Written by JANIE McCAULEY, a writer for the Associated Press Sports section.

STANFORD, Calif.

Tara VanDerveer made history on Sunday as she surpassed former Duke and Army coach Mike Krzyzewski to become the winningest coach in college basketball. In her 1,203rd career victory, VanDerveer led No. 8 Stanford to a 65-56 win against Oregon State.

At 70 years old and a head coach since age 24, VanDerveer celebrated on her team’s home floor at Maples Pavilion with a couple dozen former players on hand to cheer the Hall of Fame coach on for yet another milestone in a decorated 45-year career filled with memorable accomplishments.

In the final moments, supporters cheered “Tara! Tara!” before the festivities commenced.

“Tara VanDerveer’s achievement is truly remarkable, considering her already impressive track record as a basketball coach,” stated Krzyzewski. “This milestone only adds to her incredible legacy. But beyond the impressive stats and professional accomplishments, she has made a positive impact on numerous individuals as a coach and mentor. Tara is a true protector of our sport.”

At certain moments, the atmosphere was filled with tension as VanDerveer stood with her arms crossed and walked back and forth along the sideline. Kiki Iriafen and her teammates stepped up and made crucial plays, including Iriafen’s first successful 3-pointers. Stanford was without All-American player Cameron Brink due to a lower left leg injury sustained in their victory against Oregon on Friday.

VanDerveer’s record now stands at 1,203 wins and 267 losses, with a total of 1,051 wins and 216 losses over 38 seasons at Stanford. She has been named Pac-12 Coach of the Year 17 times and has received five national Coach of the Year awards. During her time at Stanford, she has led the team to three NCAA championships in 1990, 1992, and most recently in 2021. She also took a break from coaching at Stanford in 1996 to lead the U.S. Olympic team to a gold medal at the Atlanta Games.

Iriafen scored a personal best of 36 points by making 16 out of 26 shots and also grabbed 11 rebounds, while Talana Lepolo added 14 points and six assists for the Cardinal (17-2, 6-1 Pac-12). The game was attended by a nearly full crowd of 7,022 people at Maples Pavilion, which has a maximum capacity of 7,233.

At halftime, Stanford was winning 28-22 despite only making 12 of 34 shots. They were able to pull through in the second half with the support of former players Jennifer Azzi, Chiney Ogwumike, Ros Gold-Onwude, and Jayne Appel-Marinelli, as well as former U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, who were all in attendance to show their support for the coach.

VanDerveer was greeted with enthusiastic applause every time she appeared on the court, both during pregame warmups and for her introduction.

Raegan Beers was the top scorer with 18 points for Oregon State (15-3, 4-3), who had previously won three consecutive games.

During the first quarter, Stanford was in a slump and missed 10 consecutive shots until Brooke Demetre made a three-pointer at the 1:50 mark.

BIG PICTURE

Oregon State has a poor record of 1 win and 35 losses when playing on Stanford’s home court. Their coach, Scott Rueck, has only won 3 out of 22 games against Stanford. The Beavers have also lost the last 13 games in their series, with their last victory against Stanford being on February 24, 2017, in Corvallis.

Stanford: VanDerveer, who didn’t have the playing opportunities growing up before Title IX, has considered herself so fortunate to get an early start in coaching at Idaho in 1978-79. She turned around the Vandals program and did so next at Ohio State then Stanford. She earned her 1,000th win Feb. 3, 2017, and became winningest women’s coach on Dec. 15, 2020, by passing the late Tennessee coach Pat Summitt (1,098).

UP NEXT

On Friday night, Oregon State will be hosting Colorado.

On Friday night, Stanford will play against Arizona State.

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The AP Top 25 Women’s College Basketball Poll and the AP Women’s College Basketball hub can be found online.

Source: wralsportsfan.com