No. 3/3 Stanford Hosts Washington State For

The Cardinal will look to make it 52 in a row over the Cougars in Thursday night's contest

	Lindy La Rocque enters Thursday night's game against Washington State off of a career-high 14 points at Arizona

Feb. 8, 2011

Game #23

No. 3/3 Stanford Cardinal (20-2, 11-0)

- vs. -

Washington State Cougars (7-16, 5-6)

Thursday, Feb. 10, 2011 - 7 p.m. PT
Maples Pavilion (7,329) - Stanford, Calif.
Series History: Stanford leads 51-0
Last Meeting: Jan. 16, 2011 - (Stanford 94, Washington State 50) - Stanford, Calif.
TV: None
Radio: 90.1 KZSU

Online Coverage: Gametracker | Live Webcast

Game Notes

STANFORD, Calif. - No. 3/3 Stanford will finally be back on the familiar hardwood of Maples Pavilion for the first time since Jan. 22 as it hosts the Washington State Cougars Thursday night, Feb. 10, at 7 p.m. Thursday's contest will also be Stanford's "Pink Zone" contest, in which all are encouraged to wear pink in support of raising awareness for the fight against breast cancer. The contest will be carried live on 90.1 KZSU with Kevin Zhang on color commentary.

Last Time Out
The Cardinal tied its own Pac-10 record with Saturday's 91-61 victory over Arizona in Tucson. The win was Stanford's 48th in a row against Pac-10 competition (includes Pac-10 Tournament games), tying the mark first set from Feb. 9, 1995 to Jan. 12, 1998. Stanford's last loss to Pac-10 competition was on Jan. 18, 2009, a 57-54 loss to California in Berkeley. In Saturday's win, Nnemkadi Ogwumike posted a double-double of 11 points and 14 rebounds, while senior guard Jeanette Pohlen led the Cardinal with 17 points while going 5-for-9 on 3-pointers, and handing out eight assists. Lindy La Rocque went 4-of-8 from behind the arc and scored a career-high 14 points, while Kayla Pedersen (14 points) and Chiney Ogwumike (11) rounded out the five Cardinal starters scoring in double figures.

Scouting Washington State
Washington State comes into Thursday night's game with momentum following a home sweep of the Oregon schools last weekend. With June Daugherty in her fourth season at the Wazzou helm, the Cougars are led by Sage Romberg (9.6 ppg, 5.3 rpg), Ireti Amojo (9.6 ppg, 2.0 rog) and Jazmine Perkins (8.5 ppg, 5.1 rpg).

All-Time Against Washington State
Stanford leads the all-time series against Washington State, 51-0.

A Look At The National Polls
Stanford moved up to No. 3 in Monday's Associated Press Poll and remained at No. 3 in Tuesday's ESPN/USA Today Coaches' Poll this week.

In The National Rankings
Through Feb. 6, Stanford ranks in the national Top 20 of the following statistical categories: field-goal percentage defense (32.0 - second), field-goal percentage (48.7 - third), scoring margin (+25.5 - fourth), rebound margin (+12.4 - fifth), assist-to-turnover ratio (1.25 - seventh), assists (17.91 apg - ninth), 3-point field-goal percentage (37.7 - 12th), 3-point field-goal percentage defense (26.4 - 15th), scoring (80.0 ppg - 15th), turnovers per game (14.3 - 16th) and scoring defense (54.5 ppg - 18th). Individually, Nnemkadi Ogwumike (57.5 percent) is 11th in field-goal percentage, and Jeanette Pohlen is fifth with a 91.8 free-throw percentage, ninth with a 3-point field-goal percentage of 44.7 and 20th with 2.9 3-pointers per game.

In The Pac-10 Rankings
In the Pac-10 statistical rankings through Feb. 6, Stanford leads the conference in scoring defense (54.5 ppg), scoring margin (+25.5), rebounding (45.4 rpg), rebounding margin (+12.4), field-goal percentage (48.7), 3-point field-goal percentage (37.7), free-throw percentage (74.9), field-goal percentage defense (32.0), assists (17.91 apg), assist-to-turnover ratio (1.25), defensive rebounding (30.7 rpg), offensive rebounding percentage (43.2) and defensive rebounding percentage (69.2), while ranking second in scoring (80.0 ppg), 3-point field-goal percentage defense (26.4) and blocked shots (4.23 bpg). Individually, Nnemkadi Ogwumike and Chiney Ogwumike are 1-2 in the Pac-10 with shooting percentages of 57.5 and 56.9 percent, respectively. Nnemkadi is also fourth with 16.5 points per game. Jeanette Pohlen leads the conference in free-throw percentage (91.8) and 3-pointers per game (2.9), is second in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.65) and 3-point field-goal percentage (44.7), and third in scoring (16.6 ppg) and assists (5.00 apg). Kayla Pedersen ranks fourth in the Pac-10 with 8.2 rebounds per game.

