January 17, 2009

Battle of the Bay

Here's what they're saying about the first Stanford vs Cal game of 2009.

Stanford women visit Cal with Pac-10 hoop lead at stake by Rick Eymer (Palo Alto Online)
Cal can match Stanford with its starting five, but that's where it ends. The Cardinal has the depth, so it's likely someone like freshman Nnemkadi Ogwumike or sophomore Michelle Harrison will make contributions that affect the game's outcome.

Pac’s top teams clash by Erik Adams (The Stanford Daily)
“Our team is trying to expand things offensively; we need to do better offensively,” said Stanford head coach Tara VanDerveer. At least that is where the focus lies when your next opponent boasts the top team defense in the conference.

“We both have a lot of the same players [from last year], and we’re both doing really well,” VanDerveer said. “We expect a really competitive, a really great game.”

Bullish Bears by Kelli Anderson (Sports Illustrated)
Cal is ready for a run at its first Pac-10 championship—if it can end its streak of futility against Bay Area rival Stanford. Ashley Walker says, "We all think the [conference] title is going to come down to one game, and we want it. This is the last chance for our class."

Vital's offseason work gives Bears an outside presence by Michelle Smith (San Francisco Chronicle)
Natasha Vital has worked hard on her three-point shooting. She said, "A lot of people didn't play me for the three-pointer, so now I'm shooting them all the time." She has hit 48.9% of her 47 three-point attempts this season, and leads the conference in that category. [Jeanette Pohlen ranks third with 40.2% of 107 attempts.]

Stanford has done a good job of focusing attention on Cal's post players and ceding the perimeter. That game plan led the Cardinal to three victories over Cal last year. Vital and the Bears are hoping more offensive balance will yield different results.

Battle of the Bay preview, Joanne Boyle Press Conference Quotes (CalBears.com)
It's going to be a great game. It's been coming down to this becoming a big rivalry or trying to create a rivalry. Both teams know each other really well, we know their strengths and weaknesses and visa versa. You've got o be able to put a good plan together. We know them so we should be able to do that. And I'm sure they're working on the same things. We have to be able to execute those things in practice so your kids going into the game are just comfort and confident. That's our goal this week.



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