Cardinal tames Cougars

No record-setter this time as the Cardinal defeated the Cougars by only 49, 102-53. But it finished up a great weekend:

• The first back-to-back 100-point games since 1995 (against UA and ASU)
• The second-most points in a weekend (214). In 1991, Stanford scored 225 points against UA and ASU.

ASU coach June Daugherty said, "Stanford is playing at a very high level. You normally don't see that type of execution until March. They are for real right now. They are as good as advertised."

Tara said, "Our bench was huge for us this weekend". Watching them play extended minutes gave her confidence to continue counting on them. The reserves played for almost half the game -- 91 minutes. They accounted for almost half the points (49 of 102) and rebounds (23 of 45). They outscored WSU 27-21 in the last 10:37 of the game. Jayne said, "It's a blast when you see everyone get in!"

The team's shooting percentages were not as spectacular as against UW, but still very good: 56.3% field goals, 47.8% three-pointers, 70.4% free throws.

Four Cardinals scored in double-digits. Jeanette led with 18 points, including four of five three-pointers. She also had four assists and two steals. Michelle had 16 points, her career-high, and six rebounds, an assist and two steals. Jayne added 16 points, four rebounds, three assists and a block. Sarah had 13 points, six rebounds and a block.

Ros scored "only" seven points, but she had six assists and stole the ball five times. Lindy played well at the point; she had four points, five assists and a steal. Nneka came the closest to a double-double: eight points and 10 rebounds.

Here's more:

• The AP game recap
• Game reports by:
  • Michelle Smith (San Francisco Chronicle)
  • Rick Eymer (Palo Alto Online)
  • Eliott Almond (Mercury News)
• The box score and play-by-play
• Video of postgame press conference
• Game highlights video
• More Associated Press photos:

Cardinal cruise to record victory

Tia Jackson brought all her Huskies to Stanford, including injured reserves Sarah Mosiman (ankle) and Mackenzie Argens (knee). All except Mosiman played, but it wasn't enough to slow down the Cardinal, who came out on fire and continued so for 40 minutes. They defeated UW 112-35, the largest margin of victory in Pac-10 conference history.

At the end of the game, Tia said to Tara, "If you're going to play like this every game, you take it all the way to the Final Four."

Some of the Cardinal highlights are:

• Jayne was the leading scorer -- 21 points and nine rebounds in 19 minutes of play.
• Sarah had her first career double-double, 10 points and 10 rebounds.
• Jeanette had 16 points and eight assists in 22 minutes of play.
• Six players scored in double digits -- Jillian had 14 points; Ros had 12 points and four assists; Nneka had 10 points, nine rebounds and 5 assists..
• Ros was a terror on defense, and hit four of five three-pointers.
• The Cardinal score reached 100 on Grace's three-pointer, the first points of her college career. She hit another later and a layup for a total of eight points.
• Lindy played about 10 minutes at the point. She hit three of four ceiling dusters.
• Michelle played a career-high 24 minutes and had five points, five rebounds, three assists and three blocks.
• The Cardinal shot 57.1% field goals, 56.0% three-pointers and 85.7% free throws.
• The starters sat out most of the second half. The reserves played a total of 104 minutes and outscored UW 28-11 in the last 11 minutes of play.

Here's more:

• The AP game recap
• Game reports by Damin Esper (Seattle P-I), Rick Eymer (Palo Alto Online), Michelle Smith (San Francisco Chronicle) and Elliott Almond (Mercury News)
• The box score and play-by-play
• Game highlights video
• Mercury News photos
• Photos from Stanford Photo
• Don Anderson also took photos of the game. Look for them in a day or so in his FBC Photo Journal
• Photos by George Nikitin (AP):

Home is where the wins are

Rick Eymer (Palo Alto Online) reminds us how well the Cardinal play at Maples: They have never lost a Pac-10 Conference home opener. Since Tara took charge in 1985, they have won over 90 percent of their home games. Read more...

Nate Adams (The Stanford Daily) reviews the season to-date, and concludes, "As the Cardinal gets into the full swing of its Pac-10 schedule, the Stanford women have made it clear that they are legitimate contenders with depth and resiliency." Read more...

John Boyle (Snohomish County HeraldNet) reports that UW expects to be big underdogs in their Bay Area games. He reviews the impact they had on Cal and Stanford in the Pac-10 tournament last season. Read more...

Michelle Smith (San Francisco Chronicle) reports that Stanford and Cal are both ready for the invasion from Washington this weekend. The most interesting news is that Mel has a sprained big toe on each foot! Read more...

Next up, Huskies and Cougars

The Northwest continues to be pounded by a series of powerful Pacific storms. More heavy rain, heavy mountain snow and strong winds will lash the region in the next few days. The heavy rain and snowmelt may cause flooding throughout Washington. The Huskies and Cougars may be happy to head south to a gentler climate, although they won't receive a warm welcome at Maples or Haas.

Washington Huskies

Tara recently said (of the Cardinal), "I think every team is a work in progress. Some are just under more extensive construction."

