Stanford pulls away for emotional senior night win over Cal
Cal never led after the first few minutes of the game and Stanford eventually pulled away in an emphatic 72-54 senior night victory at Maples Pavilion.
It was an emotional event for the trio of Cardinal seniors, who know it was their final game on their home court. Stanford will not be able to host in the NCAA tournament because of a schedule conflict with the conference’s gymnastics championships.
The Cardinal are focused on finishing the season with a trip to Oregon and then the Pac-12 tournament in Seattle. It’s possible -- especially with several recent losses of teams ranked ahead of Stanford -- that the Cardinal could play their way to a No. 2 seed, and possibly even the Stockton Regional.
But first, what has separated the Cardinal from other top Pac-12 teams falling in the past weeks is the team’s ability to work their way through wins. Cal came into the game in a must-win situation to avoid slipping further into tournament bubble desperation, and they clung to the game for much of the first half.
“I thought we were rushed a little bit in the first half,” said head coach Tara VanDerveer. “We settled down in the second half and played really well. Our defense was really the key. Karlie (Samuelson) reminded me that on Bonnie’s senior night we lost to Cal. We didn’t want to go through that again.
“Congratulations on an excellent career for Erica (McCall), Bri (Roberson) and Karlie. They have been tremendous seniors, tremendous leaders. I’m keeping it together because I love coaching them. We want to have 11 more games.”
That number includes two to finish the regular season, three to win the conference tournament and the six required to cut down the nets in Dallas. If the Cardinal are the last team standing at the end of the season then the rise of sophomore Alanna Smith will be a significant factor.
Smith stamped out any hope of a Cal comeback in the final 10 minutes with Stanford leading 54-44. She scored on three straight possessions and Stanford’s defense shut out the Golden Bears to open a 16-point advantage. Smith scored nine points in the fourth quarter.
She finished Sunday with 17 points, eight rebounds and two blocks. She entered the game averaging 16 points, 6.3 rebounds and 2.3 blocks since Feb. 6.
“I think all year she has been good for us, whether she’s been scoring or not,” Samuelson said. “But she’s really gotten it going the past couple weeks. When she scores, she likes to score and keep scoring. We want to feed her the ball and keep going to her when she’s on this good run.”
The depth of Stanford’s team, and the steadiness of the group as a unit, has repeatedly been on display since the loss to UCLA Feb. 6. Since then Stanford has won despite McCall’s shooting slump and a couple rough offensive nights from other players. But Stanford has won four straight games while each of the other top teams in the conference have lost at least once during that time.
Samuelson may not get enough credit for her role in that on-court mentality given how easy it is to categorize her as a three-point specialist. But Samuelson, or Karl as she is often called, is the glue on the court and routinely makes the small plays.
McCall may be struggling to score, but her work on Kristine Anigwe kept the Cal star in check. She was the primary defender for two games on one of the most talented players in the country. The sophomore combined for only 22 points in the two games.
VanDerveer has said in the past that once everyone is back to clicking on offense then the hard work they put in during the tougher times will pay off. And it could happen at the perfect time with a game at Oregon State Friday for first place in the conference.
“I think we’re really improving,” she said. “I think the regular season seeding is all about getting seeding for the tournament. Then the tournament … is all about experience for the NCAA. The main thing is people stay healthy and continue to improve. I think the leadership and the great play of the young women up here (McCall, Samuelson and Roberson).We’re excited to go up to Corvallis.”
Quotes
What will you miss individually about coaching the seniors?
It’s not just individually, collectively they’re so strong. Collectively they have great work ethics. Collectively they have great maturity and leadership. The three of them, not singling anyone out, they all give us great things for our team to be successful. They’re the three that in the gym first and the last ones to leave. They set a great example.
Specifically, you have a double-double machine on my left (McCall). You have one of the best three-point shooters on my right (Samuelson) and you have one of the most underrated point guards and defenders on my far right (Roberson). The three of them … I think they’ll be life-long friends. And that’s probably the most important thing. There’s not jealousy or anything that keeps them from being the best they can be.
Each senior commented on their time at Stanford.
McCall: “I think it’s been really special. I think there has been a lot of love from teammates, coaches, family -- it’s kind of emotional knowing it’s my last game at Maples. I know we had a lot of great memories here and I’ll remember them for the rest of my life.”
Samuelson: “I’m really trying not to get emotional today. Just playing here and playing with my teammates has been an amazing experience.”
Roberson: “It’s surreal to be on this team. To know we have each other’s back and to know that when things get tough people will get you and people will hype you up, and you’ll always have someone to talk to. It’s more than basketball with this team. That’s why I think this team is special, because they got your back on the court and off the court. It’s really awesome to know I’ve been here and my career here has been great.