Stanford Continues Undefeated Streak Against Washington State

It wasn't their best performance, but it was good enough

Jan 4, 2025; Pullman, Washington, USA; A general view of a Washington State Cougars logo at Friel Court at Beasley Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: James Snook-Imagn Images | James Snook-Imagn Images

The Stanford women's basketball team is off to a 4-0 start, and on Friday night they picked up their first road win of the season, taking down Washington State 54-46 in a hard-fought triumph. Last year, Stanford didn't collect their first win on the road until January 16 at Wake Forest, and managed just two such wins all season. The other was on February 20 at Virginia Tech.

While the Cardinal came out ahead, this one wasn't pretty. They ended up scoring 32 points in the first half, getting contributions from seven different players, but nobody was running away and leading the team in this game. Freshman Hailee Swain was the leading scorer at the break with six points, while Courtney Ogden had grabbed five boards.

Washington State put up 25 points of their own in the first half, keeping this one closer than expected, given that they came into this game 0-75 against Stanford all-time. That mark is now 0-76.

Neither team was having much success shooting over the course of the game, and those struggles would endure into the second half, as the Cardinal would outscore the Cougars, but by just a 22-21 margin.

Stanford went 0-for-8 from deep in the second half, which was a theme for the night, as they dropped in just two threes on 18 attempts, good for an 11.1 three-point%.

Nunu Agara would lead the second half scoring for Stanford with five points, and grabbed a game-high six boards after the break. Swain, Lara Somfai and Mary Ashley Stevenson all scored four points post-break. "M-A" as she is nicknamed was running all over the floor in the second half, and her high motor earned her 14 minutes down the stretch as coach Kate Paye relied more on her veterans.

The Cougars threatened down the stretch, getting as close as seven points, and with both team struggling to score, that seemed like a manageable deficit if Washington State went on a slight run. Neither team got much going, however, so the Cardinal held onto their two-score advantage in the final minutes.

Swain ended up leading Cardinal scorers with 10 point on 5-of-11 shooting, while Agara added nine points, eight boards, and two assists. Somfai and Chloe Clardy each added eight points of their own.

We also have to mention the 16-year-old guard from Washington State, Malvina Haziri, who logged 13 minutes and dropped in a three pointer that made this game fairly close down the stretch. She finished with two rebounds and two assists on her total as well. Not only is she in college at 16, but she's playing meaningful minutes for the women's basketball program.

Stanford will be back in action on Sunday afternoon from Spokane, Washington as the Cardinal travel to Gonzaga. Tip-off is scheduled for 2:00 p.m. (PT) with the game airing on ESPN+. Gonzaga is 2-1 to begin the year, winning a pair of games on the road against North Dakota State (81-66) and Toledo (72-69), but they fell in their home opener on Thursday to Colorado State (70-66).

This game should end up being a good test for Stanford away from Maples, where they struggled last season. Last year they beat the Bulldogs 89-58 at home in the Tara VanDerveer court unveiling game. For the Cardinal to pull off a win, they're going to have to shoot it better from deep on Sunday.