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Here are the AP game recap, photo gallery and the box score from Stanford Athletics.
All the news about Stanford Women's Basketball
But the star of the night — and certainly the fan favorite — was freshman guard Hannah Donaghe, who, in her first action of her Cardinal career, scored 11 points off the bench.San Francisco Chronicle writer Michelle Smith reported:
“It’s exciting to see,” Stanford coach Tara VanDerveer said. “She’s a very good athlete, and she knocks her shot down.”
Cardinal freshmen contributed 32 points in total on the night.
“Not bad,” according to VanDerveer.
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It was a big night for the Cardinal freshman class, the trio of Kayla Pedersen, Jeanette Pohlen and Hannah Donaghe - making her season debut - combining for 42 points. Pedersen led the Cardinal with 18 points.Here is the box score
VanDerveer simply smiled when the topic of the freshmen arose.
"That's not bad," the coach said.
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Here's the box score.With a 17-point halftime lead over No. 4 Stanford, Temple coach Dawn Staley warned her team about Cardinal guard Candice Wiggins leading a big rally.
Then it happened.
Wiggins scored 22 points to lead Stanford (5-1) to a 63-54 victory at the Paradise Jam on Sunday night.
"I told them exactly what was going to happen in the second half, exactly," Staley said. "I told them what Candice Wiggins was going to do in the second half. She's built for these types of games. She came out and willed her team to win." (More ...)
The story from the Connecticut PostStanford gambled against Connecticut, and the second-ranked Huskies made them pay.
Kalana Greene, left wide open on many plays, scored 18 points to help the Huskies defeat No. 4 Stanford 66-54 on Thursday night at the Paradise Jam. Freshman standout Maya Moore led Connecticut with 19 points.
"We basically gambled off of some of their players, hoping some of their players would not make shots and they made them," said Stanford coach Tara VanDerveer. "They ran on us and got too many easy baskets." (More ...)
The box scoreThe UConn women's basketball team had waited more than a week to receive its first test of the season. The wait left it yearning to discover exactly where it stood and to prove to the nation that it is every bit as talented as its national ranking indicates.
What the second-ranked Huskies proved Thursday against No. 4 Stanford at the Paradise Jam is that they are worthy of being considered a national championship contender. Led by game-highs of 19 points and 12 rebounds from freshman Maya Moore and 18 points and seven rebounds from junior Kalana Greene, UConn seized a 66-54 victory before a partisan UConn crowd of 2,192 at the UVI Sports and Fitness Center. (More ...)
And from the Connecticut Post:Playing Stony Brook and Holy Cross certainly did wonders for the cardiovascular systems of the UConn women's basketball players.
But now things start to get interesting.
After three days enjoying the pleasures of Thanksgiving week in the Caribbean, the Huskies get their season started in earnest tonight against No. 4 Stanford at the Paradise Jam Tournament.(More ...)
The winds of change have been gusting about the Stanford women's basketball program since last season's bitter conclusion. Senior All-American Candice Wiggins knew changes needed to be made if the fourth-ranked Cardinal were going to assemble the championship-caliber season they have been seeking for more than a decade.(More ...)
Here are the AP game recap and the box score from Stanford Athletics.Before Stanford even got off the bus in Salt Lake City, Cardinal head coach Tara VanDerveer told center Jayne Appel that facing Utah's defense would be tough and that she needed to remain patient.
"I kept that in my mind the whole game, and it helped," said the 6-4 sophomore who led Stanford to an 81-77 double-overtime win against the Utes with 30 points, 20 rebounds and six blocked shots. Appel played the last six minutes of regulation and both overtimes with four fouls.
"I knew I had to stay in the game, especially after Candice (Wiggins) fouled out," she said. "I just thought it's better to give up two points than foul, as crazy as that sounds." (More ... )
Alex Delanian (New Jersey Star Ledger) writes about Stanford's overpowering defense against Rutgers:Stanford's 60-58 win over No. 3 Rutgers in New Jersey on Sunday was a big one for the Cardinal for several reasons.
It was big because it was the highest-ranked team the Cardinal has beaten on the road since defeating No. 2 Purdue in West Lafayette, Ind. on Nov. 19, 1994.
It was big because it happened on the East Coast, where the folks who believe their brand of basketball is best don't often get to see the Cardinal.
It was big because it happened on ESPN. For the most part, the only time Stanford gets seen on ESPN is during the tournament and last year's second-round loss made a lasting, stinging impression, one that the Rutgers win might have done a little to change.
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Darren Sabeda (San Jose Mercury News) writes about Cardinal teams looking good:Kia Vaughn went through the entire arsenal of moves.
She pinned the defender, looking for a lob, but Kayla Pedersen's outstretched arms were there to take away the angle. She tried to bull through the middle, but Jayne Appel matched her strength and forced an off-balance shot.
The lesson of the night? It's not easy being the center of attention.
