Jan. 2, 2013
Game #13
No. 4/3 Stanford Cardinal (11-1)
- at -
No. 20/25 Colorado Buffaloes (11-0)
Friday, Jan. 4, 2013 - 7 p.m. PT
Coors Event Center (11,064) - Boulder, Colo.
Series History: Stanford leads 7-4
Last Meeting: Feb. 23, 2012 (Stanford 68, Colorado 46) - Stanford, Calif.
TV: Pac-12 Networks (PxP: Anne Marie Anderson, Analyst: Rosalyn Gold-Onwude)
Webcast: http://pac-12.com/live/gostanford.aspx
Radio: 90.1 KZSU (P-x-P: Sam Fisher)
Game Notes vs. Colorado 
STANFORD, Calif. - No. 4/3 Stanford will look to bounce back from its first loss of 2012-13 this weekend as it opens up the Pac-12 campaign against No. 20/25 Colorado in Boulder. Friday's conference opener will mark Stanford's TV debut on the Pac-12 Network at 7 p.m. PT with Anne Marie Anderson calling the action and former Cardinal standout Rosalyn Gold-Onwude as the analyst. The contest will also be available on 90.1 KZSU with Sam Fisher on the call.
Last Time Out
Stanford's 82-game home winning streak came to an end Saturday afternoon with a 61-35 loss to No. 2/2 Connecticut. Although the Cardinal defense held the Huskies to a 35.7-percent mark from the field and a season-low 61 points, the offense sputtered as the Cardinal was held to program single-game lows in field goals (11) and field-goal percentage (19.7). Chiney Ogwumike managed her ninth straight double-double and 10th of the season, scoring 18 points and grabbing 13 rebounds, while Bonnie Samuelson went 2-for-4 from behind the arc and scored eight points. Joslyn Tinkle and Amber Orrange each grabbed six rebounds as the Cardinal out-rebounded the Huskies 44-40.
About Colorado
No. 20/25 Colorado brings a perfect 11-0 record into Friday's Pac-12 opener, and for the second straight year has won at least nine in a row to open the season. The Buffaloes, with former star Linda Lappe in her third year at the helm are led by the play of Chucky Jeffery (12.2 ppg, 8.2 rpg) and Arielle Roberson (15.7 ppg, 6.1 rpg).
Against Colorado
Friday's meeting will be the 12th all-time between the Cardinal and Buffaloes, with Stanford holding a 7-4 edge in the series.
Stanford In The National Polls
After six weeks atop both the Associated Press and USA Today Sports Coaches' Polls, Stanford fell to No. 4 in the Associated Press Poll and to No. 3 in the USA Today Sports Coaches' Poll following Saturday's 61-35 loss to Connecticut.
In The Pac-12 Statistics
Through Dec. 31, Stanford ranked in the top three of 13 statistical categories amongst Pac-12 schools: scoring defense (52.4 ppg - first), field-goal percentage (48.1 - first), field-goal percentage defense (31.8 - first), scoring offense (72.3 ppg - second), scoring margin (+19.9 - second), free-throw percentage (72.1 - second), 3-point field-goal percentage defense (25.5 - second), assist-to-turnover ratio (1.11 - second), defensive rebounds (31.3 drpg - second), 3-point field-goal percentage (33.1 - third), rebounding defense (32.3 rpg - third), rebound margin (+12.2 - third) and blocked shots (5.17 bpg - third). Individually, Chiney Ogwumike leads the conference in scoring (21.5 ppg), is second in rebounding (12.8 rpg) and fifth in field-goal percentage (57.7). Senior forward Joslyn Tinkle is tied for second in the conference with 2.00 blocks per game and eighth with a 52.3 shooting percentage. Amber Orrange is third in the Pac-12 with a 1.55 assist-to-turnover ratio and 4.92 assists per game. Taylor Greenfield's 44.7 3-point field-goal percentage leads the Pac-12 while Bonnie Samuelson is fourth at 40.0 percent, and Toni Kokenis' 90.0 free-throw percentage is tied for the Pac-12 lead.
In the National Statistics
Through the latest national statistical update (Dec. 30), Stanford ranks in the top 20 of seven categories: turnovers per game (12.3 - fourth), field-goal percentage defense (31.8 - eighth), field-goal percentage (48.1 - ninth), rebound margin (+12.2 - ninth), fouls per game (12.0 - ninth), scoring margin (+19.8 - 17th) and assist-to-turnover ratio (1.11 - 19th). Chiney Ogwumike is fourth in the nation in rebounding (12.8 rpg), 10th in scoring (21.8 ppg) and 16th in field-goal percentage (57.7).Ogwumike also ranks third in the nation with 10 double-doubles.
