On Sunday, #2 Stanford women’s basketball fell to Washington on the road by a final score of 72-67. Washington guard Elle Ladine led the way for the Huskies with 21 points while forward Dalayah Daniels (15 points & 7 rebounds) and forward Haley Van Dyke (14 points & 10 rebounds) also scored in double figures. Stanford forward Haley Jones was the top scorer for the Cardinal with 18 points, 4 rebounds, and 7 assists while guard Brooke Demetre (15 points & 4 rebounds), forward Cameron Brink (14 points & 6 rebounds), and guard Hannah Jump (10 points) also scored in double figures. Washington improves to 13-9 overall and 5-7 in the Pac-12 while Stanford falls to 22-3 overall and 10-2 in the Pac-12.
BOX SCORE: #2 Stanford WBB at Washington
Stanford led 7-6 with 4:47 to go in the 1st quarter. Brooke Demetre was already on the board for the Cardinal with a 3-pointer. Stanford finished the quarter strong, leading 17-8 at the end of 1st quarter. Haley Jones and Kiki Iriafen each had 6 points for the Cardinal. Both were off to really strong starts. It was a dominant 1st quarter by the Cardinal.
In the 2nd quarter, Washington started to come back. With 5:17 to go in the quarter, it was a 28-21 lead for the Cardinal. Elle Ladine was starting to heat up for the Huskies with 6 points. Stanford needed to cool her off.
At halftime, Washington actually held the lead, going up 38-34. Ladine was up to 11 points for the Huskies on 5-7 shooting from the field and 1-2 shooting from 3-point range while Dalayah Daniels (8 points) and Lauren Schwartz (7 points) were balling out. Kiki Iriafen (8 points) and Haley Jones (8 points) were pacing the Cardinal.
Washington led 44-40 with 5:40 to go in the 3rd as they continued to remain in front. Washington called for time as the Cardinal were on a 6-0 run over the last 1:06. Brink was now up to 9 points for the Cardinal.
Stanford would take the lead 54-53 at the end of the 3rd quarter. Brink was up to 14 points and 4 rebounds, getting a 3-point play off a transition assist from Jones with 1.5 to go in the quarter. Demetre was heating up with 15 points off the bench on 5-7 shooting from deep. After trailing by 10, the Cardinal had the lead.
With 4:18 to go, Stanford remained in front 63-61. Brink and Jones each had 14 points for the Cardinal while Demetre’s 15 points led the way. Jump now had 10 points after a corner triple. Ladine’s 17 points led the Huskies. This one was a battle.
In the end, Washington found a way to pull off the upset, winning 72-67. The Huskies kept finding ways to tie it up, finally retaking the lead 67-65 after Ladine made a layup with 1:40 to go. From there, the Cardinal would fall apart, committing a couple of costly turnovers including a bad pass off an inbound. Washington actually helped Stanford stay in the game by missing some free throws, but in the end a pair of free throws knocked down by Ladine and Daniels iced the game away.
For Washington, this is obviously a huge win. Knocking off the number two team in the nation on your home court is big. While they got a bit tense at the end, they found a way to get across the finish line and actually win rather decisively. They deserve all the credit for pulling this one out.
As for Stanford, this loss really stings and as a result, they’ve now fallen to #6 in the latest AP Top 25 poll. They’ve had a couple rough losses in league play on the road and need to find a way to pull through these kind of games going forward. They always get the A-game of every opponent they face, especially when they are on the road. That’s not an excuse for these losses, though. They know they’re getting everyone’s A-game and have to figure out ways to still come out on top. For the most part, they’ve been doing that, hence their 21-3 record, but having a couple of losses in the span of less than a month is a bit alarming for them.
Up next for Stanford is a road game at #17 Arizona on Thursday. That will tip-off at 6:30 PM PT on ESPN and Varsity Network radio.
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