Feb. 14, 2012

Game #24

No. 3/3 Stanford Cardinal (22-1, 13-0 Pac-12)

- at -

Oregon State Beavers (17-7, 8-5 Pac-12)

Thursday, Feb. 16, 2012 - 7 p.m. PT
Gill Coliseum (10,400) - Corvallis, Ore.
Series History: Stanford leads 48-6
Last Meeting: Jan. 7, 2011 (Stanford 67, Oregon State 60) - Stanford, Calif.
TV: None
Webcast: Oregon State All-Access
Radio: 90.1 KZSU (P-x-P: Sam Fisher)

Game Notes vs. Oregon State

Oregon State Game Notes

STANFORD, Calif. - Third-ranked Stanford takes on the Pac-12's next-hottest squad Thursday night, traveling to Corvallis to battle Oregon State in a 7 p.m. contest. The Cardinal, which clinched a bye in the Pac-12 Tournament with Sunday's win over UCLA, can lock up its 12th straight conference title with a sweep of Oregon State and Oregon this weekend. Thursday's game will also be webcast on Oregon State's All-Access and broadcast on 90.1 KZSU with Sam Fisher and on the call.

Last Time Out
The Cardinal clinched a bye into the quarterfinals of the Pac-12 Tournament and captured its 70th straight game against Pac-12 competition with Sunday's 82-59 win over UCLA at Maples Pavilion. National player of the year candidate Nnemkadi Ogwumike took over with 25 points and eight rebounds in the victory, while fellow midseason candidate and younger sister Chiney Ogwumike netted 19 points and went 7-for-7 from the field. Junior forward Joslyn Tinkle scored 10 points and grabbed a game-high nine rebounds, while on the perimeter Toni Kokenis scored 12 points and freshman Taylor Greenfield scored eight. As a team, Stanford shot a season-high 59.6 percent (28-for-47) in the win while passing out 19 assists.

Scouting Oregon State
Oregon State (17-7, 8-5 Pac-12) enters Thursday's game on a six-game winning streak that has shot them into third place in the Pac-12 standings and into the conversation for an at-large berth into the NCAA Tournament. Second-year head coach Scott Rueck has rebuilt a Beaver program that went 2-16 in conference play a year ago into a squad currently led by Ali Gibson (12.5 ppg, 4.0 rpg) and Earlysia Marchbanks (12.0 ppg, 7.0 rpg).

All-Time Against Oregon State
Stanford leads the overall series against Oregon State, 48-6, and has won 24 in a row against the Beavers, most recently a 67-60 home win back on Jan. 7.

Stanford In The Polls
Stanford rose to No. 3 in both the Associated Press and ESPN/USA Today Coaches' Polls this week.

In The Pac-12 Statistical Rankings
Through games of Feb. 12, Stanford ranks in the Pac-12's top three in: scoring (78.2 ppg - first), scoring margin (+21.8 - first), field goal percentage (46.0 - first), 3-point field-goal percentage defense (24.2 - first), defensive rebounding (29.9 - first), assists (17.39 apg - first), assist-to-turnover ratio (1.34 - first), field-goal percentage defense (34.4 - second), free-throw percentage (72.8 - second), rebounding (45.9 - second), rebounding defense (33.3 - second), rebounding margin (+12.6 - second), offensive rebounding (16.0 rpg - second), offensive rebound percentage (42.9 - second), defensive rebound percentage (71.3 - second), scoring defense (56.4 - third).

Individually, Nnemkadi Ogwumike leads the conference with 22.1 points and an 81.5 free-throw percentage, and is second with 10.8 rebounds per game. Chiney Ogwumike leads the conference with a 60.9 field-goal percentage and is third with 16.3 points and 10.5 rebounds a game. Toni Kokenis (2.44) leads the conference in assist-to-turnover ratio and is sixth with 3.61 assists per game, while Taylor Greenfield (38.8) leds the Pac-12 in 3-point field-goal percentage.

In The National Statistical Rankings
Through games of Feb. 12, Stanford ranks in the national top 20 in: assist-to-turnover ratio (1.34 - fourth), rebounding margin (+12.6 - fifth), 3-point field-goal defense (24.2 - fifth), scoring (78.2 - sixth), scoring margin (+21.8 - sixth), turnovers per game (13.0 - sixth), field-goal percentage (46.0 - ninth), assists (17.39 - 10th), field-goal percentage defense (34.4 - 16th) and personal fouls per game (13.7 - T-20th).

Individually, Nnemkadi Ogwumike is ninth in the country with 22.1 points a game and 14th with 10.8 rebounds per game. She is also 20th with a 53.4 field-goal percentage. Chiney Ogwumike is third with her 60.7 field-goal percentage and 18th with 10.5 rebounds a game, while Toni Kokenis (2.44) is seventh in assist-to-turnover ratio.

Stanford Clinches First-Round Bye
Sunday's 82-59 win over UCLA clinched a first-round bye at the Pac-12 Tournament for Stanford. With 12 teams participating in the draw, the new format awards byes to the top four regular-season teams. By defeating UCLA Sunday, Stanford stretched its lead in the standings to six games with five to play over the fourth-place team, USC, clinching a top-three seed. Now all that's left for Stanford to determine is its final seed, as the Cardinal leads the conference by four games over second-place California.