Going For The New Record Against The Pac-10
Stanford will get the opportunity Thursday night to break the conference record for most consecutive wins against Pac-10 competition, as it currently has won 48 straight against its conference foes. The current run is equal to Stanford's longest streak, which was first accomplished from Feb. 9, 1995 to Jan. 12, 1998. Stanford's last loss to a Pac-10 school was back on Jan. 18, 2009, when the Cardinal fell to California, 57-54, in Berkeley.

Pohlen Set To Join An Elite Club
Senior guard Jeanette Pohlen passed out eight assists in Saturday's 91-61 win at Arizona, marking the eighth time this season that she has had at least six assists in a game. With 499 career assists heading into Thursday night's contest, Pohlen is set to join Jennifer Azzi, Sonja Henning and Nicole Powell as the only members of Stanford's "1,000-400-500" Club, making her one of only four players in Cardinal history to have accumulated at 1,000 points, 400 rebounds and 500 assists in her career. Currently standing at 440 career rebounds, Pohlen has an outside chance to join Henning and Powell in the "1,000-500-500" Club by the end of the season.

There's No Place Like Home For Pedersen
Kayla Pedersen enjoyed her final collegiate trip to her home state of Arizona last weekend, averaging 14.5 points, 8.5 rebounds and 4.00 assists over Stanford's road sweep of Arizona State and Arizona. Playing in front of numerous family members and friends, Pedersen, a native of Fountain Hills, Ariz., closed out her final hometown trip on a winning note and also moved up to second place all-time on Stanford's career rebounding list, moving past Nicole Powell. Pedersen closed the weekend with 1,158 career rebounds, just 105 behind all-time leader Jayne Appel (1,263).

Career Effort From La Rocque
Although she played in Arizona this past weekend, the desert environment must have felt very familiar to Las Vegas, Nev. native Lindy La Rocque, who went off for a career-high 14 points on 5-of-9 shooting (4-of-8 from 3-point range) in Saturday's 91-61 win over Arizona. The junior guard matched a career high with four 3-pointers in the game, and passed out three assists and grabbed a pair of rebounds in the contest. So far this season, La Rocque is shooting a very respectable 40.8 percent (20-for-49) from behind the arc.

More Double-Doubles
Nnemkadi Ogwumike and Kayla Pedersen each posted a double-double over the weekend in Arizona, bringing Stanford's combined total to 19 for this season. Pedersen scored 15 points and grabbed 10 rebounds in Thursday night's 72-54 win at Arizona State, while also passing out six assists, and Ogwumike grabbed a game-high 14 rebounds to go with 11 points Saturday at Arizona. On the year, Ogwumike and Pedersen are tied for the team lead with six double-doubles apiece, while Chiney Ogwumike is right behind them with five.

It Always Comes Back To Ice Cream
Following last Thursday's 72-54 victory at Arizona State, head coach Tara VanDerveer was not too thrilled with the at-times lackluster play of the Cardinal, which committed 20 fouls and 17 turnovers and held its smallest halftime lead against a Pac-10 foe this season (five points). Friday in Tucson, VanDerveer, after a morning film session, two-hour practice and a team dinner, had the team bus stop off at Baskin-Robbins for some ice cream to the delight of the players. Saturday, the Cardinal reduced their turnover tally to just 11 while shooting 50.0 percent from the field and hitting a season-high 12 3-pointers in a 91-61 rout of Arizona. So as they say, it's nothing a little ice cream can't solve.

Get Comfortable At Home
Following four games and two straight weekends on the road, Stanford can settle into its digs at Maples Pavilion for much of the next five weeks. Beginning with Thursday night's contest against Washington State, Stanford will finish off the Pac-10 regular season with five of its final seven games at Maples Pavilion, only leaving the Bay Area for games at USC and UCLA on Feb. 18 and 20, respectively. Come postseason, Stanford will head back to Los Angeles for the Pac-10 Tournament from March 9-12, then return home where the Cardinal hosts a two-round pod for the NCAA Tournament at Maples Pavilion.