STANFORD, Calif. – Stanford seniors Briana Roberson and Karlie Samuelson will continue their playing careers in Europe. Roberson has signed with PEAC-Pécs in Hungary and Samuelson has inked a deal with Pallacanestro Vigarano in Italy.
Roberson, a 2016-17 Pac-12 All-Defensive team selection, made 72 starts in 127 career appearances for the Cardinal. She averaged 5.6 points, 1.7 rebounds and 1.8 assists in 19.3 minutes per game, shot 38.5 percent from the floor and 34.8 percent from deep.
A two-time team captain, Roberson became the third guard in program history to be named to the Pac-12 All-Defensive team when the conference's coaches voted her one of the league's best in March. She held those she guarded to 33.7 percent shooting in 2016-17 and forced turnovers on 10.2 percent of those possessions.
As a senior, Roberson appeared in all 38 games and made 37 starts, averaging a career-high 25.1 minutes. She posted personal bests in scoring average (6.5) and steals (41) and shot 40.2 percent from the floor. The guard scored in double-figures eight times and poured in 14 second-half points to lead Stanford back from an 18-point deficit and victory at No. 7 Washington on Jan. 29. She had five games with at least five assists and handed out a season-high six against zero turnovers in an NCAA Tournament win at No. 24 Kansas State on March 20. Roberson led Stanford with a 3.00 assist-to-turnover ratio in the postseason.
PEAC finished sixth in the Hungarian League last season and made it to the Round of 16 in FIBA's EuroCup. Pécs is a city in southern Hungary close to the Croatian border.
Samuelson, a 2016-17 honorable mention All-American, averaged career highs in points (12.4), rebounds (3.4) and assists (2.7) and personal bests in field goal percentage (.482) and 3-point field goal percentage (.485) as a senior. She finished second in the nation in 3-point field goal percentage, a mark good for second in school single-season history and fourth in Pac-12 history.
Her 96 made 3-pointers tied Jeanette Pohlen for first in Stanford history and fifth in Pac-12 history and her 249 career 3-pointers are third in the school record books. A career 44.3 percent 3-point shooter, Samuelson is second at Stanford to Jennifer Azzi, tied for fourth in Pac-12 annals and 19th in NCAA history. She ended with the best career 3-point percentage for any Pac-12 player since 1990.
Samuelson was one of the final cuts made by the Los Angeles Sparks prior to the start of the WNBA season after injuring her foot in the team's preseason finale. Vigarano is located in the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy about 25 miles northeast of Bologna.
Amber Orrange ('15) had played for Pallacanestro Vigarano the past two seasons and led the team in scoring in 2016-17 averaging 14.8 points per game. Last season, Vigarano went 6-16 and finished eighth in Serie A.
Stanford is coming off a 32-6 season that included its 13th Final Four appearance and 12th Pac-12 Tournament championship. Season ticket members are able to renew their seats for the 2017-18 season through July 10.