Good History Of Bouncing Back
Stanford suffered its first loss of the 2012-13 campaign Saturday to Connecticut, but if recent history is any indication the Cardinal should bounce back as the program has only lost consecutive games twice over the past five seasons. Since the start of this recent run of five straight Final-Four seasons (2007-08), the Cardinal has never lost three games in a row, and has only lost consecutive games on Jan. 4 and 6, 2008 (69-56 at UCLA, 73-72 at USC) and Dec. 16 and 19, 2010 (91-71 at DePaul, 82-72 in overtime at Tennessee).
Home Winning Streak Ends At 82
Saturday's loss to Connecticut ended Stanford's program-record home winning streak at 82 games, a run that had also doubled as the second-longest in NCAA history and was the longest active streak in the nation. The streak, which began with a 96-61 win over San Francisco on Nov. 28, 2007, featured the Cardinal defeating a pair of top-ranked teams in Tennessee (Dec. 23, 2007) and Connecticut (Dec. 30, 2010), 14 Top-25 teams and included six NCAA Tournament wins.
Stanford's Season-Opening Streak Snapped
Another streak that was ended with Saturday's loss to Connecticut was Stanford's 11 straight wins to open the campaign. That start was the second-best in program history, behind only the 20-game winning streak that opened the 1989-90 campaign. The 11 straight wins to open 2012-13 marked the first time since 1991-92 that the Cardinal had opened a season with at least 10 wins. In 1991-92 the 10-game streak to open the campaign ended there, with a 74-65 loss at California on Jan. 10. In 1989-90, the Cardinal rode its 20-0 start to a 32-1 overall mark and the program's first national title. It should also be noted that the previous two times in which Stanford opened a season 10-0 (1989-90 and 1991-92) it went on to win the national title.
Another Streak On The Line Friday
While the home winning streak came to an end Saturday, Stanford still boasts a second impressive streak that will be put on the line for the first time in 2012-13 this Friday at Colorado. That streak is the Cardinal's 78 straight wins against Pac-12 competition, a run that began with an 85-57 win at Oregon on Jan. 22, 2009. Stanford's last loss against a Pac-12 foe came Jan. 18, 2009 in a 57-54 decision at California. Following that loss, the Cardinal won its final 13 regular-season conference games and has since put together three straight 18-0 campaigns (2010-12). The streak also includes 11 wins at the Pac-12 Tournament.
Stanford's Goal Of 13 In A Row Begins This Weekend
This weekend's trip to Colorado and Utah opens up Stanford's 2012-13 Pac-12 campaign and the defense of the conference regular-season crown it has won for 12 seasons running. In fact, with the current run starting in 2000-01, the Cardinal has been the only regular-season champion that the Pac-12 (and previously the Pac-10) has known through the first 12 years of the new millennium. Overall, Stanford has won outright or shared the conference regular-season title 21 out of a possible 26 times, and since 2001-02 the only conference postseason hardware not won by the Cardinal has been Pac-10 Tournament titles in 2002 and 2006.
Conference Of Champions Is Playing Like It
The Pac-12 enters its conference slate featuring four ranked teams for the first time since 2006 as Stanford (No. 4 AP/No. 3 USA Today Sports Coaches), California (No. 7/7), UCLA (No. 16/17) and Colorado (No. 20/25) all feature in this week's polls. During the non-conference season Pac-12 schools racked up eight wins over Top-25 teams with three of those coming against a Top-10 squad.
Lights, Camera, Action
Friday's game at Colorado is not only the Cardinal's Pac-12 opener but also the program's opener on the brand-new Pac-12 Networks. This season, 15 of Stanford's regular-season Pac-12 contests will be televised, with 13 on the Pac-12 Networks, one on ESPN2 (Jan. 13 vs. California) and one on ESPNU (Feb. 17 at UCLA). Come postseason, the first three rounds of the Pac-12 Tournament in Seattle will be broadcast on the Pac-12 Networks and the championship game will be carried on ESPN2.
