Cardinal holds off the Bulldogs

The Cardinal defended its home court successfully for the 80th straight time as they defeated a tough Fresno State team 72-61.

The Bulldogs came out blazing and stayed strong and effective for most of the 40 minutes. Their tough defense disrupted the Cardinal, to say the least, who sank an abysmal one of 16 shots from beyond the arc and were out-rebounded 44-41.

Chiney helped save the day. She hasn't moved out to the perimeter yet, but withstood 40 minutes of really tough defense under the basket with her customary strength and agility. She tallied her first double-double of the season – a big 23 points and 17 rebounds. The scoring came from 10 of 14 layup attempts – all heavily contested – and three of four free throws. She also blocked four shots and stole the ball twice.

Joslyn contributed 39 minutes of seriously tough play. She said at the postgame meeting that she's committed to being more aggressive as the team leader in her senior year, and she showed that tonight as she scored 20 points in the paint on 59% shooting, grabbed eight rebounds and blocked three shots.

Amber played the point for most of the game. Her ball handling was a bit shaky against the pesky Bulldogs (five assists and five turnovers), but she stole the ball twice and scored 14 points – two of them on a drive to the basket going to her right! (At the pregame chalk talk, someone asked if Amber would be going to the right. Coach Trina replied, "She's working on it ... but she'll go to the left.")

Toni is recovering from whatever ailed her. She didn't play long, but showed that she's still a difference-maker. The scored was tied 42-42 five minutes into the second half, then the Cardinal went on a 14-2 run in the next seven minutes. Four of those points were scored by Toni on a steal/fast-break and a rebound/fast-break.

Here are game reports:

• No. 4 Cardinal Victorious In Season-Opener, 72-61 by Janie McCauley (Associated Press
• Stanford Cardinal women's basketball team opens season with 72-61 win over Fresno State by Elliott Almond (Mercury News)
• Stanford women get a struggle in season-opening victory by Jake Curtis

The box score and play-by-play,

A gallery of photos by Casey Valentine (Stanford Photo),

The game highlights video,

And photos by George Nikitin (Associated Press):

Chiney's layup attempt is foiled

Chiney on defense

Bree, Chiney and Ki-Ki watch a loose ball

Bree and Toni go for a loose ball

Chiney gets her hands on a loose ball

At last! Amber takes possession of a loose ball