Feb. 8, 2012
Game #22
No. 4/4 Stanford Cardinal (20-1, 11-0 Pac-12)
- vs. -
USC Trojans (12-10, 6-5 Pac-12)
Thursday, Feb. 9, 2012 - 6 p.m. PT
Maples Pavilion (7,329) - Stanford, Calif.
Series History: Stanford leads 48-19
Last Meeting: Dec. 29, 2011 (Stanford 61, USC 53) - Los Angeles, Calif.
TV: Comcast SportsNet California (P-x-P: Jim Watson, Analyst: Mary Murphy)
Webcast: None
Radio: 90.1 KZSU (P-x-P: Sam Fisher, Joe Lami)
Game Notes vs. USC 
USC Game Notes
STANFORD, Calif. - Tinseltown comes to Stanford this week as the fourth-ranked Cardinal gets its annual visit from USC and UCLA for a pair of televised contests. The weekend starts Thursday at 6 p.m. PT as the Cardinal and Trojans meet at Maples Pavilion. The contest is set to be televised on Comcast SportsNet California with Jim Watson on the call and Mary Murphy serving as analyst. The game will also be broadcast on 90.1 KZSU with Sam Fisher on the call.
Last Time Out
The Cardinal broke out of its recent shooting slump Saturday in Tucson, firing at a 50.7-percent clip while blitzing Arizona to the tune of a 91-51 win. All five Stanford starters scored in double figures, led by the career day of junior forward Joslyn Tinkle, who set a new career best with 22 points and matched previous career highs with 11 rebounds and three treys. Sophomore Chiney Ogwumike posted a double-double with 18 points and 10 rebounds while senior forward Nnemkadi Ogwumike scored 15 points with six rebounds and four assists in just 23 minutes of action. Sophomore guard Toni Kokenis enjoyed a fine all-around game with 11 points, six rebounds, five steals and four assists while freshman point guard Amber Orrange went 5-for-5 from the field for 10 points.
Scouting USC
USC (12-10, 6-5 Pac-12) split last weekend's action at home against the Washington schools, and is currently in a tie for fourth place in the Pac-12. With Michael Cooper in his third yeat at the Trojan helm, USC is led by the play of Cassie Harberts (12.2 ppg, 6.0 rpg) and Ashley Corral (11.8 ppg, 3.9 rpg).
All-Time Against USC
Stanford leads the overall series against USC, 48-19, and has won 19 of the last 20 contests against the Trojans, most recently a 61-53 victory in L.A. on Dec. 29.
Stanford In The Polls
Stanford remained at No. 4 in both the Associated Press and ESPN/USA Today Coaches' Polls this week.
In The Pac-12 Statistical Rankings
Through games of Feb. 5, Stanford ranks in the Pac-12's top three in: scoring (78.5 ppg - first), scoring margin (+22.0 - first), field goal percentage (45.4 - first), free-throw percentage (72.2 - first), 3-point field-goal percentage defense (24.4 - first), defensive rebounding (30.0 - first), assists (17.57 apg - first), assist-to-turnover ratio (1.38 - first), field-goal percentage defense (34.6 - second), rebounding (46.9 - second), rebounding defense (33.7 - second), rebounding margin (+13.2 - second), offensive rebounding (16.9 rpg - second), offensive rebound percentage (43.7 - second), defensive rebound percentage (71.7 - second), scoring defense (56.5 - third), and turnover margin (+1.8 - third).
Individually, Nnemkadi Ogwumike leads the conference with 22.0 points and 11.1 rebounds per game and an 82.4 free-throw percentage. Chiney Ogwumike is second with a 58.9 field-goal percentage and 10.8 rebounds a game, and fifth with 15.9 points per game. Toni Kokenis (2.48) leads the conference in assist-to-turnover ratio, while Taylor Greenfield leads the Pac-12 with a 39.7 3-point field-goal percentage.
In The National Statistical Rankings
Through games of Feb. 5, Stanford ranks in the national top 20 in: assist-to-turnover ratio (1.38 - third), turnovers per game (12.8 - third), rebounding margin (+13.2 - fifth), 3-point field-goal defense (24.4 - sixth), scoring (78.5 - fifth), scoring margin (+22.0 - seventh), assists (17.57 - 10th), field-goal percentage (45.4 - 12th) and personal fouls per game (13.5 - 17th).
Individually, Nnemkadi Ogwumike is ninth in the country with 22.0 points a game and 10th with 11.1 rebounds per game. She is also 18th with a 53.8 field-goal percentage. Chiney Ogwumike is fourth with her 58.9 field-goal percentage and 13th with 10.8 rebounds a game, while Toni Kokenis (2.48) is sixth in assist-to-turnover ratio.
