Chloe Clardy Drops 30 in Win as Stanford WBB Showing Promise

Stanford women's basketball entered the half against Virginia Tech down 32-25. Chloe Clardy entered the break as the team's leading scorer at that point with nine, but by the time the final buzzer sounded she had accumulated a career-high 30, including 21 after the half.

While Nunu Agara made a brief return in the previous game, playing in seven minutes, she was held out against Virginia Tech. Clardy was able to step up and lead the Cardinal to victory in this one, as the team continues to show improvement late in the season.

The sophomore guard has been racking up 30+ minutes per night regularly since the calendar flipped to December, but her previous high in points this season has been 22.

Clardy shot 11-of-18 from the field, including 3-for-7 from beyond the arc and went 5-of-9 from the free throw line. She also collected three rebounds, five assists, and three steals.

The sophomore also played 44 minutes in the overtime win, along with sophomore Mary Ashley Stevenson, who notched 43 minutes along with six points, seven rebounds, two assists, and a steal.

The win was the Cardinal’s second away from Maples Pavilion this season and first road win against a team with a winning record. The team’s third consecutive victory added a Quad 2 win to Stanford’s resume. Stanford (14-12, 6-9) entered the game 48th in the NET and with the country’s 23rd toughest schedule.

Clardy led a young Stanford squad with 30 points and five assists, the first such performance by a Stanford guard since Jeanette Pohlen had 31 and six in the Cardinal’s 71-59 upset of No. 1 UConn on Dec. 30, 2010. The youth of this program, the freshmen and sophomores, combined for 65 of the team's 75 points.

Clardy wasn't the only Stanford second-year player with a career night, with sophomore Courtney Ogden putting up 15 points and four rebounds. The 15 she scored was also a career high. Freshman Shay Ijiwoye also notched a career-high with 10 points in 20 minutes on the court.

While the 14-12 overall record likely isn't what the Cardinal had in mind coming into this season, this group is really starting to come together down the stretch and is providing a number of bright spots on the roster as we head towards the 2025-26 campaign.

These contributions from the freshmen and sophomores will be vital to the program taking a big step forward next season, and with Stanford able to drop Nunu Agara back into the mix, they should have a nice core to build around.

Plus, Stanford had one of the best recruiting classes in the country, so the incoming freshman should also add another jolt to the program. While this season may not end with an NCAA tournament bid, they're putting in the work and making sure that people keep an eye on them moving forward.

Stanford will remain on the road to play at Virginia (13-14, 5-10) on Sunday, Feb. 23 at 3 p.m. (PT). The game will air on ACC Network.