It unfolded with beautiful symmetry Sunday for third-ranked Stanford in a 37-point walloping of undersized Fresno State at Maples Pavilion.
The sister act of Chiney and Nneka Ogwumike stepped onto center court for a virtuoso performance on the occasion of Tara VanDerveer’s 799th coaching victory.
Freshman Chiney Ogwumike had season highs of 18 points and 13 rebounds, and junior Nneka added 17 points as the undefeated Cardinal cruised to its 50th consecutive home victory by routing the reigning Western Athletic Conference champion 77-40.
VanDerveer, 57, could become the fifth woman with 800 coaching victories Thursday at No. 24 DePaul as Stanford heads into a difficult stretch with upcoming games against No. 8 Tennessee, No. 4 Xavier and No. 1 Connecticut. In her 32nd season, VanDerveer is about to join Jody Conradt, Sylvia Hatchell, C. Vivian Stringer and Pat Summitt in an elite sorority.
VanDerveer, who is 647-144 in 25 seasons at Stanford, wasn’t thinking about the milestone Sunday in her team’s first game since a two-week break for finals. But everything fell into place for Stanford (6-0) because of the pogo-stick-jumping Ogwumikes. With no starter taller than 6-foot-1, Fresno State couldn’t keep the sisters away from the basket.
“It’s rare enough to find young women that mobile and graceful — and they like playing,” Bulldogs coach Adrian Wiggins said.
Nothing personified the sisters’ presence more than a play with 9:11 left in the first half. Holding the ball high at the top of the post, 6-2 Nneka found 6-3 Chiney over the outstretched arms of defenders for an easy layup early in a 15-1 run.
The Bulldogs (7-3) were 1 of 16 from the field over the final 15:20 of the first half, falling behind by 25 after leading 13-9.
The Ogwumikes’ efforts were bolstered by senior guard Jeanette Pohlen, who made all three of her 3-pointers and had 15 points. But fellow team leader Kayla Pedersen was pulled after hitting her head on the floor while taking a charge with 8:22 left in the half.
VanDerveer said the 6-4 Pedersen was held out for precautionary measures but didn’t immediately know if the Cardinal’s third-leading scorer would be ready this week.
Stanford, though, appears ready for a series of games that looks more like a Final Four than a nonconference schedule. The maturation of freshman starters Toni Kokenis and Chiney Ogwumike is a big reason why.
Kokenis has taken over point-guard duties, freeing Pohlen to play shooting guard. VanDerveer sees a huge upside, although Kokenis had four of Stanford’s 17 turnovers Sunday and at times played out of control. She had no assists but made four steals.
“Her ability to beat people off the dribble. “… We need it,” the coach said. “We’ll live with some of those mistakes.”
Fresno State’s Wiggins doesn’t see many flaws.
“They’re big, but also fast, skilled and smart,” he said of Stanford.
“Kind of your worst nightmare.”
Summary on Page 10. Contact Elliott Almond at 408-920-5865 and follow him on Twitter at twitter.com/elliottalmond.
