As the referee threw the ball up into the air at tip-off, all the statistics looked to be in favor of a dominant Cardinal weekend. While there were rough spots on the way, that is exactly what Stanford fans got as the Cardinal battled its way to a 60-41 win against Utah last Friday and a 105-74 victory over Gonzaga on Sunday.
Stanford came into the Utah game riding its best start in five years, with four straight wins to open the regular season (plus two wins in preseason) and with an unbeaten record (then 10-0) against the Utes. The Cardinal is currently ranked No. 2 in the nation in both the Associated Press Poll and the ESPN/USA Today Poll. Stanford has at least shared the Pacific-10 Conference title for nine straight years and consistently performed well in the postseason, leading the team to have high hopes of challenging for another NCAA trophy in March.
But a closer look at the Cardinal’s last meeting with the Utes, in 2007, tells a different story; that day, it took double overtime to separate the two teams. Stanford eventually eked it out 81-77 after junior Melanie Murphy kept the game alive with a three-pointer to tie the game in the last seconds of regulation.
This time around the Cardinal finished slightly more comfortably with a 19-point win, but it was still a tough, hard-fought game.
Early on, both teams struggled with shot accuracy, but as the game progressed, Stanford (6-0) pulled in front, ending the first half up 24-11. It might not have been pretty, but the No. 2 Cardinal showed its strength in the first half, playing swarming defense and effectively stifling the Utah offense.
Undeterred, the Utes (2-3) came out much stronger after the break, doubling their first half score in the first five minutes to close within seven points. With the momentum firmly in Utah’s court, someone needed to step up for the Card to put the game away.
Several players answered the call. Junior forward Kayla Pedersen scored three baskets in just two minutes to turn the game back in the Cardinal’s favor, eventually achieving her second consecutive double-double. Sophomore forward Nnemkadi Ogwumike and junior guard Jeanette Pohlen both made crucial steals, rebounds and buckets.
Despite seeing her team take command again as time wound down, Stanford Head Coach Tara VanDerveer was somewhat underwhelmed with her team’s performance.
“That wasn’t a game that I’m really excited about,” VanDerveer said. “I don’t think we played real inspired, but we got some really good effort from some of our team.”
Any team can beat any other on its day, but only the very best, the championship contenders, can have a bad day and still come away with a win.
“I just think that we just had a rough day and I think every team is going to have one of those days,” Pedersen said. “As long as we stay and encourage each other and know that we have a lot more that we can give, I think that that’s the main thing that we take away from this game.”
“We just stuck after it and I’m proud of our team for doing that,” she added.
Highly rated senior center Jayne Appel exemplified this attitude, as she recovered from a bad flu enough to play 21 minutes, grabbing six rebounds in the process.
Where last Friday’s game left the Cardinal feeling a little disappointed with a less than perfect performance, the game against Gonzaga two days later was a chance to get back on top.
In the first few seconds, it was clear this would be a whole different affair. Shots that had bounced off the rim before were dropping in for both sides and the early goings went back and forth. A traveling call against the Zags (4-2) in the first few minutes gave possession to Stanford, allowing the Cardinal to take a four-point lead<\p>–<\p>one it would never surrender.
“I thought our team really stepped up,” VanDerveer said. “[I thought we] really made a statement that we’re going to go inside and they really finished well. We shot the ball very well.”
The Cardinal powered forward to take a 59-38 lead at halftime and went on to a 105-74 win. Every player in the starting lineup played a crucial role, making it hard to separate out one strong performance from the next.
Although Pedersen just missed her third consecutive double-double, she led Stanford in points with a career-high 30, breaking the 1,000-point mark for her career in the process.
Not wishing to be outdone, Ogwumike scored just one point less than Pedersen, a career-high 29 and registered 13 rebounds to come out as the top performer of the game.
“It’s a good night to get a career high. Gonzaga is really a top team,” VanDerveer said.
Adding to the good news for Stanford, Appel was back in form after her illness, posting a double-double of 15 points and 10 rebounds, bringing her career rebounding total to 999.
Stanford hits the court again on Dec. 13, when it will play the No. 21 DePaul Blue Demons (5-1). That game marks the beginning of an interesting winter campaign for the Cardinal, which will play several talented teams. Stanford plays host to No. 11 Duke on the Dec. 15 and No. 6 Tennessee on the Dec. 19, then heads east for a big rematch of last year’s national semifinal against the unanimously top-ranked Connecticut Huskies. The game is scheduled for the Dec. 23 and will be broadcast from Hartford on ESPN2 at 2:30 p.m. PT.
The Card’s last game of the 2009 calendar year will be on Dec. 30 at Fresno State. Stanford will kick off the Pac-10 season against rival California on Jan. 2 at home. The game is set for 12 p.m. and will be televised on CSN Bay Area.