Finding That Rhythm
Stanford found its shooting touch in time to close last weekend with a 91-51 rout of Arizona. The Cardinal shot exactly 50.0 percent (36-for-72) from the field in the victory, the first time since Jan. 14's 80-54 victory at Colorado that Stanford had hit at least half of its shots in a game. The pinpoint barrage was led by freshman point guard Amber Orrange going 5-for-5 from the field, with forwards Chiney Ogwumike (8-for-11) and Nnemkadi Ogwumike (6-for-11) being nearly automatic in the paint.
Close To That First-Round Bye
Holding a three-game lead in the Pac-12 standings with seven left to play, Stanford is closing in on its 12th straight Pac-12 title. In the short-term, the Cardinal is also closing in on a first-round bye at the Pac-12 Tournament, set to be held March 8-11. The top four regular-season teams get byes into Thursday's quarterfinal round, and heading into Thursday's games, Stanford is five games ahead of the three teams tied for fourth place with seven remaining. A sweep of USC and UCLA this weekend combined with one loss from Oregon State and Arizona State would clinch Stanford's bye at the Pac-12 Tournament in four weeks.
Can't Get It Every Time, Right?
The Ogwumike sisters, Nnemkadi and Chiney, may have been denied the Pac-12 Player of the Week honor this past Monday, but it did not put a damper on their weekend. The sisters had captured the past four weekly awards (three in a row by Chiney) since Jan. 9, and six of the season's 12 through Jan. 30. This past weekend in Arizona, they continued their solid play, as Nnemkadi averaged 18.5 points, 11.0 rebounds and 2.50 assists over the Cardinal's two wins while Chiney averaged 19.0 points, 13.0 rebounds and shot 59.3 percent from the field.
Total Team Effort
On Saturday, Stanford had five players score in double figures in the 91-51 win over Arizona. This marked the second time this season that the Cardinal had pulled the feat, the other occasion coming in Nov. 17's 97-48 win over Old Dominion. Saturday, the Cardinal was led by the scoring of junior Joslyn Tinkle, who netted a career-high 22 points, Chiney Ogwumike (18 points), Nnemkadi Ogwumike (15), Toni Kokenis (11) and freshman point guard Amber Orrange (10).
And The Sombreros Go To...
Stanford women's basketball once again celebrated its Arizona tradition following last weekend's sweep of the Sun Devils and Wildcats. That tradition, started in the 1990s, entails the presentation of sombreros to the team's top rebounder and top shooter (highest field-goal percentage, minimum two shots made), which must be worn through the airport as the team prepares to head back home. This weekend had a pair of first-time winners, as Chiney Ogwumike took home the rebounder's sombrero, grabbing a total of 26 boards over the two wins, while freshman Amber Orrange earned the shooter's sombrero by shooting 83.3 percent (5-for-6) over the weekend.
Tinkle's Career Day
Junior forward Joslyn Tinkle posted a career-best effort in Saturday's 91-51 win at Arizona, setting a new benchmark with 22 points while matching her career bests in rebounds (11), field goals (eight) and 3-pointers made (three). In the win Tinkle went 8-for-15 from the field, including an impressive 3-of-4 from behind the arc over 25 minutes of action. The line marked Tinkle's third 20-point performance and second double-double of the season.
Speed From The Second City
Saturday's win over Arizona helped break most of the Cardinal players out of recent shooting slumps, and one beneficiary of this was sophomore guard Toni Kokenis. A native of the Chicago suburbs, Stanford's Second City Sparkplug went 4-for-8 from the field, hitting a pair of 3-pointers and scoring 11 points in the contest. The Pac-12's assist-to-turnover leader lived up to her billing, passing out four assists to just one turnover and even made her presence felt on the defensive end, making five steals. Over both games last weekend, Kokenis was the Cardinal's spark in the hustle stats, passing out 10 assists and making eight steals total.
Charge Of The Frosh Brigade
The 91-51 win at Arizona featured a strong collective performance from Stanford's freshman class. Three of the Cardinal's four freshmen scored in the contest, led by point guard Amber Orrange's 10 points on 5-for-5 shooting. Taylor Greenfield hit a pair of treys for six points while Erica Payne bruised her way to six points and five rebounds over 14 minutes of action. Each of the four rookies played at least 14 minutes in the contest, earning valuable court time against a Pac-12 foe.
