The CardBoard
Stanford WBB vs st Mary’s - Printable Version

+- The CardBoard (https://thecardboard.org/board)
+-- Forum: C-House! (https://thecardboard.org/board/forum-4.html)
+--- Forum: The CardBoard (https://thecardboard.org/board/forum-5.html)
+--- Thread: Stanford WBB vs st Mary’s (/thread-26395.html)


Stanford WBB vs st Mary’s - BobK - 11-04-2026

25 points and 2 turnovers. Night and day from Monday

RE: Stanford WBB vs st Mary’s - here4WBB - 11-04-2026

(11-04-2026, 08:28 PM)BobK Wrote:  25 points and 2 turnovers. Night and day from Monday

8 assists in the first quarter - which I think is the total assists for Monday's game

RE: Stanford WBB vs st Mary’s - Card10Fan - 11-04-2026

If Swain can put up 25-30 every game, maybe we will win a few games. I will say offense looks faster and a little more free flowing than last year. We stayed in zone defense way too long and they are 7-11 from three nearly all wide open looks. That is keeping them in the game.

RE: Stanford WBB vs st Mary’s - BostonCard - 11-04-2026

44-29 at the half.  I wouldn’t over index anything good about this game just as I wouldn’t over interpret a bad game.

Long term outcomes with this coach can be addressed in a non-game thread.

BC

RE: Stanford WBB vs st Mary’s - BACardinal - 11-04-2026

Nora Ezike has improved so much from last year! Ines Sotelo is a really good passer with 5 at the half. Haley thrives in uptempo offense and it is showing this game.

The box score shows only 6 to's but the total says 7.

RE: Stanford WBB vs st Mary’s - triangle2 - 11-04-2026

Notable from Swain, Eschmeyer, Ezike: offensive efficiency tonight. That seems to be a theme for Swain so far this season.

RE: Stanford WBB vs st Mary’s - steinerwj - 11-04-2026

Pre-season poll - St.Mary's 9th out of 10 teams in WCC

RE: Stanford WBB vs st Mary’s - amytmueller - 11-05-2026

Much better movement offensively, especially players without the ball. Not as much passing around the perimeter like they've been doing. I know it was against a smaller and slower team, but the offense looked so much better than the previous games. 

Ezike looked quick and assertive, great game for her.

RE: Stanford WBB vs st Mary’s - chimera - 11-05-2026

That was much better overall.  The giant caveat is that St Marys is a very weak team and not very athletic.  I do appreciate that Paye made changes in the offense, from last season.  Offense looked crisper than previous games.  The ball was moving well, not getting stuck in someone's hands so much as before.  Much of the good offense was generated off steals.  Can Shay steal them blind against better teams?  Ezike looked great, like she could be a really good player pretty quickly if she keeps going like she has been.  We did get the ball to the posts well enough but again, against a very weak team without much size.  There was some sweet passing too.  Overall a lot was better.  Long way to go to a team that can compete with most ACC teams.  Everything that was easy will be way, way, way harder against better teams (obviously).  We also have zero guard depth, which will probably be a killer in many games.

RE: Stanford WBB vs st Mary’s - BostonCard - 11-05-2026

I do have to wonder a bit how much of the "new" offense is really that we were able to do what we wanted against a weaker and less athletic team, and that we may try to do these things against stronger teams but they are stymied by a defense that is able to counter our offensive moves, so we revert to a less effective, more plodding east/west offense.

My guess is that Paye would like to be able to run the offense against all teams, but that we're just not good enough at it to be able to do it effectively.

BC

RE: Stanford WBB vs st Mary’s - pefloresjr - 11-05-2026

(11-05-2026, 11:14 AM)BostonCard Wrote:  I do have to wonder a bit how much of the "new" offense is really that we were able to do what we wanted against a weaker and less athletic team, and that we may try to do these things against stronger teams but they are stymied by a defense that is able to counter our offensive moves, so we revert to a less effective, more plodding east/west offense.

My guess is that Paye would like to be able to run the offense against all teams, but that we're just not good enough at it to be able to do it effectively.

