UC Santa Barbara is set to play Stanford in its final preseason exhibition game on Wednesday, October 28, at 6 p.m. The game will take place in Stanford, California.
Stanford enters the contest following a 72-45 victory over Pacific in its exhibition opener last Saturday afternoon. In that game, sophomore Hailee Swain led Stanford with 18 points on 7-of-14 shooting, while junior Shay Ijiwoye contributed 16 points, hitting 4-of-8 shots from beyond the arc. Sophomore transfer Charlotte Tuhy was a key player with 15 rebounds and notably sank a half-court shot as the third-quarter buzzer sounded, extending Stanford's lead to 54-28.
Historically, Stanford holds an 11-1 all-time regular-season record against UC Santa Barbara, having won the last 11 consecutive meetings. The most recent encounter between the two teams occurred on December 28, 2014, with Stanford securing a 90-34 win. Current assistant coach Erica McCall was part of that victory, recording eight points on a perfect 4-of-4 shooting and adding 12 rebounds.
Stanford's roster features five returners, including three who played significant minutes last season: sophomores Hailee Swain and Alexandra Eschmeyer, and junior Shay Ijiwoye. Swain earned a spot on the ACC All-Freshman Team and achieved double-digit scoring in 23 games last season. Eschmeyer led the team with 43 blocks. Ijiwoye gained international experience this summer, playing for Nigeria’s senior national team during its FIBA World Cup preparations. Also returning are Nora Ezike and Kennedy Umeh, both of Nigerian descent, with Umeh returning to play after missing last season due to injury, and Ezike also joining the national team in its World Cup run-up.
Seven new faces have joined Stanford's roster, comprising four freshmen—Kiara Green, Elyse Ngenda, Gracyn Gilliard, and Jordyn Wheeler—and three transfers—Ilse de Vries, Inés Sotelo Míguez, and Charlotte Tuhy. Tuhy was one of only two freshmen nationally to average a double-double last season at American. De Vries, from the Netherlands, and Sotelo Míguez, from Spain, mark the first Dutch and Spanish players in the program's history.
Stanford’s 12-person roster consists of four freshmen, four sophomores, and four juniors, notably without any seniors or fifth-year players, making it one of three Power 4 programs with such a young roster. Hailee Swain described the upcoming season with one word: 'hungry.' The team faces a challenging nonconference schedule, which includes five Power 4 opponents and five true road games. This places Stanford among Power 4 schools with a high number of nonconference true road games.
The program continues to build on its WNBA legacy. Last season saw Nneka Ogwumike announce her retirement, while Ashten Prechtel and Nadia Fingall made their WNBA debuts for the Golden State Valkyries, increasing Stanford’s total of WNBA professionals to 36.
