No. 13 Stanford women’s basketball (11-2, 1-0 Pac-12) edged No. 18 Arizona State (9-3, 0-1) 64-57 in Tempe, Arizona this Friday.

What was both teams’ conference season opener was a contested game from start to finish. During the first half, both teams stayed neck-and-neck, and no one was able to pull away. Trailing 18-14 after the first period, Stanford outscored Arizona State 18-13 in the second quarter to claim a one-point lead at halftime.

In the last minutes of the third quarter, the Cardinal caught fire, outscoring the Sun Devils 7-0 thanks to two steals by sophomore guard Marta Sniezek and freshman forward Nadia Fingall, leading by six (48-42) before the last period. Stanford was able to hold on to that lead throughout the fourth quarter, earning its second win in two games against ranked opponents.

Senior guard Karlie Samuelson led the Cardinal with 16 points, while senior forward Erica McCall had a double-double night (12 points, 11 rebounds), recording her 24th double double in her last 47 games. Both players led the Cardinal throughout the game, as Samuelson stayed on the court for the entire contest, while McCall played for 37 minutes. Overall, every Cardinal woman that saw playing time chipped in at least one bucket.

Defensively, Stanford was less efficient than during its previous games. The Cardinal allowed 34 points in the paint, while being outrebounded 42 to 31. Moreover, Stanford allowed 22 offensive boards, resulting in 21 second-chance points for ASU.

Stanford claimed its 58th success against ASU, while this is the Cardinal’s 16th straight season opener win.

Stanford will stay in Arizona until Jan. 1 when it faces the Arizona Wildcats (9-3, 0-1).

 

Contact Alexandre Bucquet at bucqueta ‘at’ stanford.edu.