It was double trouble at Maples Pavilion on Saturday, as sisters Tara and Heidi VanDerveer met on the court as opposing head coaches for the first time in their careers. Despite an impressive showing by Heidi’s UC San Diego Tritons, the Cardinal women’s basketball team put together a strong second half to win the team’s final preseason exhibition match by a score of 74-51.
Despite shooting only 29.6 percent from the field, the Cardinal led the Tritons 37-25 at halftime thanks to a strong defensive performance and 20 points from the free-throw line. Those stats were manifested in an unconventional 13-2 run for the Cardinal that began with 13:42 left in the half in which six of the 13 points were scored from the line.
The Cardinal lost their double-digit lead early in the second half before the Tritons brought the Cardinal’s lead down to just three after a layup by Miranda Seto with 13:32 left in the game. That was the closest the Tritons would get to catching up to the Cardinal, which pulled away with a 24-4 run over the next 10 minutes. Sophomore forward Erica McCall and senior forward Taylor Greenfield were the major forces behind this run, scoring 22 points combined after Seto’s layup.
Freshman forward Kaylee Johnson also contributed on both ends of the floor, earning seven points from the free-throw line, 12 rebounds and three blocks.
When asked about her stellar performance, Greenfield, who notched 16 points overall, did not dwell on her individual success.
“It was just nice to have something to get us going,” Greenfield said. “It happened to be me, which was great, but either way it feels the same no matter who it is.”
McCall, who ended the game with 18 points and eight rebounds, echoed Greenfield’s sentiments.
“I don’t really think about having a lot of points [but rather] just trying to help my team do better and get out of the little drought that we had,” McCall said. “If I can bring energy in any way, whether that’s rebounds or blocked shots or points, either way it’s fun.”
Stanford’s guards also contributed on both sides of the floor: Lili Thompson had 10 points, while Amber Orrange had a double-double with 11 points and 12 rebounds. Freshman Brittany McPhee scored four points in her first action of the season after missing the Vanguard match due to an injury.
VanDerveer attributed the closeness of the game to the Tritons’ preparedness.
“I thought they did really well,” Tara VanDerveer said of her sister’s team. “Sometimes when a team is very motivated and they’re very prepared it’s a tough game, so it will help us. Now the next game is for real.”
Although she was pleased with the performances of several of her players, particularly Greenfield and Thompson, VanDerveer didn’t hesitate to note that her team could have done better.
“We need more from more people,” VanDerveer said. “We’re going to learn from this game. We have a long ways to go with what we’re doing.”
The Cardinal played defense more aggressively than in their previous exhibition game: Not only did the players get on the floor more often to go after loose balls, but they also had 12 blocks on the afternoon compared to five in the Vanguard match. The Cardinal did not do as well defending UCSD’s three-point shooters, who scored 27 points off threes throughout the game.
“I think that [scrambling on the floor for loose balls] is a good thing to kind of prove to ourselves [that] we will get on the floor [and] we want every loose ball,” Greenfield said. “I mean, so did they, but to be able to match that I think has kind of been a thing we haven’t had in the past and now we have so many quick guards and people are just aggressive on the ball.”
With two wins in exhibition play behind them and a better idea of their strengths and weaknesses, the Cardinal will open up regular-season play this Friday against Boston College, followed by a huge matchup against Connecticut, the defending NCAA champions, on Nov. 17.
“I’m stoked,” said Greenfield, who missed last year’s matchups against Boston College and Connecticut. “And the fact that it’s at home is even better. I’m very excited.”
The Cardinal will open their season against Boston College at Maples Pavilion on Friday, Nov. 14, at 5:30 p.m.
Contact Alexa Philippou at aphil723 ‘at’ stanford.edu.