Huskies humble Cardinal
COLUMBUS, Ohio — After two blowout losses in Columbus over the weekend, Stanford head coach Tara VanDerveer was left looking for positives.
She found one after Sunday’s 78-53 loss to top-ranked UConn.
“I thought we did really well on the glass,” VanDerveer said after the Cardinal outrebounded the Huskies 47-40 after being dominated on the glass Friday night against Ohio State.
“Had we rebounded this way against Ohio State, that might’ve been a different outcome. This particular time, I think our problem was turnovers and a lack of execution on offense, but I think that will come.”
However, the rebounding advantage did little to slow UConn (1-0). Crystal Dangerfield scored 24 points and Katie Lou Samuelson added 21 at Nationwide Arena, where the Huskies hope to raise the national-championship banner at the 2018 NCAA women’s Final Four in March.
Reserve DiJonai Carrington led Stanford (0-2) with 21 points on 8-for-15 shooting. The Cardinal still struggled making shots around the rim for a second straight game. They made 5 of 31 shots in the first half and committed 15 turnovers.
Stanford’s Alanna Smith was one basket shy of a doubledouble with eight points and 10 rebounds. Brittany McPhee followed up her 24-point outing Friday with nine points on 3-for-12 shooting.
In her seventh career start, Dangerfield ran the offense with a sharpshooter’s mentality. The sophomore knocked down 6 of 7 three-point tries and recorded four steals.
“When you look at our team, by adding another player of her caliber and the way she plays, that changes the makeup of what we’re trying to do,” UConn head coach Geno Auriemma said. “She’s just so much more offensive minded and she creates a lot of stuff for herself and others.”
Tied at 4-4 less than two minutes into the game, UConn made its next five shots as a part of a 14-0 run. UConn kept its pace in the second quarter and outscored the Cardinal 23-4, for a 49-14 lead at the half. With 2:50 remaining in the third quarter, Dangerfield hit a three to give UConn a 42-point lead, its largest of the game.
VanDerveer stressed that the Cardinal had to replace three starters in the offseason and opened against two top-five opponents. The 0-2 start shouldn’t be distressing.
“Our young players are going to improve,” she said. “I have a lot of confidence in them. We’re going to enjoy the journey.”