Stanford Pulls Off Huge Upset Win Over Ranked Washington Program

Stanford women's basketball has been on the cusp of being ranked at times throughout the year, but have ultimately been left out of the top-25 rankings thus far. However, Friday night's huge upset win over No. 22 Washington may change some minds heading into the next vote.

This was a tight game through the first half, with the teams entering the break squared at 27-27, and it was the ranked Huskies that built up a quick lead in the third quarter, thanks to junior guard Sayvia Sellers going 4-of-5 from the field, scoring ten in the third alone. Washington would end up outscoring Stanford 23-15 in the quarter, giving them an eight point lead entering the fourth.

That was when the Cardinal came alive, shooting 9-of-17 (52.9%) from the field, along with 7-of-11 from the line. They would score 25 points in the fourth, but it was their defense, which allowed just 12 points, that was the star down the stretch.

They held Sellers to 0-of-3 shooting in the fourth, and the Huskies shot just 35.7% from the field. Head coach Kate Paye credits their conditioning for the team being able to pull away late in games. Stanford also forced eight turnovers down the stretch, which helped limit the Washington offense.

Stanford came out firing in the fourth, erasing that eight point deficit in just three and a half minutes, with a Hailee Swain layup off a turnover bringing the two programs back to even with 6:28 remaining. Less than two minutes later with the score still tied at 50, Sellers committed a flagrant one, giving the Cardinal two free throws and the ball.

Over the next couple of minutes, the Cardinal would push their lead to a couple of possessions, then Washington would hit a big shot to bring things back within range. It was a three pointer by Elle Ladine that knotted the game back up at 58 with 1:47 left. Up to that point, the feeling had been that Stanford had control, but with the score back to even, it was anyone's game.

It was from that point forward that Stanford began to just outwork Washington on the glass, collecting numerous offensive boards that not only provided more opportunities for the Cardinal to score, but also ticked down precious time for the Huskies to mount their comeback.

With seven seconds remaining and Washington playing the foul game, down 64-62, Chloe Clardy was fouled and hit the first free throw, but missed the second. She was able to secure her own rebound, and was immediately fouled yet again. She'd hit the first, making it 66-62, and then missed the second once more, only for Courtney Ogden to secure the offensive rebound.

Ogden was fouled with three seconds left, and was able to hit one more free throw to make it 67-62, which ended up being the final score.

Stanford showed a lot of heart in this one, winning it without one of their big-name players in Nunu Agara. While she only played 14 minutes, sophomore guard Shay Ijiwoje had a big impact on this game. Half of her minutes came in the fourth quarter, and in the game she ended up with a team-high +13, picking up two rebounds, an assist and a steal.

Ijiwoje described her energy as her superpower, and that was one full display in the fourth quarter in this one. She provided the spark that led Stanford to the win.

Five-star freshman Lara Somfai led the Cardinal in scoring with 14 and also notched six rebounds, while junior Courtney Ogden was right behind her with 12 and seven. Freshman Hailee Swain finished with 13 points and a pair of steals. Somfai, Ogden and Swain each had two swipes in this game, along with another pair from Chloe Clardy.

Stanford has their signature win on the year now, and will look to continue adding to that tally on Sunday when they take on Oregon in San Francisco as part of the Invisalign Bay Area Women’s Classic. Tip-off is scheduled for 3 p.m. (PT) and the game is set to air on ESPN.

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