STANFORD, Calif. – Hailee Swain scored 22, Nora Ezike added 18 and Stanford picked up its first win of the season in its home opener, beating Saint Mary’s 87-54 on Wednesday night.
Swain was on fire from the start, scoring 16 of her game-high 22 in the first quarter. She outscored the Gaels by herself in the opening 10 minutes, 16-12, and ended the period with a corner triple on a perfectly executed play as the Cardinal (1-1) held for the final shot.
Saint Mary’s (0-1) stayed within reach in the first half because of its proficiency from deep. The Gaels were 8-of-12 on 3-pointers to start (.667), while making just 2-of-14 (.143) from inside the arc in the first and second quarters.
Stanford was up 15 at halftime, extended it to 22 late in the third, and started the fourth on a 12-2 run to build the lead to 32. In the second half, the Cardinal limited Saint Mary’s shooters to just 2-of-8 on 3-pointers (.250).
Swain and Ezike led several Cardinal who had career nights. Swain’s 22 points were a personal best, eclipsing the 21 she had Monday against Arizona. She’s the first Stanford guard with back-to-back 20-point games since Kiana Williams scored that many in three straight against Oregon State (20), UCLA (26) and Utah Valley (20) in March 2021. Ezike had career highs in points (18), rebounds (7) and steals (4) and was 8-of-10 from the floor.
Inés Sotelo Míguez had six points to go with game-highs of eight rebounds and six assists. Her six assists were two more than her previous best of four, achieved twice as a sophomore last season at Michigan State. Shay Ijiwoye had 11 points, five assists and six steals. Her five assists tied a personal best and her career-high six steals were the most for any Stanford player since Lexie Hull had the same number in the NCAA Tournament against Kansas on March 20, 2022. Ijiwoye also drew eight fouls.
Kennedy Umeh had six points, four rebounds and a career-high three assists and Alexandra Eschmeyer was 7-of-11 from the floor, her single-game high for makes, as part of a 16-point, seven-rebound night.
Stanford’s 22 assists were its most in a game since February 27, 2025 against Miami (23). The Cardinal had 16 steals and outscored Saint Mary’s 38-9 in points off turnovers. Stanford had a 50-16 scoring advantage in the paint and 19-1 on fast breaks.
The Cardinal returns to action on Sunday, November 8 when it hosts UC Davis at 2 p.m.