That certainly applies to the Washington Huskies, who lost three players to graduation and had four others transfer out of the program. They have also suffered a spate of injuries, none of them season-ending.

With just one starter back, they haven't found their groove yet and need time to rebuild. After their last nonconference game, second-year coach Tia Jackson said, "I'm excited about where we're headed going into Pac-10 play. I know our record doesn't reflect that, but I think we've got a lot to show this Pac-10 conference."

Their top players are:

• Junior forward/center Laura McLellan, Washington's leading scorer and second-best rebounder, is #17 in the Pac-10 in points/game (11.5).
• Junior guard Sami Whitcomb, Washington's second-best scorer, is #18 in the Pac-10 in points/game (11.5) and #3 in the Pac-10 in steals/game (2.45)
• Senior guard Michele Augustavo, Washington's best three-point shooter, is #5 in the Pac-10 in three-pointers/game (2.18) and #8 in the Pac-10 in 3-point percentage (.353)
• Junior forward Lydia Young, Washington's leading rebounder, has 4.8 rebounds/game.

The Huskies are doing well considering that they had the fourth-toughest nonconference schedule in the Pac-10, including ranked teams UConn and Kansas State. Their win-loss record (5-6 overall, 1-0 conference) places them 4th in the Pac-10, their RPI (148) places them 10th, and their strength of schedule (37) places them 4th.

Here are their 2008-09 player statistics and their roster.

Washington State Cougars

The Washington State Cougars, under second-year coach June Daugherty, are off to their best start since 1995. They no longer dwell in the Pac-10 cellar, as they did for the past nine years.

They return two starters, and have a freshmen class that was ranked as high as 16th in the nation. All seven freshmen were McDonalds All-American nominees.

Their top players are:

• Freshman guard Jazmine Perkins, WSU's leading scorer, is tied for #4 in the Pac-10 in points/game (14.7), is #2 in the Pac-10 in steals/game (2.5) and #10 in the Pac-10 in assists/game (3.17)
• Freshman guard April Cook, WSU's second-best scorer and leading 3-point shooter, is #6 in the Pac-10 in points/game (14.2), #10 in the Pac-10 in 3-point percentage (.327) and tied for #8 in the Pac-10 in steals/game (1.67)
• Senior guard Katie Appleton, Washington's third-best scorer (10.8 points/game) and rebounder (5.3), is #11 in the Pac-10 in 3-point percentage (.324)
• Freshman guard Rosie Tarnowski, WSU's leading rebounder, is #9 in the Pac-10 in rebounds/game (6.5)
• Senior forward/center Heather Molzen, WSU's second-best rebounder, is#10 in the Pac-10 in rebounds/game (6.4)

The Cougars scheduled their young team for success in the nonconference and they got it. Their win-loss record (7-5 overall, 0-1 conference) places them 7th in the Pac-10, their RPI (137) places them 8th, and their strength of schedule (202) places them 10th.

Here are their 2008-09 player statistics and their roster.

More from Tucson

Ken Brazzle (Tucson Citizen) reports that the Wildcats' 17-0 run in the last five minutes of the game was too little and too late. Tara was disappointed that the Cardinal didn't stay with the intensity [they had shown earlier] for 40 minutes. His report doesn't mention that Stanford's "B-team" was playing for most of that five minutes. Tara replaced them en masse with our five starters, who stopped Arizona's run. Read more...

From the San Francisco Chronicle staff : Tara said, " I thought our team came out great and got off to a fast start ... but Arizona came back. I'm disappointed that we couldn't keep the pressure up." Arizona forward Ify Ibekwe said, "We got physical and aggressive too late in the game. Everything we did was too late." Read more...

Cardinal cages 'Cats

The Cardinal's victory over Arizona, 70-61, was somewhat easier than Friday's battle with ASU. The Cardinal were ahead the entire game, although the Wildcats cut the lead to four early in the second half. Ibekwe and Njonkou combined for 37 points and 21 rebounds, but they were no match for these Cardinal contributions:

• Nneka had a double-double -- 14 points and 10 rebounds.
• Jeanette was the leading scorer for Stanford -- 15 points from five three-pointers.
• Jayne added 11 points, Jillian 10.
• Ros and Jeanette were the point guards, each had six assists. (Mel is out with a sprained big toe).
• The team had seven blocks, from five players, including one from Hannah.
• The team made 11 of 13 free throws -- Jayne, Ros and Nneka were perfect.

Here is a game report from Palo Alto Online, the AP game recap and the box score and play-by-play. Look for more game reports and photos tomorrow.

The Cal Bears had an even closer win over ASU this afternoon than the Cardinal did. Dymond Simon hit a 3-pointer with 8.7 seconds left to give ASU a 53-52 lead. Kelsey Adrian missed a layup, but Ashley Walker got the rebound and made a layup with 1.8 seconds left to give Cal a 54-53 victory!

