Freshman forward Nadia Fingall introduced herself to Stanford women’s basketball fans Sunday, scoring 14 points on 7-of-8 shooting and grabbing seven rebounds as the 11th-ranked Cardinal beat visiting CSUN, 88-54, in a nonconference contest.
“She’s coming along fine,” Stanford coach Tara VanDerveer said. “She listens, she works hard, she has a strong body and can score on the block.”
Erica McCall added 17 points for the Cardinal (3-1), which lost to Gonzaga, 68-63, at home Friday. Brittany McPhee had 14 points, including a 7-of-7 effort from the foul line.
“This is the kind of game we needed,” VanDerveer said. “It’s a good bounce-back game from the other night.”
Fingall entered the game for the first time with 5:47 remaining in the first quarter, immediately grabbing a rebound and then hitting a layup as part of a 10-0 run that put Stanford ahead to stay.
She added an offensive rebound and putback late in the second quarter that gave Stanford a 41-23 advantage into halftime.
“It’s definitely a big difference coming from high school,” Fingall said. “My high school coach, who is also my dad, keep warning me. He told you never know what you’re getting into until you get there.”
Fingall seems to have found her way. She shared the team lead in rebounds with Kaylee Johnson and Alanna Smith and looked comfortable inside.
Fingall scored 10 points and had five rebounds in nine minutes of playing time in the second half.
“She’s adjusting to the pace,” VanDerveer said. “She played zone in high school and is learning to play defense at the college level. She’s a quick learner.”
Shannon Coffee made all three of her shots and finished with eight points and three rebounds in seven minutes.
The Cardinal held a big edge in points off turnovers, 27-2, and in bench points, 44-14.
“We were getting a lot more from the bench and we needed more,” VanDerveer said. “Message sent and received well.”
Stanford travels to the Cancun Challenge, which begins Thursday morning with a game against Northeastern. The Cardinal will also play Wichita State on Friday and Purdue on Saturday.