STANFORD — Cal is suddenly the new standard in Bay Area women’s basketball.
There’s no better way to put it after the No. 22 Golden Bears wrapped up a 75-72 win over Stanford at Maples Pavilion on Thursday night, snapping a 10-year losing streak inside the Cardinal’s home building.
But wait: there’s more, much more. By finishing off Thursday’s victory, Cal (18-3, 6-2 ACC) has now swept Stanford (10-9, 2-6 ACC) in the teams’ regular-season series for the first time since 1985-86, legendary coach Tara VanDerveer’s first year in charge of Stanford.
The significance of the win was not lost on Cal coach Charmin Smith, who played for VanDerveer from 1993-1997, coached under her as an assistant from 2004-2007 and was winless in five seasons coaching against her in the rivalry from 2019 to 2024, when VanDerveer announced her retirement.
California Golden Bears’ head coach Charmin Smith speaks to her team during a game against Stanford at half time at Stanford’s Maples Pavilion in Stanford, Calif., on Thursday, Jan. 23, 2025. (Shae Hammond/Bay Area News Group)
“It is special, right?” Smith said. “This means a lot, because this is my home. This is my alma mater, and I’ve taken a ton of butt kickings (from them) as well. So to be able to do this, it feels really good. And it’s because, again, the amount of respect that I have for Stanford.
“It’s not easy to win at Maples. At the beginning of the season, I was like, ‘I think we can get the split.’ And then when we won at our place, I was like, ‘Wait a minute, have we ever won the first game?’”
Entering the 2024-25 season, it had been a long time – 12 games consecutively – since Cal had beaten Stanford. The Bears took care of that with a 83-63 win over the Cardinal on Dec. 13.
But Thursday’s win signified something different. Cal was once again the team that dictated terms, opening up a 19-point lead midway through the third quarter. And while Stanford made things interesting down the stretch, the Bears were the group displaying the veteran poise required to win a tight game.
California Golden Bears’ loanna Krimili (21) takes a shot against Stanford’s Mary Ashley Stevenson (22) and Stanford’s Courtney Ogden (40) during the third quarter at Stanford’s Maples Pavilion in Stanford, Calif., on Thursday, Jan. 23, 2025. (Shae Hammond/Bay Area News Group)
They looked, frankly, quite a lot like VanDerveer’s Stanford teams.
“Credit to Cal,” said first-year Stanford coach Kate Paye, also a former VanDerveer assistant. “They have a much-improved team this year. They have a sixth-year senior, three fifth-year seniors, a very improved sophomore. They’re having one of their best years, best seasons in a long time.”
Considering the Bears keep bucking trends that go back decades, Paye’s contention is spot-on.
“I’m just really proud of our group,” Smith said. “It’s just a special group, and I’m really proud of how we held on and fought through a lot of adversity. I haven’t coached a team that has such synergy the way that they do, and sometimes I just step back and let them handle it.”
The California Golden Bears celebrate during a game against Stanford in the second quarter at Stanford’s Maples Pavilion in Stanford, Calif., on Thursday, Jan. 23, 2025. (Shae Hammond/Bay Area News Group)
That’s exactly what Smith did on Cal’s final offensive possession. Stanford had cut the Bears’ lead to 73-71 with 45.8 seconds remaining, but sixth-year guard Ioanna Krimili didn’t panic.
With the shot clock running down under 10 seconds, Krimili brought the ball out near half court, calmly sized up the defense and beat Stanford’s defense to the right side of the hoop for a layup that put Cal up 75-71 with 18.7 seconds left to play.
“I was thinking that I wasn’t really having a good shooting night,” said Krimili, who finished 1 for 8 on 3-pointers. “Ten seconds is a lot of time, and my growth is to realize that 10 seconds is a lot of time. Because sometimes I just pull a 3 with the defense on me. And Charmin has been talking about that, so I was trying to get a better look. And I was confident that I would make the right play, and I did.”
Cal also got clutch buckets down the stretch from sixth-year guard Kayla Williams, a transfer from USC who led the Bears with 18 points. Krimili added 17 for Cal.
Stanford’s Shay ljiwoye (6) jumps for the ball against California Golden Bears’ Kayla Williams (4) during the first quarter at Stanford’s Maples Pavilion in Stanford, Calif., on Thursday, Jan. 23, 2025. (Shae Hammond/Bay Area News Group)
Chloe Clardy led Stanford with a career-high outlay of 22 points. Nunu Agara hit multiple clutch 3s for the Cardinal in the final minutes to key Stanford’s comeback and finished with 19 points.
But the night belonged to the visiting Bears, who have officially been enshrined as the new team to beat in the Bay Area.
“I feel really good about where we are,” Smith said. “I thought we had this capability, and I’m really excited that we’re doing it. We were picked 14th (in the ACC). But a lot of work still to be done. We’re still in January, and I know they’re super hungry, and we’ll keep working.”
Stanford’s Tess Heal (34) takes a shot against California Golden Bears’ Lulu Twidale (10) and California Golden Bears’ Michelle Onyiah (0) during the first quarter at Stanford’s Maples Pavilion in Stanford, Calif., on Thursday, Jan. 23, 2025. (Shae Hammond/Bay Area News Group)
Stanford’s head coach Kate Paye speaks to her team during a game against California Golden Bears at half time at Stanford’s Maples Pavilion in Stanford, Calif., on Thursday, Jan. 23, 2025. (Shae Hammond/Bay Area News Group)
California Golden Bears’ Lola Donez (5) takes a shot against Stanford’s Nunu Agara (3) during the third quarter at Stanford’s Maples Pavilion in Stanford, Calif., on Thursday, Jan. 23, 2025. (Shae Hammond/Bay Area News Group)
Stanford’s Tess Heal (34) takes a shot against California Golden Bears’ Gisella Maul (12) during the second quarter at Stanford’s Maples Pavilion in Stanford, Calif., on Thursday, Jan. 23, 2025. (Shae Hammond/Bay Area News Group)
Stanford’s Elena Bosgana (20) takes a shot against California Golden Bears’ loanna Krimili (21) during the second quarter at Stanford’s Maples Pavilion in Stanford, Calif., on Thursday, Jan. 23, 2025. (Shae Hammond/Bay Area News Group)
California Golden Bears’ loanna Krimili (21) takes a shot against Stanford’s Nunu Agara (3) during the third quarter at Stanford’s Maples Pavilion in Stanford, Calif., on Thursday, Jan. 23, 2025. (Shae Hammond/Bay Area News Group)
Stanford’s Shay ljiwoye (6) falls after jumping for the ball against California Golden Bears’ Kayla Williams (4) during the first quarter at Stanford’s Maples Pavilion in Stanford, Calif., on Thursday, Jan. 23, 2025. (Shae Hammond/Bay Area News Group)
Stanford’s head coach Kate Paye speaks towards her team during a game against California Golden Bears in the third quarter at Stanford’s Maples Pavilion in Stanford, Calif., on Thursday, Jan. 23, 2025. (Shae Hammond/Bay Area News Group)
