February 05, 2008

Next up, Santa Clara

Is Stanford Santa Clara's Tennessee? Not quite.

Tuesday is the 38th meeting between the Broncos and Cardinal. Stanford leads the series 27-11. The two teams last met on Nov. 29, 2006 when the Cardinal registered a 89-56 victory at home. The two teams have not played at the Leavey Center since the 1998-99 season, when SCU interrupted Stanford's six game series win streak with a 81-65 triumph.

The Broncos (16-5, 5-2 WCC), despite having a five-game winning streak snapped at Gonzaga Saturday, come into Tuesday's contest having won 12 of their last 14 contests. Under the guidance of sixth-year head coach Michelle Bento-Jackson, Santa Clara boasts four players averaging over 10 points a game: guards Chandice Cronk (17.1 ppg, 40.6% 3-pt.), Liz Doran (10.5 ppg, 44.9% 3-pt.), Tracey Walker (10.3 ppg, 4.79 apg), and forward Jen Gottschalk (16.5 ppg, 8.4 rpg).

Here are two articles about tonight's game:
  • Guards key to Stanford's success by Wyndam Makowsky (The Stanford Daily)

    The Cardinal offense is clicking at the right time, and the key seems to be the floor leadership of the guards — their increasing ability to create opportunities for themselves and others has led to good results.

    The Cardinal’s potent attack matches up well against Santa Clara, but, while Stanford has little to gain beyond a win, the Broncos could define their season with a victory tonight. They can place themselves right back on the bubble with a win over the highly ranked Cardinal tonight.

  • Bronco Busting by Haley Murphy (The Stanford Daily)

    Though the Broncos may be able to find an edge in free throws and threes, the story of the night, as usual, will be whether the Cardinal can remain focused on its own capabilities. Home court advantage and the prospect of a marquee win against Stanford should rally the Broncos, but they stand little chance barring a slip-up on the Cardinal’s end.

    The Cardinal heads to Santa Clara looking to focus on the weaker points of its own game, like shooting percentages from behind the arc and at the line. With seven consecutive victories and a No. 6 national ranking, Stanford has little to prove at Santa Clara beyond its continued success.

No comments: