Brink’s injury mars VanDerveer’s feat
Stanford All-American Cameron Brink injured her left leg in the first quarter against Oregon and didn't return Friday night at Maples Pavilion in the Cardinal's 88-63 win.
Up 20-0 on the Ducks, Brink collided with Oregon's Sofia Bell following a Stanford turnover with 3:51 left. Brink struggled back to her feet and needed help from her teammates to get to the bench before being assisted to the locker room.
Brink returned to the bench at the end of the first quarter, but was ruled out for the second half. As she iced her left knee and calf, Stanford went on to easily secure Tara VanDerveer's 1,202nd career win, matching her with former Duke men's coach Mike Krzyzewski for most all-time in NCAA history.
But as the video board recognized the historic moment, the Cardinal could only wonder about the status of their star.
The 6-foot-4 fifth-year player is averaging 16.8 points per game and 10.2 rebounds per game for No. 8 Stanford. She also leads the nation with .524 win shares per 40 minutes and has the second-best defensive rating of 65.5.
After the game, a team spokesperson said Brink would receive an X-ray Friday night and be re-evaluated with the hope she would be day-to-day. She spent most of the first half riding an exercise bike but was walking with a limp.
After the game, though, she lifted VanDerveer in the air and was jumping around in the locker room as the team celebrated its coach.
“I guess I don't allow myself to go there right now, so I just I want to do a great job for our team,” VanDerveer said. “And, you know, it's a number. I know it's a big number. But it's not the point of what I'm doing at all.”
Stanford (16-2, 5-1 Pac-12) survived a 12-0 run from the Ducks (11-8, 2-4) after Brink was off the floor and went on to have an even higher point differential with her sidelined, a rarity for this group. The Cardinal have outscored opponents by 278 points when Brink is on the floor this season.
“Obviously, our team is really close, and when Cam went down it's upsetting,” VanDerveer said. “We have to keep playing, but basketball is a game of spurts. We went on a big run and that's how basketball is, but I was really proud of how even at the end of the second quarter, Brooke (Demetre) and Nunu (Agara) … they really battled and did a great job.”
Without Brink for all but six minutes Friday, Stanford was led by 21 points and 15 rebounds from Kiki Iriafen and 13 points and eight assists from Talana Lepolo. Off the bench, Demetre added 10 points in 25 minutes, while Agara contributed 12 with three rebounds.
“Obviously, we're hoping that Cam will be OK,” VanDerveer said. “But Kiki in the meantime just picked it up and came in and did a great job. Brooke did a great job.”
Stanford next plays against Oregon State on Sunday as VanDerveer aims for the all-time coaching wins record, and the Cardinal then have a trip against the Arizona schools before facing No. 5 UCLA and No. 9 USC at home to begin February. All of those Pac-12 contests without Brink would pose a challenge for a Cardinal team that hasn't nailed down its rotation depth as much as it would like.
Surviving Oregon without their star was an encouraging development for the Cardinal, but only if Brink doesn't miss significant time. Their only backups in the post are Demetre and Agara, even though wing is a more natural position for both. Iriafen's breakout year as a starter has largely been supported by playing with Brink.
The team expected an update sometime over the weekend on Brink's status.