Stanford vs. Ohio State 2024: Cardinal is defeated by the Buckeyes

SAN FRANCISCO – The holidays couldn’t come at a better time for the Stanford women’s basketball team.

In the Cardinals’ final game of 2024, No. 11 Ohio State defeated No. 11 Stanford 84-59 in the Bay Area Women’s Classic at Chase Center on Friday night.

With legendary coach Tara VanDerveer – now a fan – in attendance, her Cardinal committed 19 turnovers and was completely outclassed by its Big 10 opponent.

“They came at us from the start and I think their press unsettled us early and kind of shook us and our confidence,” Stanford coach Kate Paye said. “We were a complete no-show in the first half.”

Nunu Agara led Stanford with 17 points and Tess Heal had 10. Meanwhile, Cotie McMahon led Ohio State with 16 points, while all five of the Buckeyes’ starters scored in double figures.

Stanford came into the game without much momentum in its first season under coach Paye. The Cardinal had lost 94-88 in overtime at No. 5 LSU and followed that with a stunning 83-63 loss at rival Cal.

The Cardinals then beat UTSA 62-57 and went 8-0 at home in Maples Pavilion. Of course, that meant Stanford was 0-3 on the road, and even though Chase Center was only a 40-minute drive from 101, the Cardinal were still struggling on the road.

Stanford’s offense, powered by forwards Agara, Brooke Demetre and Elena Bosgana at the high post, created open looks. But the Cardinal managed just 2-11 shots in the first quarter against the visiting Buckeyes and trailed 16-6 after 10 minutes.

“We have no plans to wash it away,” Paye said. “We have to learn from this and work to improve and I have every confidence our team can do that.”

After taking three minutes to score early in the first quarter, the Cardinals endured another long dry spell early in the second period as Ohio State took a 20-6 lead until Chloe Clardy knifed into the lane went and made a layup.

That got the Cardinals’ offense going, as a minute later, Jzaniya Harriel gave the Stanford squad something to really celebrate when she hit an extremely difficult shot from just outside the arc as the shot clock expired.

That good vibe didn’t last long as Oregon transfer Chance Gray hit back-to-back jumpers to give Ohio State a 28-12 lead, which eventually turned into a 33-19 halftime deficit as Stanford struggled to recover to get used to the Buckeyes’ full-court trap.

“I think we were just pretty shocked by their press,” said Agara, a sophomore.

The 2:16 mark from 3-point range was noticeable, but not entirely surprising for the Cardinal. Although Stanford ranked second in the country with a 42% 3-point shooting percentage, that figure was bolstered by incredible shooting in the Cardinal’s first three games.

Over the last eight games, Stanford shot at a solid, but significantly lower, 34.5% shooting rate on 21 attempts per night. That’s a number the Cardinal would have been happy to settle for on Friday evening.

“Teams will try to take away our three because who wouldn’t,” Paye said. “They’re going to force us to spread out, put the ball on the floor, attack the basket and make layups. And you know, Ohio State is extremely athletic.”

Stanford started the second half with three straight layups, forgoing the long ball and getting positive results. But Ohio State kept its composure and extended the lead to 51-31 midway through the third period thanks to a 14-4 run that featured fast play and swarming defense.

Stanford (8-4) will play its next game on Jan. 2 at SMU.

Originally published: December 20, 2024 at 7:21 pm PST