BC

This is also my thought.  We had some great games last year early on when the ball was moving around well and we played a faster tempo.  We were unable to do that against better talent.  However, we did have some good games against some better teams until later in the season when the discontent set in and the season was lost.  I think Paye could have made some more adjustments (to set more and better screens for shooters, for example) but I don't think there is some magic offensive or defensive adjustment that will make the team better.  

Clearly, many fans who are really unhappy with the quality of play recently want a change and are naturally not patient about Paye's strategic decisions.  I don't claim to have enough knowledge about the x's and o's to be sure.  One thing that is clear to me is that something went very wrong with the team dynamic last year.  I hope that Paye can correct that part and that the players who stayed feel good about the environment now.  I don't assume that it was all Paye (though it is her responsibility to figure it out) in last year's problems.  Somfai was pretty mature in interviews and seemed to get along really well with her teammates.  However, on the court I also saw her losing her cool in several games and being pretty immature at times.  I don't know if it was all on the coaches, all on the player(s) or probably some combination of both.  It reminds me of Haley's senior year when she became disgruntled under Tara and seemingly had a role in Betts leaving the team.  

So for me, I want to see the team engaging well with the coaches and having some fun on the court.  Last night had both of those elements.  The players were moving with energy on both offense and defense.  It looked like a lot of fun.  I was happy to see Coach Paye stop Ezike as she came off the court with her 18 points.  Paye took hold of both of Ezike's hands and said something to her while they were both smiling.  Ezike and Eschmeyer (with her 18 points) then sat next to each other beaming with happiness.  

Will it be enough to get this program turned around?  I don't know but I hope it does.  I cannot allow myself to root for things to get worse in the hope that we get a better coach.  I want things to get better for the players we have today.  I did renew my season tickets and am doing my best to cheer them on.  

Cheers,
Pete F.

RE: Stanford WBB vs st Mary’s - OCcardinal - 11-05-2026

(11-04-2026, 10:54 PM)steinerwj Wrote:  Pre-season poll - St.Mary's 9th out of 10 teams in WCC
This will surely be a quad 4 game when all is said and done. The 9th place WCC teams typically end up somewhere in the 220s in NET Rating. So I compared some stats with those from Stanford's 20 Quad 4 games over the previous two seasons (2024–25 and 2025–26):
As a quad 4 game, Stanford's 87–54 victory was good offensively, with 56.5% shooting and 22 assists, and particularly impressive in creating turnovers. Its 25 forced turnovers were the most in the 21-game comparison, and its 16 steals ranked second.

However, the defensive shooting stats are a bit concerning. Saint Mary's 50.0% three-point shooting tied for the worst Stanford allowed against this group, nearly double the historical average of 27.5%. (Though they improved in the second half.) Stanford also committed more turnovers than usual (15 vs. 12.5). Much better than 30, but a bit high for a team of this caliber.

