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Recap: #3 Stanford WBB wins low scoring battle against UC Davis

VanDerveer was honored for the one-year anniversary of breaking the all-time wins record.
VanDerveer was honored for the one-year anniversary of breaking the all-time wins record. (GoStanford.com)

On Wednesday, #3 Stanford women’s basketball defeated UC Davis 68-42 at Maples Pavilion. Stanford junior guard Hannah Jump was the top scorer for the Cardinal with 17 points and 6 rebounds while sophomore forward Cameron Brink (11 points & 10 rebounds) and senior guard Lacie Hull (10 points & 5 rebounds) also scored in double figures. UC Davis sophomore guard Evanne Turner was the top scorer for the Aggies with 9 points. Stanford improves to 7-2 on the season while UC Davis falls to 5-4.

“First of all, I think Jen Gross and her staff do a terrific job,” Stanford head coach Tara VanDerveer said after the game. “It’s really challenging to play against a team that does what you do. And they do it really really well. What we tried to do is not allow them to shoot threes and especially in the first half we did a really good job. They average eight threes a game and I think that gets them going a lot. I thought our defense really worked hard. Especially the second quarter, fourth quarter, we really got our defense going.

“And then obviously, I think a great game from Lacie getting the steals, Lexie getting steals, Hannah Jump getting steals. Being aggressive defensively really helped us and then offensively, Lacie knocking down shots, taking the ball to the basket. Hannah jump really playing really well both sides of the floor. And different people coming in and helping us. Fran going four for four. Cam I thought missed some shots early, I thought it was very physical, we just have to battle. But overall, I think we took care of the basketball, only eight turnovers.

“Obviously things that we can do better. I think we can do a better job from the free throw line. We gotta work hard at that. Get the right people there. Good job Lacie not going three for three. And then just trying to figure out a rotation a little bit better. But, I thought both Hannah Jump and Lacie really competed and I loved it.”

Early on the game was tight as Stanford led 14-11 with 3:25 to go in the 1st quarter. Hannah Jump and Lacie Hull each were up to 5 points, having solid starts to the game. UC Davis was hanging around, doing a nice job of keeping the game tight.

Stanford wouldn’t widen their lead by much as it would be a 16-11 game at the end of the 1st quarter. Stanford was shooting an icy 6-17 (35.3%) from the field while UC Davis was shooting a more efficient 5-12 (41.7%) from the field. Stanford needed to make a run and gain more separation.

Stanford started to gain the kind of separation they needed in the 2nd quarter a bit as they led 22-13 with 4:17 to go until halftime. Jump and Hull each were up to 7 points, while Brink’s length was making it tough for UC Davis on both ends of the floor.

At halftime, Stanford would lead 31-17. Jump was now up to 12 points for the Cardinal on 5-10 shooting from the field and 2-5 shooting from 3-point range while Hull was still at 7 points. Kayla Konrad and Evanne Turner each had 4 points for UC Davis as the Aggies’ leading scores. Stanford outscored UC Davis 15-6 in the 2nd quarter, really letting their defense make the difference.

“I think they’re just being aggressive and concentrating, being focused, you know,” VanDerveer said of her team’s defensive tenacity. “I think just working really hard to get deflections and coming up with loose balls.”

Stanford’s defense continued to be the story as Stanford jumped out to a 7-0 start in the 2nd half to lead 38-17 with 7:11 to go in the 3rd quarter. The Aggies were having a really tough time getting any shots to drop as they were now shooting an abysmal 8-31 (25.8%) from the field.

“We focus a lot in practice,” Lacie Hull said of the defense. “Tara and the rest of the coaching staff really emphasize staying between your player and the basket and I think that really just helped us tonight. Just not getting out of our stance, because that’s when they get opponents back door. So I think just focusing on that is important.”

“Yeah, just to echo that, we knew that they were going to go back door a lot,” Hannah Jump added. “So, being aggressive and making plays on the ball, but also just being wary that they’re gonna cut back door and just being aggressive in your stance.”

With 4:21 to go in the 3rd quarter, it was now a 42-21 lead for Stanford. A football score, oddly enough. Brink was up to 9 points and 7 rebounds for Stanford as it was starting to look like one way traffic for the Cardinal.

Rather than fading into the night like a star that’s losing its twinkle, UC Davis started to show a little bit of life as it was now 45-30 with 1:38 to go in the 3rd quarter. Careless turnovers from Stanford and timely shot making from UC Davis accounted for the momentary shift. It was now a matter of seeing how the rest of the quarter would play out.

Stanford would finish the quarter strong enough to slightly increase their lead, going up 47-30 entering the 4th quarter. UC Davis was not able to gain more ground, but much like The Wet Bandits in Home Alone 2, they continued to fight. Even after getting hit with a lot of bricks: 30.2% shooting from the field. Hannah Jump (12 points) and Lacie Hull (10 points) were the top scorers for Stanford.

After three quarters of rather sluggish offense, both teams started to find a groove in the 4th quarter, which was fine for Stanford since they were essentially trading baskets and actually slightly increasing their lead. With 3:11 to go, it was now a 64-41 lead for Stanford as Jump was up to 17 points.

In the end it was a 68-42 win for Stanford. It wasn’t the prettiest of wins, but still a sound victory. No UC Davis player scored in double figures and while the offense was not up to its best level, the defense was superb.

“I thought our defense was good,” VanDerveer said. “I liked the fact that we got 15 o-boards. I thought Cam and Hannah got in there, Fran. Felt Lexie got a couple, too. I thought we took care of the basketball well. That was a difference for us. They had twice as many turnovers. And quite honestly, sometimes they were open, just some of their shots just did not go in and maybe that’s because maybe we tired them out a little bit or rushed them a little bit. I think we can grow from this game. I think we can get better.”

Following the game, Tara VanDerveer was honored as it marked one year since she became the winningest coach in NCAA women’s basketball history. For VanDerveer, it feels like every night she’s breaking some new record or achieving a new milestone.

“We were talking about it in the locker room after the game, just how crazy it was that that was a year ago” Hull said. “And it’s great to be able to relive something like that again and celebrate Tara and just everything that she’s accomplished. And it’s been just an absolute journey to be with her for the last four years and I feel really grateful to have been coached by her and just to see all that she’s done and what she’s done when I’ve been here and what she did before. So, it's been great.”

Up next for Stanford will be a road trip to Tennessee to face the #7 Lady Volunteers. That game will tipoff on Saturday, December 18th at 2:15 PM PT on ESPN 2.

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