Tara VanDerveer taking an accidental hit on the bench with less than one minute remaining encapsulated another raucous Sunday in the Pac-12.
Eighth-ranked Stanford lost at No. 5 Colorado, blocking VanDerveer from tying Mike Krzyzewski as the winningest coach in college basketball history regardless of gender.
That top-10 appetizer was followed by No. 9 USC saddling No. 2 UCLA with its first loss of the season. The two games drew a combined 19,369 fans, including Cheryl Miller and Candace Parker at the sold-out Galen Center, where they watched Miller 3.0 — better known as JuJu Watkins.
For all the buzz about the Los Angeles teams and Stanford, Colorado sits alone atop the Pac-12 after a 5-0 start. The Buffaloes (15-1) have another delectable homestand this week with UCLA and USC visiting.
They added to a resume that already includes wins over defending national champion LSU and No. 19 Utah. Their lone loss, to No. 6 North Carolina State, is a fading memory after nine consecutive wins.
“It’s a testament to this program,” CU guard Jaylyn Sherrod said. “I told the team don’t take these games for granted because this might be the last time we ever face Stanford,” unless they meet in the Pac-12 Tournament. “It was important for us to go out with a good one.”
Colorado set the table for the Stanford showdown with a 76-61 victory over Cal.
“If we didn’t handle our business and keep all of our effort and focus on Cal, then we probably don’t play the way we played,” coach JR Payne said of her veteran team. “These guys would not allow it (looking ahead to Stanford).”
Sherrod ran into VanDerveer on a play along the sideline with 52 seconds left. No harm done to the 70-year-old coaching legend — at least from that knock. But watching her team score a season-low 59 points couldn’t have felt good to VanDerveer.
Few teams can hit Stanford with a 20-2 run, as Colorado did in the third quarter to grab a lead 56-37. The fourth quarter wasn’t academic, but the Cardinal (15-2) could draw no closer than six points late.
“We didn’t play to the caliber we needed to,” VanDerveer said. “We need our team to be healthy, we need to work harder. We got a split on the toughest road trip in the Pac-12.” (Stanford edged Utah 66-64 on Friday). “It’s disappointing, but we’ll get better. We just weren’t able to run our offense the way we needed to.”
VanDerveer’s next chances to reach the 1,203 victory mark — and surpass Krzyzewski — are at home against the Oregon schools starting Friday.
Watkins’ sixth 30-point game
USC was missing 6-foot-4 post Rayah Marshall due to illness, but UCLA couldn’t take advantage of her absence — in part because 6-7 Lauren Betts also was under the weather.
The Trojans (13-1) led by 15 points at halftime, but the Bruins (14-1) chipped away behind Charisma Osborne, drawing within four on two occasions in the final minutes. USC made 6-of-8 free throws to clinch its first victory in the rivalry series since 2020.
(UCLA won the first meeting this season, 71-64, in late December.)
Watkins produced a 32-point, 10-rebound double-double and made all 16 of her free throws. The 6-2 freshman already has six 30-point games. (Cheryl Miller had 10 back in 1984-85). Ivy League transfers McKenzie Forbes and Kayla Padilla supplemented Watkins in Marshall’s absence with a combined 31 points.
UCLA’s Osborne went 0-of-5 from the floor in the first half, then 8-of-13 in the second, and finished with 25 points. Londynn Jones scored eight, down from 21 in the first game against USC.
“This is overwhelming, incredibly fun and meaningful,” USC coach Lindsay Gottlieb said. “I’m kind of a crier but I had no tears because I felt like this was going to happen. I felt our preparation and our mentality was going to give us a chance to win the game.
“It’s not the last good thing that will happen, but we’re going to appreciate this day for what it means for women’s basketball in Southern California and USC. To look up and see the upper deck full, it was unreal.”
Oregon schools rebound
The Ducks and Beavers recovered from 0-2 showings in Los Angeles two weeks ago to sweep the Arizona schools. The results included victories over Arizona by three points in double overtime (Oregon State) and by two points (Oregon).
OSU guard Talia von Oelhoffen’s 3-pointer with three seconds left, followed by Kailyn Gilbert’s miss for Arizona, forced overtime — a tough ask of the Wildcats, who had only eight players available.
Oregon State (14-2) never trailed in the extra periods but also never led by more than four points. Arizona’s Jada Williams missed a 3-pointer that could have forced a third overtime.
Raegan Beers had another big weekend for the Beavers, following up a 20-point, 20-rebound performance against Arizona with 27 and 15 in the win over the Sun Devils.
Both Oregon teams played Sunday before only friends and family due to inclement weather. Arizona (10-7) rallied from 11 points down early in the fourth quarter to within three but couldn’t close the deal. The Wildcats are 1-3 in their last four games — all decided by one possession.
Grace VanSlooten averaged 19 points in the best week this season for the Ducks (11-7).
Utah shakes off controversy
The Utes (12-5) rebounded from a controversial ending Friday against Stanford to blow out Cal on Sunday.
The Utes questioned the lack of a shot-clock violation on the Cardinal in the closing seconds and, especially, an apparent foul against their star, Alissa Pili, with four seconds left. (It was ruled a held ball instead, giving Stanford possession with a one-point lead.)
Pili missed a desperation 3-pointer on the final shot as Utah suffered a second straight one-possession defeat.
“It’s frustrating when we play so hard and put it all out there,” Pili said. “I feel for this team and our coaches who put so much into this.
“It sucks when we get the short end of the stick time and time again. We’re going to keep swinging and we’re going to come out on top.”
All five Utah starters scored in double figures against Cal as the Utes led by 26 points at halftime and left no doubt about still being a Pac-12 contender with the 93-56 victory.
“What you saw today was a motivated, ticked-off team that felt like we were starting to play to our potential,” Utah coach Lynne Roberts said.
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