RE: Stanford WBB vs st Mary’s - stopandpop - 11-05-2026

(11-05-2026, 02:12 PM)OCcardinal Wrote:  
(11-04-2026, 10:54 PM)steinerwj Wrote:  Pre-season poll - St.Mary's 9th out of 10 teams in WCC
This will surely be a quad 4 game when all is said and done. The 9th place WCC teams typically end up somewhere in the 220s in NET Rating. So I compared some stats with those from Stanford's 20 Quad 4 games over the previous two seasons (2024–25 and 2025–26):
  • Scoring: +7.0 points above average (87 vs. 80.0). Best: 107 vs. 2024–25 Le Moyne (NET 357). Worst: 54 vs. 2025–26 Washington State (NET 227).
  • Winning margin: +5.8 above average (+33 vs. +27.2). Best: +64 vs. 2024–25 Le Moyne (NET 357). Worst: −4 vs. 2025–26 FGCU (NET 157).
  • FG shooting: +7.6 percentage points above average (56.5% vs. 48.9%). Best: 66.7% vs. 2025–26 Lehigh (NET 191). Worst: 29.8% vs. 2025–26 Wake Forest (NET 128).
  • 3PT shooting: +0.4 percentage points above average (35.3% vs. 34.9%). Best: 70.0% vs. 2024–25 Washington State (NET 124). Worst: 11.1% vs. 2025–26 Washington State (NET 227).  [Interesting to have both the best and worst performances against the same team!]
  • Rebounding margin: +1.8 rebounds above average (+15 vs. +13.2). Best: +31 vs. 2025–26 UC Davis (NET 167). Worst: −2 vs. 2024–25 Gonzaga (NET 95).
  • Assists: +6.4 above average (22 vs. 15.6). Best: 25 vs. 2024–25 Le Moyne (NET 357). Worst: 9 vs. 2024–25 UC Davis (NET 145) and 2025–26 UC Davis (NET 167).
  • Steals: +7.0 above average (16 vs. 9.0). Best: 17 vs. 2025–26 Cornell (NET 299). Worst: 2 vs. 2025–26 UC Davis (NET 167).
  • Opponent turnovers forced: +9.2 above average (25 vs. 15.8), the best of all 21 games. Previous best: 21 vs. 2025–26 Cornell (NET 299) and 2025–26 Cal Poly (NET 338). Worst: 6 vs. 2025–26 UC Davis (NET 167).
  • Stanford turnovers committed: +2.5 above average (15 vs. 12.5). Best: 5 vs. 2024–25 Gonzaga (NET 95) and 2025–26 Pittsburgh (NET 265). Worst: 25 vs. 2024–25 UC San Diego (NET 182).
  • Opponent FG% allowed: +3.0 percentage points worse than average (37.7% vs. 34.7%), ranked T-14th of 21. Best: 22.4% vs. 2025–26 UC Davis (NET 167). Worst: 48.2% vs. 2025–26 FGCU (NET 157).
  • Opponent 3PT% allowed: +22.5 percentage points worse than average (50.0% vs. 27.5%), tied for worst of 21 games. Best: 0.0% vs. 2024–25 Pittsburgh (NET 135). Worst: 50.0% vs. 2024–25 Washington State (NET 124), tied with Saint Mary's.

As a quad 4 game, Stanford's 87–54 victory was good offensively, with 56.5% shooting and 22 assists, and particularly impressive in creating turnovers. Its 25 forced turnovers were the most in the 21-game comparison, and its 16 steals ranked second.

However, the defensive shooting stats are a bit concerning. Saint Mary's 50.0% three-point shooting tied for the worst Stanford allowed against this group, nearly double the historical average of 27.5%. (Though they improved in the second half.) Stanford also committed more turnovers than usual (15 vs. 12.5). Much better than 30, but a bit high for a team of this caliber.


True- St. Mary's is not at the level of UC Santa Barbara or Arizona, but I was encouraged that (for the first time this season) Stanford's guards and wings were looking for and finding Eschmeyer down low multiple times, even against the zone.  Last night she was 7 for 11; that's about the right number of shots Alex needs to take night after night.  The other encouraging sign- Ezike. Nobody on the team can drive to the basket with such explosiveness (and deliver) as Nora.  Would not be surprised to see her in the starting lineup soon.

