Blend of Freshmen, Veterans Help Stanford Take Down No. 16 UNC

Stanford is climbing their way towards a ranking

Jan 21, 2024; Stanford, California, USA; Stanford Cardinal guard Talana Lepolo (10) brings the ball up court abasing the Oregon State Beavers during the fourth quarter at Maples Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: D. Ross Cameron-Imagn Images | D. Ross Cameron-Imagn Images

Sunday's win over No. 16 North Carolina was the first of what could be many resumé-building wins for the Stanford Cardinal women's basketball program this season. Coming into this one, they had held No. 19 Tennessee close, and pulled off a five point win over No. 22 Washington, but both of those games were at home.

After trailing by five at the break on Sunday, the Cardinal mounted a comeback in the fourth quarter, still trailing by four. A big part of that comeback was freshman Alex Eschmeyer, who had played all of one minute in the game before the fourth, but had knocked down a three with her one shot attempt.

In her four minutes on the court in the final quarter of regulation, she managed five points and a rebound.

What made her contribution special for the Cardinal is that she came on to replace Nunu Agara, who fouled out with 6:27 remaining in the game. Those minutes were huge in helping Stanford not only tie the game, but also having the final possession with a chance to end it in regulation. Unfortunately, Chloe Clardy's attempt didn't fall, so the game went to overtime.

In the extra quarter, Eschmeyer worked another two minutes and scored two early on to put the Cardinal up by three, 69-66. Clardy would put up four of her own in OT, and Talana Lepolo knocked down all four of her free throw attempts during the Tar Heels' last ditch effort to get back into the contest.

Ultimately, it was the Cardinal that took home a convincing win on the road against a tough team in UNC.

After missing the NCAA tournament last year, the Stanford Cardinal women's basketball program is in a much better spot this season, thanks to a huge recruiting class that has been showing out early. But the Cardinal have also been receiving key contributions from their returning players, and during Sunday's win, it was a returning Chloe Clardy that played a big role.

After missing the past two games against Cornell and NC State, Clardy came back off the bench, but ended up playing a team-high 38 minutes along with freshman Lara Somfai. Clardy was responsible for 12 points, which is on par with her 11.8 PPG on the year, but it was her nine rebounds in this one that really stood out.

Courtney Ogden was the other standout for Stanford, with her 21 points leading all scorers. Ogden shot 8-of-12 from the field and 4-of-5 from the line in her 35 minutes, and also had a team-high +14. The junior has been scoring double figures in each of her past six contests, topping out at 25 against Cal before Christmas.

Coming into this game, Stanford was sitting at No. 37 in the NET rankings, while North Carolina was fairly in line with their AP ranking at No. 17. Following this win for the Cardinal, there is a good chance that Stanford will end up on the cusp of a ranking on Monday.

That said, the voters may wait just a touch longer to see how the team continues to perform, since they also lost to NC State, 46-74, on New Year's Day. In the NET rankings, NC State is placed No. 24, so they are quite a formidable opponent, who are coming off of a pretty solid road victory themselves.

Stanford next plays against Wake Forest at home on Thursday night. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. (PT) and the game will air on the ACCNX.