The No. 3 Scarlet Knights didn't receive enough of a contribution from their star center in a 60-58 loss to No. 7 Stanford, with Vaughn held scoreless in the first half and finishing with just four points on 1-of-3 shooting, an afterthought in an offense that saw Essence Carson, Epiphanny Prince and Matee Ajavon combine for 41 of the team's 58 field goal attempts.
"She should've touched the ball a lot more," coach C. Vivian Stringer said.
And while she was effective in help defense, altering the shots of the driving Cardinal guards, she had trouble containing Appel, Stanford's star center. The 6-foot-4 sophomore finished with 18 points and 13 rebounds, muscling her way to a number of easy inside opportunities against one of the nation's top centers.
Pedersen, another 6-foot-4 player with more of a finesse style, was the unexpected lift for the Stanford offense. The freshman scored 15 points, pulled down 16 rebounds and was a nuisance for a Rutgers team that didn't have the size to compete with a second large post presence.
Pedersen grabbed the key offensive board that allowed Appel to score the game-tying basket with just over 35 seconds to play.
"I thought they really just overpowered us to the inside," Stringer said. "I think both (Appel and Pedersen) just completely abused us ... the four-five battery ate us up, it's as simple as that."
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Wyndam Makowsky (The Stanford Daily) writes about the Cardinal's game against the pros tonight:So much for the women's team needing time to adapt to life without post players Brooke Smith and Kristen Newlin.
Donning new black road uniforms, Stanford made a statement last weekend, throttling Yale 100-44 in the season opener before taking care of Rutgers.
"New uniforms, new team, new attitude," said Wiggins, a three-time All-American. "I think the new black uniforms actually symbolize how our team is. We just have a different attitude - younger, fresher. It's an energetic bunch."
The young bunch includes much-hyped freshman Kayla Pedersen. The 6-foot-4 forward followed a 15-point, nine-rebound effort in the opener with a 15-point, 16-rebound performance against Rutgers.
Jayne Appel, last season's much-hyped freshman, has not slowed down. Also a 6-4 forward, she averaged 19 points and 9.5 rebounds in the two games.
Wiggins, one of two seniors on the team, led the way against Rutgers with 19 points.
Stanford will get an even bigger challenge tonight. Team USA, featuring such stars as Lisa Leslie and Diana Taurasi, is 7-0 on its college tour, winning by an average of 25.6 points. Its closest victory came at Tennessee, 83-72.
"It'll be fun to have the gym with those players," said Stanford Coach Tara VanDerveer, who led the national team to an Olympic gold medal in 1996. "Our best might not be good enough to beat the USA team. . . . But it's a great opportunity."
For one night only, Stanford is going pro.
For one of the few times this year, Stanford will be the underdog, facing perhaps the best professional women’s squad in the world.
In order to keep pace with USA Basketball, the Cardinal will have to control the boards and score at an above-average rate, in addition to playing tough defense. Pedersen and Appel will be tasked with covering Leslie, a daunting prospect for the freshman, who has yet to make defense one of her strong suits. The sophomore forward will be severely tested by Leslie’s athleticism and skill.
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Read the rest of the article and learn Tara's 11th commandment for Jayne.The first three seasons of Candice Wiggins' Stanford career ensured she'll leave The Farm as the greatest player in the program's illustrious history. Her final season will determine whether she leaves Palo Alto as the greatest Stanford player never to win a national championship.
Thanks in large part to an infusion of young talent headlined by sophomore post Jayne Appel, the Cardinal appear to have more than an outside shot of ensuring that doesn't happen.
And even if Appel, the program's next great star, and the rest of the team's young players can't fully realize the magnitude of the task ahead of them, they have a very tangible image of what they're working for right in front of them.
"I think she worked extremely hard all three years," said Appel, a Bay Area native who followed Wiggins and the Cardinal long before signing on herself. "Being a part of the team and seeing it even more has helped me want to get it for her that much more. So it will definitely be a fight this year to get it for her."
The Yale game on Friday at 1:00 PT will be video-streamed on the Yale All-Access (CSTV) channel. And archived -- so if you're busy working, you can watch it in the evening. This is how to see the game:
Here is Yale's 2007-08 Season Preview and GoStanford's preview of the game.
Candice:" I didn't like people thinking we were the only good team in the Pac-10. Cal's success is good for everybody."
Alexis Gray-Lawson: "This is the reason we (Alexis and Devanei Hampton and Ashley Walker) decided to come here. We wanted to make a name for ourselves."
Michelle worked with a trainer all summer to improve her conditioning and strength -- the coaches are calling her the "most improved" of the returning players in terms of conditioning. With a year of experience behind her, she expects to contribute much more this season.
Jillian worked on her perimeter shooting this summer, taking Tara's advice that this is the key to elevating her game. With four seniors having graduated, she expects to be more of a leader this season.
They both had a lot more to say. Here is the complete interview.