March 1, 2012

STANFORD, Calif. - Wednesday night's 76-52 victory over Seattle University was a game that carried many distinctions and extended more than a few streaks. But most importantly, it marked the final home game for Stanford Women's Basketball's Class of 2012.

Sure, second-ranked Stanford completed its fifth straight undefeated season at Maples Pavilion, a program record. Yes, the win extended the nation's longest home winning streak to 79 games, a streak that will go on hiatus until next November. And right, it was Stanford's 24th straight win, three shy of tying the program's longest winning streak.

Yet Wednesday's game also represented something on a more basic, more human level. It was the final time that Stanford Women's Basketball's Class of 2012 of Sarah Boothe, Lindy La Rocque, Grace Mashore and Nnemkadi Ogwumike would be at Maples together as members of the Cardinal team.

While not the first class to go unbeaten at Maples (that distinction belongs to the Class of 2011), the achievement of never yielding the home floor still gives the Class of 2012 a special place in Cardinal lore.

Without La Rocque's memorable dive and steal against California back in 2009, Stanford may not have come back from a nine-point deficit to defeat the Golden Bears.

If Ogwumike doesn't go off for a career-high 42 points and 17 rebounds this past Dec. 20 against Tennessee, what happens against the Lady Volunteers?

There are so many "what ifs?" in the streak, but that's only a small part of what this class has accomplished. Three straight Final Fours, a drive for a fourth in progress, four conference titles, a 70-1 record in conference play heading into Sunday's game at California, and numerous other numbers, facts and figures can be piled upon the resume of this quartet.

But more than anything else, they are Stanford alumnae. Basketball is just one dimension to who these women are. They will all receive their bachelor's degrees this year. Boothe in psychology, La Rocque in science, technology and society, Mashore in American studies and Ogwumike in psychology.

This quartet has attacked and consumed the Stanford experience off the court with the same passion and tenacity with which it has attacked and defeated the nation's best teams on the court. Their memories of wins and Final Four trips will be held with just as high esteem as those of nights spent at Green Library cramming for midterms or spending nights out with friends.

And just like the 40 minutes of a game, the clock on this quartet's time at Stanford continues to wind down. Time for a few more plays, a few more memories. Whether the end is seen as the court of the Pepsi Center in Denver at the Final Four, or walking across the stage to receive that degree at Stanford Stadium in June, one thing will remain the same: this was a group of winners.

--Aaron Juarez, Stanford Athletic Communications