and not make decisions before in my head prior to the play. So I think a lot of it is just kinda reading the defense and freestyling from there, really.”

“I like Haley to be aggressive offensively and make really good decisions,” VanDerveer chimed in. “And when she does that, she’s unstoppable.”

In the end, Stanford walked out with a 61-54 victory. While the absence of Lexie Hull made a difference, Wazzu still deserves a lot of credit for battling hard and keeping the game as close as they did. They are certainly playing a lot better than they did when they met up in Pullman.

“Well I think they’re playing with a lot more confidence,” VanDerveer said of Wazzu. “They also didn’t have number 15 [Ula Motuga] play for them and she’s a big part of what they do. I mean, she played 28 minutes. She’s a really physical, aggressive rebounder for them. Defender. I think they’ve really improved a lot. 21, Teder has really improve a lot. Their big kid. I think that’s the biggest difference is their big kid. We had to play well to beat them up there and I think they learned from that game and they made us play differently down here.”

Up next for Stanford will be a home game on Saturday against Washington at 12:00 PM PT on Pac-12 Washington and Varsity Network radio. It will be Senior Day and the final game of the regular season. Lexie Hull’s status for the game is uncertain, but the team is hopeful that she’ll be able to play.

“We take it one game at a time obviously, but we want to play well, we want to improve,” VanDerveer said of Saturday’s game. “And I just think Washington’s coming in having won two games and when they struggled all season, they’re going to be playing loose. So we really need to come out and establish kind of how we’re going to play and what we’re going to do.”

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