12th Straight Title Can Be Clinched This Weekend
With a bye into the Pac-12 Tournament quarterfinals already in the bag, Stanford can no set its sights on clinching something else this weekend: the first Pac-12 regular-season title and its 12th consecutive conference crown outright. A win Thursday at Oregon State clinches the Cardinal a share of the Pac-12 title, and a second win Saturday at Oregon would clinch it outright. However, the title can be clinched outright Thursday night if Stanford beats Oregon State combined with a California loss at Oregon.

VanDerveer Approaching Win No. 700 At Stanford
Heading into this weekend's trip to Oregon, head coach Tara VanDerveer is four games away from reaching the 700-win mark while at the Stanford helm. Once she wins that 700th game as Stanford's head coach, VanDerveer will become the seventh Division I head coach to win 700 games with one school, joining Pat Summitt (Tennessee, 1975-Present), Jody Conradt (Texas, 1977-2007), Andy Landers (Georgia, 1980-Present), Geno Auriemma (Connecticut, 1986-Present), Robin Selvig (Montana, 1979-Present) and Debbie Ryan (Virginia, 1978-2011).

Can't-Miss Chiney
Chiney Ogwumike kept her All-America campaign in full gear last weekend with solid efforts in the SoCal sweep. The sophomore forward averaged 20.0 points and 7.0 rebounds over the two wins, and shot an incredible 87.5 percent (14-for-16) from the field. That shooting figure included a perfect 7-for-7 outing in Sunday's 82-59 win over UCLA. Three nights prior, she posted her 12th double-double of the season with 21 points and a game-high 12 rebounds in the 69-52 win over USC. Making her presence felt on the defensive end, Chiney blocked eight shots over the two games, including a career-high six Thursday against the Trojans.

Nneka Makes Her Case For National Player Of The Year
Senior forward Nnemkadi Ogwumike continued her own national player of the year and All-America campaign last weekend, averaging 23.5 points and 8.0 rebounds over Stanford's wins. With Chiney Ogwumike and Toni Kokenis missing time in foul trouble against UCLA Sunday, Nneka stepped up with 25 points and eight rebounds in the win. The senior forward, who has been named Pac-12 Player of the Week three times this year, leads the Pac-12 in scoring (22.1 ppg) and free-throw percentage (80.8) while ranking second in rebounding (10.8 rpg). She also ranks in the national top 20 in scoring (ninth), rebounding (14th) and field-goal percentage (T-20th).

Tinkle Bounces Back
After scoring just four points with zero rebounds Thursday against USC, junior forward Joslyn Tinkle needed a pick-me-up performance Sunday against UCLA, and she got it. The Missoula, Mont. native battered and bruised her way to 10 points and nine rebounds against the Bruins, while also going 3-for-5 from the field. On the year, Tinkle is fourth on the team with 7.7 points per game and third with 5.1 rebounds a game.

The Second City Sparkplug Shines Against Los Angeles
Sophomore point guard Toni Kokenis, a native of the Chicago suburb of Oak Brook, Ill., has saved some of her best career efforts for the Los Angeles-based schools of the Pac-12. This weekend was no different, as Kokenis averaged 13.5 points, 4.0 rebounds and 3.00 assists while shooting 52.9 percent (9-for-17) over the wins against USC and UCLA. Her six assists against just three turnovers over the weekend contributed to her Pac-12-leading 2.44 assist-to-turnover ratio, a figure that also ranks seventh in the nation. This season, Kokenis has broken out with 10.2 points and 3.61 assists per game, and is making a strong case for making her first career All-Pac-12 Team.

Rookie Power
Members of Stanford's freshman class made significant contributions to Stanford's weekend sweep of USC and UCLA. Small forward Taylor Greenfield hit three treys over the weekend and scored eight points in Sunday's 82-59 win over UCLA. Against the Bruins, Greenfield went 3-for-5 from the field and 2-for-4 from behind the arc in addition to grabbing a pair of rebounds. Point guard Amber Orrange, making her ninth straight start Sunday, scored four points with four rebounds and three assists over 28 minutes, a performance praised in the postgame locker room by head coach Tara VanDerveer. Also on Sunday, forward Erica Payne was called upon while Chiney Ogwumike struggled with foul trouble. Payne responded by grabbing an offensive rebound and scoring on the put back, then getting to the line where she made both free throws to make for a four-point effort.

After The New Year, It's All About Winning
Sunday's win over USC extended Stanford's February winning streak to 41 games. The last time Stanford lost in February was on Feb. 4, 2007, when California defeated the Cardinal, 72-57. Also, with Jan. 28's 74-71 overtime win against California, Stanford completed an undefeated month of January for the third straight season. The last time the Cardinal lost a game in January was back on Jan. 18, 2009, when the Cardinal lost 57-54 to the Golden Bears in Berkeley. Since that loss, Stanford has now won 28 straight games in January.