On Thursday, Stanford women’s basketball defeated Virginia Tech on the road by a final score of 75-74 in overtime. Stanford guard Chloe Clardy led the way for the Cardinal with 30 points and five assists while guard/forward Courtney Ogden had 15 points and four rebounds. Virginia Tech forward Rose Micheaux was the top performer for the Hokies with 21 points and 13 rebounds while guard Matilda Ekh had 18 points and five assists. Stanford improves to 14-12 overall and 6-9 in the ACC while Virginia Tech falls to 16-10 overall and 7-8 in the ACC.
BOX SCORE: Stanford at Virginia Tech-Thursday, February 21st
Virginia Tech led 16-11 at the end of the 1st quarter as Matilda Ekh had nine points on 4-4 shooting from the field and 1-1 shooting from 3-point range. She was in a nice flow. Chloe Clardy (6 points) and Brooke Demetre (5 points) had scored all 11 of Stanford’s points.
Virginia Tech led 32-25 at halftime. Ekh was leading the Hokies with 13 points while Rose Micheaux was up to four points and nine rebounds, almost on double-double pace. Clardy was leading the Cardinal with nine points.
With 7:07 to go in the 3rd quarter, Virginia Tech led 38-27. The Hokies opened the quarter on a 6-2 run. Stanford called for time, looking to turn the tides.
With 4:33 to go in the 3rd quarter, Virginia Tech led 40-31. Courtney Ogden was up to nine points for the Cardinal after making a 3-pointer while Micheaux had her double-double for the Hokies with 11 points and 10 rebounds.
With 3:27 to go in the 3rd quarter, Virginia Tech led 40-36 as Stanofrd was on a 7-0 run. Clardy hit a huge 3-pointer to get them within four points.
At the end of the 3rd quarter, Virginia Tech led 47-40. Ekh and Rose each had 13 points for the Hokies while Clardy (12 points) and Ogden (11 points) were in double figures for the Cardinal. Stanford was still in the game, but so far Virginia Tech was fending them off.
Virginia Tech remained in front 57-50 with 4:56 to go. Clardy was up to 17 points for Stanford while Ogden had 13 points. Micheaux had 17 points for Virginia Tech. Stanford had missed too many layups. They definitely had their chances to close the gap.
Stanford would continue to fight and get within two points as it was a 61-59 lead for Virginia Tech with 2:09 to go. Shay Ijiwoye had a huge basket and block followed by a clutch jumper from Ogden.
Virginia Tech would lead 63-59 with 45.6 to go after Ogden missed a pair of free throws after which they answered on the other end with a pair of foul shots.
Clardy would make a clutch layup for Stanford to make it 63-61 with 39.6 to go after which Virginia Tech turned it over, giving Stanford the ball back with 33.9 to go. Clardy would hit another big-time layup to tie up the game 63-63 with 27.1 to go.
Stanford would force a turnover and get a chance to win the game, but a floater by Clardy didn’t fall, sending the game into overtime at 63-63.
In overtime, Stanford was able to pull away for good, winning by a final score of 75-74. A 3-pointer by Ekh to beat the buzzer made it a look closer than it really was. Stanford did a great job of setting the tone in overtime and finishing the job for good. Shay Ijiwoye’s defense and ability to knock down a pair of clutch free throws iced the game.
For Stanford, this is a great win. They came in ranked 48th in the NET and that should improve after the game. While the season hasn’t been pretty, they’re actually still in the mix for an NCAA tournament spot. They really needed to win this game and to their credit, they found a way to get the job done.
As for Virginia Tech, just the opposite. They’re also a bubble team right now and this loss doesn’t help their NCAA tournament case. Stanford jumps ahead of them in terms of NCAA tournament resume. This could be a game that ends up costing them a tournament spot.
Up next for Stanford is a road game at Virginia on Sunday. Tipoff is set for 3:00 PM PT on ACC Network.
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