Courtney Ogden shines as Stanford downs Oregon at Chase Center

SAN FRANCISCO — It wasn’t always smooth sailing, but in front of a Bay Area crowd at Chase Center, Stanford found a way to beat an old Pac-12 rival. 

Despite giving up an early double-digit lead, Stanford found a way to get hit just enough shots in crunch time to defeat Oregon 64-53 at the Invisalign Bay Area Women’s Classic on Sunday. 

“It was not pretty out there, but winners find a way to win,” Stanford coach Kate Paye said. “I guess we’re kind of the fourth quarter kids. That’s really been the strength of this team and I’m really proud of this team.”

Stanford forward Courtney Ogden had another breakout game after a stellar performance against Cal last week in which she scored a career-high 25 points. The junior finished with 20 points on 8-of-18 shooting to go along with four rebounds in Sunday’s win. 

Ogden has taken a big leap this season after starting just one game last year. She’s averaging 9.2 points while shooting an efficient 61.8% from the field.

“I think my teammates are very confident in my abilities,” Ogden said. “They give me the ball to be successful and I hope I can do the same for them. But overall, coming into my junior year, I’m definitely playing confident.”

Lara Somfai had a double-double with 14 points and 11 rebounds for Stanford. 

Oregon had a balanced scoring attack with Mia Jacobs (11 points), Katie Fiso (14) and Ehis Etute (14) all scoring in double figures. 

Stanford (11-2) handed Oregon (12-2) its second loss of the season.

Using a controlled pace, Stanford dictated the tempo of the game early.

Ogden used an array of spin moves and stepback jumpers to finish the first half with 13 points on 5-for-11 shooting. The Cardinal shredded Oregon’s zone defense, shooting 42% from the field. 

On the other end, Stanford’s stingy defense held the Ducks to making just 9-of-27 shots. The Cardinal forced eight turnovers and stole five passes. 

At halftime, Stanford led 31-25. 

But Oregon clawed its way back early in the second half.

The Ducks opened the third quarter with a 10-3 run to take a 35-34 lead –  their first lead since the first quarter. But back-to-back jumpers from Ogden gave Stanford back a five-point advantage, helping Stanford hold on to a three-point lead going into the fourth quarter. 

In the final period, Stanford’s offense found a second gear. 

The Cardinal opened the quarter with a 15-7 run and didn’t look back. Guard Hailee Swain was key to build Stanford’s lead, scoring four points and adding a steal to help the Cardinal seal the win. 

A 3-pointer from Somfai with 21 seconds left put Stanford up 12, shutting out any chance for Oregon to make a comeback.

“Basketball is a game of runs and no, I never like giving up a 12-point lead,” Paye said. “But I want to focus on this team’s resilience. I think that’s a word that we kept coming back to through the preseason, and we’re going to need that and more. Our team went on our own run and we answered back. We went on a really nice run in the fourth quarter.”

Stanford held Oregon to 30.8% shooting in the fourth quarter and did not give up a made 3-pointer. Oregon turned the ball over six times and hit just 8-of-13 free throws.

“I thought they were tougher,” Oregon coach Kelly Graves said about his team’s play in the fourth quarter. “We got a couple of rebounds that they just took from us. We turned the ball over needlessly. … But that’s a good team. It’s hard to keep them down for 40 minutes.”

Stanford will close out the 2025 year playing Cornell next Sunday.