Ogwumike Double-Doubles Up Again
Junior forward Chiney Ogwumike battled her way to her ninth straight double-double and 10th on the year with 18 points and 13 rebounds Saturday against Connecticut. The 10th double-double now puts Ogwumike in third place nationally, and kept her in the top 10 among the nation's scoring (21.8 ppg - 10th) and rebounding (12.8 rpg - fourth) leaders. Should the Cardinal make another deep run in March's NCAA Tournament as it has the past five seasons, Ogwumike, with 258 points and 154 rebounds as of Dec. 29, will threaten Stanford's single-season scoring (809 points) and rebounding (376 rebounds) records, both held by older sister Nnemkadi Ogwumike (2008-12).
Samuelson Makes It Rain
While the Cardinal struggled from the field Saturday against Connecticut, shooting just 19.3 percent, sophomore Bonnie Samuelson provided some light through the cloudiness by going 2-for-4 from 3-point range and scoring eight points off the bench. Samuelson's strong showing off the bench followed her 11-point effort in Dec. 22's 73-60 win at Tennessee in which she was a perfect 3-for-3 from behind the arc. Coming back from an ankle injury suffered Nov. 30 at UC Davis that kept her out of Dec. 2's game at Gonzaga, Samuelson has gone 6-for-11 from behind the arc since returning Dec. 15 against Pacific. On the year, Samuelson's 40.0-percent 3-point shooting figure ranks fourth in the Pac-12, and her 12 3-pointers ranks second on the team.
Defense Limits Connecticut
Another bit of Cardinal light coming out of Saturday's loss was the performance of the defense, which limited Connecticut to season-lows of 61 points and a 37.5 field-goal percentage. Despite the Cardinal's offensive woes, its defense stepped up and kept the team's chances for a comeback open by covering the Husky shooters and battling on the glass. That effort led to the Cardinal winning the rebounding battle by a 44-40 margin over the Huskies, the 11th time this season that Stanford has out-rebounded its opponent. The effort also kept the Cardinal atop the Pac-12 rankings in scoring defense (52.4 ppg) and opponent field-goal percentage (31.8).
Milestone In Sight
Senior forward Joslyn Tinkle heads into the Pac-12 season aiming to earn her first All-Pac-12 Team honor, and judging by her numbers and performances this non-conference season, it may very well arrive. Through 12 games this season Tinkle is second on the team with 12.9 points per game and a 52.3 field-goal percentage while ranking third with 5.5 rebounds per game. Tinkle has scored in double figures in nine of the Cardinal's 12 games this season, and over the final 20-plus games of the campaign has a chance to reach a nice career milestone. Her 155 points scored this year have upped her career haul to 823, leaving her just 177 away from becoming Stanford's 34th member of its 1,000-Point Club.
Little Bit Of Growing Pains
Despite turning in a season-low outing with zero assists Saturday against Connecticut, sophomore point guard Amber Orrange is looking ahead to getting back on "point" (see what I did there?) this weekend in Boulder and Salt Lake City. Orrange has begun her first full season running the Cardinal offense by pacing the team to an 11-1 non-conference record which included wins over No. 1/1 Baylor and No. 10/11 Tennessee. On the year Orrange leads the Cardinal with 59 assists and boasts figures of 4.92 per game and a 1.55 assist-to-turnover ratio that each rank third in the Pac-12.
Challenging Stretch Ahead For The Cardinal
Stanford's defense of its 12 straight conference regular-season titles will be tested right out of the gate in 2012-13 as the Cardinal is scheduled to face five ranked teams over its first eight contests. That stretch begins with Friday's opener at unbeaten No. 20/25 Colorado, marking only the third time, and first since 1994-95, that the Cardinal has opened Pac-12/Pac-10 play against a ranked conference opponent. In both 1993-94 and 1994-95 Stanford opened Pac-10 play against a ranked Washington squad, falling 78-61 to the No. 22/25 Huskies in Seattle on Jan. 6, 1994 and beating the No. 14/13 Huskies 68-54 at Maples Pavilion almost exactly a year later on Jan. 5, 1995.
Following Friday's game in Boulder, the Cardinal will take on a 9-2 unranked Utah team then return to the Bay Area for a home-and-home with No. 7/7 California, battling the Golden Bears in Berkeley on Jan. 8, then hosting California Jan. 13 at Maples Pavilion. The Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday weekend features the Cardinal hosting No. 16/17 UCLA Jan. 18, and Colorado will come to Maples Pavilion Jan. 27.