More from Tempe

Game report by Michelle Smith (San Francisco Chronicle): Jillian Harmon is the lone active senior on the Stanford roster, and she could not accept what was happening on the floor Friday night at Wells Fargo Arena ... Cardinal coach Tara VanDerveer said Harmon "willed us to win." ... Jillian said, "I wanted to put my team on my back and set an example for everyone else." Read more...

Game report by Jeff Metcalfe (Arizona Republic): Like chasing a ghost, the Arizona State women's basketball team again came up empty-handed ... That agonizing string [of four losses to Top 25 teams] makes answers hard to come by. Read more...

The report from the Arizona Republic includes a photo gallery. Here is another photo gallery from SportsPage Magazine and a few more photos from the Associated Press:

Read more...

WOW! and Whew!!

Didn't think we were going to pull this one off.

The momentum was with ASU during the second half as their lead kept increasing: up by 13 with 12 minutes to play. But then the Cardinal crept back to a one-point lead: 62-61. The Sun Devils had possession with 31 seconds to play and 27 seconds on the shot clock when Charli called a timeout. Dymond Simon dribbled for about 12 seconds, then drove in for the shot. Jillian stole the ball and was fouled by Simon. She made her 1st free throw, missed the second: 63-61, seven seconds to play. Kayla got the rebound and was fouled by Simon. She made her 1st free throw, missed the second: 64-61, six seconds to play. Simon made a desperation 3-point shot, missed, whew!!

Jillian was unstoppable. She played 40 minutes of outstanding offense and defense. She ended with 18 points, 10 rebounds and three steals, including that key one in the last few seconds.

Jayne was awarded her 4th foul two minutes into the second half. She played about 13 more minutes without another foul, during which she made five free throws. I told a disgruntled ASU fan that Jayne had spent a good part of her freshman season playing with four fouls. She ended with the other double-double, 10 points and 12 rebounds.

Kayla also had a strong game against the very aggressive Sun Devils. She played for 37 minutes and had 17 points (including one beautiful three) and six rebounds.

Sarah contributed 11 minutes, mostly providing relief for Jayne who was battered and getting nowhere in the first half.

The team spent a good part of the pre-game warmup practicing layups. They didn't make all of their attempts during the game, but shot a respectable 32% . Their free-throw shooting improved too. They made 13 of 22 (ASU made 12 of 21).

All that's been published so far is a game report from Palo Alto Online, the AP report and the box score and play-by-play. Check back tomorrow for more game reports and photos.

Conference play begins

Michelle Smith (San Francisco Chronicle) writes about the pre-conference experiences of the Pac-10 teams. "Stanford, Cal and Arizona State scheduled tough opponents, took some tough losses and are hoping to reap the benefits of those experiences as conference play opens this weekend." She predicts that they will finish 1-2-3 in the Pac-10. Read more...

In a later article, Smith writes about this weekend's games, "No time will be wasted in finding out where the top three teams in the conference - the only three to appear in the national rankings thus far - stack up." In her evaluation of Stanford, Cal, and Arizona State, she quotes:

• Charli Turner Thorne said, "Our posts haven't performed quite to the level that they expected or we expected. But they all know they have to step it up and they are excited for these matchups."
• Alexis Gray-Lawson: "It's a new season. Everybody's back, we are an experienced team and it's going to be real good."
• Tara: "We are going to see right off the bat, how do we match up? What do we need to do better?"

Read more...

Elliott Almond (Mercury News) says, "Stanford and Cal are expected to battle for the conference title after completing tough nonconference schedules. But [they] also have the NCAA Tournament in their sights. They didn't schedule some of the country's best teams simply to prepare for the Pac-10." Read more...

Jeff Metcalfe (Arizona Republic) writes about the ASU women's chances against Stanford and Cal this weekend -- two more chances to beat a ranked team, which they haven't done since the NCAA tournament last season. Read more...

Ken Brazzle (Tucson Citizen) reports the bad news for Arizona: "They open the Pac-10 women's basketball season against the teams picked to finish first and second in the league: California and Stanford." And the good news: "They have a four-game win streak, with three coming at McKale Center, as conference play begins." Read more...

Coaches share mentors and goals

Dick Rockne (Seattle Post- Intelligencer) discusses the bonds that link the newest Pac-10's women's basketball head coaches.

Lavonda Wagner (fourth season at Oregon State) said, "I think the link is who we've worked for. I learned how to build a program from Theresa (Grentz) and how to build a player from Gail (Goestenkors)."

Nikki Caldwell (first season at UCLA), speaking of the fact that they are African-American women, "I think it is progress. I think it is well deserved. It's four very well qualified African-American females. Wagner and Jackson and Butts paid their dues and put in the time, effort, energy and sweat equity to earn their positions. They're doing great jobs at their respective institutions."

Tia Jackson (second season at Washington) said, "We're really excited for one another, for the new opportunities, for all the assistant coaches getting new positions. We see that more than the color scheme."

Niya Butts (first season at Arizona) said, "I'm just happy to be a part of a great basketball conference. I'm happy to be part of a great new corps of coaches."

One thing they share is a determination to elevate their teams' competitive levels in a league that continues to be dominated by Stanford, California and Arizona State. Read more...