Senior guard Jonae Ervin led Cal Poly with 14 points, but the Mustangs lost to No. 5 Stanford 86-51 on Friday.
Jacob Lauing
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Facing its highest ranked opponent in program history, the Cal Poly women’s basketball team fell 86-51 to No. 5 Stanford at Maples Pavilion on Friday night.
The Mustangs, who entered the contest winless on the year, got an early jump on the Cardinal. Seniors Molly Schlemer and Jonae Ervin propelled the Mustangs to a 13-11 lead 10 minutes into the first half with four and five points, respectively.
“Cal Poly came out very aggressively,” Stanford head coach Tara VanDerveer said. “This was a really good team for us to play. I know they started out slow with some of their losses, but they really played us tough, and I compliment (Cal Poly head coach) Faith (Mimnaugh) and their staff.”
Then came Chiney Ogwumike.
The All-American forward notched a career-high 36 points and recorded her third double-double of the year for Stanford. Coincidentally, Ogwumike’s 36 points marked the point difference between the two teams.
“I thought we played really aggressively and tried to do the best job we could on Ogwumike early on,” Mimnaugh said. “As the game wore on, we had different defenders to try and handle her,m and that wasn’t very successful.”
Though none of Ogwumike’s teammates recorded more than nine points, senior forward Mikaela Ruef also had a career night with 14 rebounds.
“They’re going to be in a national championship opportunity,” Mimnaugh said. “There’s so much we can learn straight from Stanford. Their ball movement and their execution was phenomenal. They share the ball very well.”
Cal Poly continues to rely on Schlemer, Ervin and junior guard Ariana Elegado, who shot 30 percent from downtown.
The trio put up a combined 39 points, compared to the rest of the team’s 12.
“Just relying on those three scorers, I think it really limits us,” Mimnaugh said. “We have a lot of growth to experience, especially in our three and four positions which we’re still trying to tweak a little bit.”
Junior Taryn Garza and sophomore Maddison Allen occupied the forward positions and combined for five points on the night.
Allen, who played in only eight games last season, allowed four turnovers while Garza registered five personal fouls.
“They’re young in those positions,” Mimnaugh said. “We’re going to keep working with them and see if we can’t develop and gain some confidence in what they’re doing on the court and put them in positions where they can be successful.”
Cal Poly now sits at 0-3 on the season, but won’t have to wait long for another chance at win No. 1.
The Mustangs return to San Luis Obispo for the home opener against New Mexico State on Monday at 7 p.m. Stanford hosts UC Davis on Sunday.
“(Stanford’s players) all knew their roles,” Mimnaugh said. “I think we’re still a little confused with ours. They put a pin in our balloon just with their great rebounding. It shows what championship-caliber basketball is all about.”