As the Stanford women’s basketball team (1-0, 0-0 ACC) began its season-opener against Le Moyne on Monday, the view of the sideline without Tara VanDerveer was a surreal moment. VanDerveer was still up in the stands as a fan, but her commanding presence on the sidelines was a cornerstone of Stanford’s program for over three decades.
However, with VanDerveer gone and Kate Paye at the helm, the Cardinal did not seem to lose any steam, kicking off the 2024-25 season with a 107-43 win over the Le Moyne Dolphins. The blowout win was fueled by Stanford sinking a school-record 18 three-pointers.
Paye said she was not overwhelmed by her first game as head coach.
“I was really excited to see our team play tonight, and quite honestly, I knew our team would play well because of how locked in they’ve been the last few days,” Paye said.
The Cardinal got off to a slow start and went back and forth with the Dolphins, until Stanford began to heat up beyond the arc near the end of the first quarter. By the end of the first half, Stanford made 12 three-pointers to give itself a 28-point lead, which ballooned to 64 points by the end of the game. Redshirt junior Jzaniya Harriel led the team in scoring with 24 points going 6-7 from beyond the arc, and senior Elena Bosgana had a career-high 19 points.
“We have excellent shooters on our team. That is something we talk about a lot, you know?” Paye said. “I think this is a career night for Jzaniya [Harriel], and I just told her, ‘I’m not surprised at all.’”
“The basket got kind of big. We know we’re not going to make 18 threes every single game. But that’s what was working tonight,” Paye said. “And, you know, I didn’t see very many bad shots out there.”
Along with the three-pointers falling, there was a lot of great ball movement by this team as they tallied 25 total assists.
“We are very focused on, you know, playing unselfish basketball. So I’m really excited about the 25 assists, attacking the paint and then pitching out for open threes.”
This is a season of transition, both in the coaching role and in terms of the players.
“It’s really about everyone stepping into these new roles and really just owning them,” Harriel said.
This was evident as Harriel, Bosgana and sophomore forward Nunu Agara all tallied career highs in points.
Junior point guard Tess Heal is expected to make a large impact on the team this season, but did not take the court in Monday’s game. Heal is said to have back issues but Paye told the media the team is “expecting Tess back soon.”
While Heal was out, junior point guard Talana Lepolo came back from injury in Monday’s game and was inserted into the starting lineup.
“It’s terrific to have Talana back,” Paye said. “She brings so much experience and maturity.”
The Cardinal lost three starters during the offseason, with two graduating and USC star forward Kiki Iriafen transferring out. To bolster the roster, five new players were added including three freshmen and two new transfers. All three freshmen were able to come off the bench in the blowout win. Sophomore transfer Mary Ashley Stevenson recorded 10 rebounds along with six points and five assists.
“Shay is quick, quick, quick, quick. And you know, she’s like a ball hawk,” Paye said. “She’s tiny. She gets up into people. I think it brings a different energy to the floor when she’s out there.”
Up next, Stanford will face Washington State at home on Thursday. On Sunday, before the scheduled home game against Gonzaga, the Tara VanDerveer Court will be unveiled at Maples Pavilion.