RE: Stanford WBB vs st Mary’s - old spanish trail - 11-05-2026

(11-05-2026, 04:03 PM)stopandpop Wrote:  
(11-05-2026, 02:12 PM)OCcardinal Wrote:  
(11-04-2026, 10:54 PM)steinerwj Wrote:  Pre-season poll - St.Mary's 9th out of 10 teams in WCC
This will surely be a quad 4 game when all is said and done. The 9th place WCC teams typically end up somewhere in the 220s in NET Rating. So I compared some stats with those from Stanford's 20 Quad 4 games over the previous two seasons (2024–25 and 2025–26):
  • Scoring: +7.0 points above average (87 vs. 80.0). Best: 107 vs. 2024–25 Le Moyne (NET 357). Worst: 54 vs. 2025–26 Washington State (NET 227).
  • Winning margin: +5.8 above average (+33 vs. +27.2). Best: +64 vs. 2024–25 Le Moyne (NET 357). Worst: −4 vs. 2025–26 FGCU (NET 157).
  • FG shooting: +7.6 percentage points above average (56.5% vs. 48.9%). Best: 66.7% vs. 2025–26 Lehigh (NET 191). Worst: 29.8% vs. 2025–26 Wake Forest (NET 128).
  • 3PT shooting: +0.4 percentage points above average (35.3% vs. 34.9%). Best: 70.0% vs. 2024–25 Washington State (NET 124). Worst: 11.1% vs. 2025–26 Washington State (NET 227).  [Interesting to have both the best and worst performances against the same team!]
  • Rebounding margin: +1.8 rebounds above average (+15 vs. +13.2). Best: +31 vs. 2025–26 UC Davis (NET 167). Worst: −2 vs. 2024–25 Gonzaga (NET 95).
  • Assists: +6.4 above average (22 vs. 15.6). Best: 25 vs. 2024–25 Le Moyne (NET 357). Worst: 9 vs. 2024–25 UC Davis (NET 145) and 2025–26 UC Davis (NET 167).
  • Steals: +7.0 above average (16 vs. 9.0). Best: 17 vs. 2025–26 Cornell (NET 299). Worst: 2 vs. 2025–26 UC Davis (NET 167).
  • Opponent turnovers forced: +9.2 above average (25 vs. 15.8), the best of all 21 games. Previous best: 21 vs. 2025–26 Cornell (NET 299) and 2025–26 Cal Poly (NET 338). Worst: 6 vs. 2025–26 UC Davis (NET 167).
  • Stanford turnovers committed: +2.5 above average (15 vs. 12.5). Best: 5 vs. 2024–25 Gonzaga (NET 95) and 2025–26 Pittsburgh (NET 265). Worst: 25 vs. 2024–25 UC San Diego (NET 182).
  • Opponent FG% allowed: +3.0 percentage points worse than average (37.7% vs. 34.7%), ranked T-14th of 21. Best: 22.4% vs. 2025–26 UC Davis (NET 167). Worst: 48.2% vs. 2025–26 FGCU (NET 157).
  • Opponent 3PT% allowed: +22.5 percentage points worse than average (50.0% vs. 27.5%), tied for worst of 21 games. Best: 0.0% vs. 2024–25 Pittsburgh (NET 135). Worst: 50.0% vs. 2024–25 Washington State (NET 124), tied with Saint Mary's.

As a quad 4 game, Stanford's 87–54 victory was good offensively, with 56.5% shooting and 22 assists, and particularly impressive in creating turnovers. Its 25 forced turnovers were the most in the 21-game comparison, and its 16 steals ranked second.

However, the defensive shooting stats are a bit concerning. Saint Mary's 50.0% three-point shooting tied for the worst Stanford allowed against this group, nearly double the historical average of 27.5%. (Though they improved in the second half.) Stanford also committed more turnovers than usual (15 vs. 12.5). Much better than 30, but a bit high for a team of this caliber.


True- St. Mary's is not at the level of UC Santa Barbara or Arizona, but I was encouraged that (for the first time this season) Stanford's guards and wings were looking for and finding Eschmeyer down low multiple times, even against the zone.  Last night she was 7 for 11; that's about the right number of shots Alex needs to take night after night.  The other encouraging sign- Ezike. Nobody on the team can drive to the basket with such explosiveness (and deliver) as Nora.  Would not be surprised to see her in the starting lineup soon.

Yes, Pop, I was encouraged as well. Much better than the earlier games, and while SM is not a strong team, they can shoot from distance better than many. Hopefully, the improved fluidity of the O wasn't totally due to SM's weakness. Also agree Ezike was impressive, and a real eye opener for me.

RE: Stanford WBB vs st Mary’s - crackpot - 11-06-2026

(11-05-2026, 08:54 PM)old spanish trail Wrote:  Yes, Pop, I was encouraged as well. Much better than the earlier games, and while SM is not a strong team, they can shoot from distance better than many. Hopefully, the improved fluidity of the O wasn't totally due to SM's weakness. Also agree Ezike was impressive, and a real eye opener for me.

Given their 3pt %, it shocked me they didn't just give up trying for 2.