On Sunday, #6 Stanford women’s basketball defeated Washington State 73-58 on the road in Pullman. Stanford senior forward Cameron Brink (21 points, 11 rebounds, 5 assists, 5 steals, & 2 blocks) and fifth-year guard Hannah Jump (20 points & 4 assists) were the top scorers for the Cardinal while junior forward Kiki Iriafen (17 points & 14 rebounds) had a double-double. Washington State freshman guard Eleonora Villa (16 points) was the top scorer for the Cougars. Stanford improves to 22-3 overall and 11-2 in the Pac-12 while Washington State falls to 15-10 overall and 4-8 in the Pac-12. Stanford also improves to 74-0 all-time against Washington State.
BOX SCORE: Stanford at Washington State-Sunday, February 11th
On Monday, Stanford rose to #3 in the AP Top 25 Poll while Cameron Brink was named National Player of the Week by the U.S. Basketball Writers Association. Stanford also now sits atop the Pac-12 standings in sole possession of first place. Stanford was able to rise to #3 with the help of Iowa falling to Nebraska, NC State falling to Virginia Tech, and Colorado falling to Oregon State. Iowa went from #2 to #4, NC State went from #3 to #6, and Colorado went from #4 to #8. Nebraska picked up one vote in the AP Top 25, Virginia Tech rose from #16 to #12, and Oregon State rose from #17 to #11, so lots of movement in the polls this week.
As for the game itself, Washington State got off to a strong start, leading 18-11 at the end of the 1st quarter. Tara Wallack and Bella Murekatete each had five points for the Cougars while Kiki Iriafen was leading the Cardinal with six points and four rebounds.
In the 2nd quarter, Stanford went to work, outscoring Washington State 27-17 to take a 38-35 lead into halftime. Brink was up to 13 points and two blocks for the Cardinal while Iriafen had eight points and five rebounds. Villa was leading the Cougars with nine points. It was a tight game, but the Cardinal now appeared to have some momentum.
The 3rd quarter was very much back and forth as Stanford led 53-51 at the end of the quarter. Brink was up to 15 points, four rebounds, two blocks, and five steals for the Cardinal, doing a little bit of everything while Jump (13 points) and Iriafen (13 points, 11 rebounds, and five assists) were also in double figures. Villa was up to 14 points for the Cougars, doing her part to keep her team in the game.
In the 4th quarter, Stanford outscored Washington State 20-7, finally getting the separation that they needed. That made it a 73-58 final score as Stanford for the 74th time in 74 meetings defeated Washington State.
For Stanford, this is a nice win. Even though Washington State is without Charlisse Leger-Walker for the rest of the season due to a torn ACL, they’re still a solid team. To Stanford’s credit, they won by the very margin I expected them to: 72-57 was my prediction. Not much to complain about with a win like this.
I think probably the most encouraging part of this win for Stanford was the fact that Hannah Jump had her first 20 point performance of the season. They need to get as much out of her as possible. For her to get going like this hopefully is a sign of things to come.
As for Washington State, without Leger-Walker they’re clearly short-handed and not the same team. Losing your top player for the season is really tough. I think considering the hand they’ve been dealt, they played as well as they could have hoped. They’re a gritty team and no doubt will improve as the season goes on.
Up next for Stanford is a home game against Cal on Friday. That will tip-off at 7:00 PM PT on Pac-12 Bay Area and Varsity Network radio.
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