Feb. 23, 2013
Game #28
No. 4/5 Stanford Cardinal (25-2, 14-1 Pac-12)
- vs. -
Oregon Ducks (4-23, 2-13 Pac-12)
Sunday, Feb. 24, 2013 - 4 p.m. PT
Maples Pavilion (7,233) - Stanford, Calif.
Series History: Stanford leads 46-8
Last Meeting: Feb. 1, 2013 (Stanford 86, Oregon 62) - Eugene, Ore.
TV: Pac-12 Network (P-x-P: Jim Watson, Analyst: Rosalyn Gold-Onwude)
Webcast: None
Radio: 90.1 KZSU (P-x-P: Preston Chin, Ashley Westhem)
Game Notes vs. Oregon 
STANFORD, Calif. - No. 4/5 Stanford honors Joslyn Tinkle and Mikaela Ruef on Senior Day Sunday afternoon as it hosts the Oregon Ducks for a 4 p.m. tip. Sunday's contest will be televised on the Pac-12 Network with Jim Watson and Rosalyn Gold-Onwude on the call, and on the radio at 90.1 KZSU and ,a href="http://kzsulive.stanford.edu">http://kzsulive.stanford.edu with Preston Chin and Ashley Westhem calling the action.
Last Time Out
Joslyn Tinkle with 11 points became Stanford's 34th member of the 1,000-Point Club to highlight Friday ngiht's 90-53 victory over Oregon State. The Missoula, Mont. native was one of four Cardinal players to score in double figures along with Chiney Ogwumike who had 19, Taylor Greenfield who matched a career-high with 18 points and the 15-point performance of Amber Orrange. Ogwumike posted her Stanford career record-tying 51st double-double as she added 12 rebounds to her line, while Greenfield went 4-of-5 from 3-point range. Greenfield and Orrange each went 7-of-9 from the field as Stanford shot 48.5 percent from the field (32-for-66). The Cardinal matched its season high with 10 3-pointers, led by Greenfield's four, and out-rebounded the Beavers by a 46-34 margin. Forward Mikaela Ruef also posted another strong line, grabbing 10 rebounds with six points and a career-high six assists.
About Oregon
Oregon (4-23, 2-13 Pac-12) fell 77-55 at California Friday night, less than a week after garnering its second win of the conference season, a 65-60 win over Washington State on Feb. 17. With Paul Westhead in his fourth year at the Oregon helm, the Ducks are led by the play of Jillian Alleyne (13.2 ppg, 12.0 rpg) and Ariel Thomas (10.8 ppg, 4.8 rpg).
Against Oregon
Stanford leads the all-time series with Oregon, 46-8, and is on a 16-game winning streak against the Ducks. The Cardinal defeated the Ducks 86-62 in Eugene on Feb. 1 in the first meeting between the teams this season.
Stanford In The National Polls
Stanford remained at No. 4 in this week's Associated Press Poll and at No. 5 in the USA Today Sports Coaches' Poll.
In The Pac-12 Statistics
Through Feb. 22, Stanford ranked in the top three of 13 statistical categories amongst Pac-12 schools: scoring defense (52.6 ppg - first), scoring margin (+18.7 - first), field-goal percentage (46.3 - first), field-goal percentage defense (32.6 - first), 3-point field-goal percentage defense (24.2 - first), free-throw percentage (72.6 - first), assist-to-turnover ratio (1.18 - first), scoring offense (71.3 ppg - second), rebounding defense (33.6 rpg - second), assists (14.22 apg - second), blocked shots (4.85 bpg - second), defensive rebounds (29.5 drpg - second), 3-point field-goal percentage (32.3 - third), rebounding margin (+8.4 - third) and defensive rebound percentage (70.2 - third). Individually, Chiney Ogwumike leads the conference in scoring (22.5 ppg), rebounding (12.3 rpg), field-goal percentage (58.1) and double-doubles (21), is second with a 80.1 free-throw percentage and fourth with 1.59 blocks per game. Senior forward Joslyn Tinkle leads the conference with 1.85 blocks per game, is seventh with a 49.5 field-goal percentage and fifth with a 3-point field-goal percentage of 34.9. Amber Orrange is second in the Pac-12 with a 1.63 assist-to-turnover ratio and fourth with 4.33 assists per game.
Tinkle And Ruef To Be Honored As Part Of Sunday's Senior Day
Sunday's contest against Oregon serves as Stanford's "Senior Day" in which the Cardinal will honor its Class of 2013 members Joslyn Tinkle and Mikaela Ruef. The Cardinal's "Super Friends" who came to The Farm in summer 2009 will play their final regular-season game together at Maples Sunday, but they'll get a reprieve on their final game together as Stanford hosts NCAA Tournament First- and Second-Round games March 24 and 26. For Ruef, it may not even be her final game at Maples, as she has a fifth year of eligibility remaining should she be able to return for 2013-14.
Tinkle Joins All-Time Elite In The 1,000-Point Club
Friday night against Oregon State senior Joslyn Tinkle took a pass in transition, muscled her way inside at the angle and went off glass for the bucket that vaulted her into Stanford's 1,000-Point Club. Tinkle, who became Stanford's 34th member of the club, ended the night with 11 points, bringing her career haul to 1,007. The special moment is just one part of the Missoula, Mont. native's career year in 2012-13 in which she is averaging career highs of 12.6 points, 6.1 rebounds and 1.85 blocks. She tops the Pac-12 in blocks, marking herself as one of the top post defenders in the conference, and has made a career-best 30 3-pointers, sitting fifth in the conference at a 34.9 rate.
Ruef Having A Career Year Of Her Own
Mikaela Ruef, in her fourth year at Stanford is enjoying a career year herself, setting herself apart with her dogged defense and rebounding. Starting 20 of the 27 games in which she has appeared, Ruef is averaging a career-best 6.3 rebounds a game and has pulled down double-digit rebounds in six games this season, a figure second only to Chiney Ogwumike. She has even begun asserting herself as an offensive option for the Cardinal, shooting 54.8 percent (17-for-31) and averaging 8.5 points over Stanford's past five games. Always a keen passer, Ruef has further benefitted the Cardinal attack by passing out a career-high 54 assists, second-best on the team, including 16 over this recent five-game stretch (3.20 per game).
Ogwumike Matches Career Double-Doubles Record
Consensus national player of the year candidate Chiney Ogwumike continued her tear through the 2012-13 season in Friday night's win over Oregon State, scoring 19 points with 12 rebounds for her 21st double-double of the season. The double-double was the 51st of her career, tying her with older sister Nnemkadi Ogwumike (2008-12) for Stanford career lead. Chiney's 21 double-doubles also increases what is already Stanford's single-season double-doubles record, as she eclipsed the previous mark of 19, which she shared with Nnemkadi in 2011-12, Feb. 15 with 26 points and 15 rebounds at USC. Chiney's stellar outings this season have made her one of the leading candidates for national player of the year honors, as she is the only player in the country to rank in the nation's top 10 in scoring (22.5 ppg), rebounding (12.3 rpg), field-goal percentage (58.1) and double-doubles (21). With 608 points, 22.5 points per game and 331 rebounds through Feb. 22, Chiney is also on pace to eclipse Nnemkadi's Stanford single-season records for points (809), scoring average (22.5 ppg) and rebounds (376) this season.
Ogwumike Thrives Against Top-25 Competition
Feb. 17's 68-57 win at No. 15/16 UCLA was the 10th of the season for Stanford against a Top-25 team. So far this season, the Cardinal is 8-2 in those games thanks in part to the performance of Chiney Ogwumike, who is making the best case for national player of the year honors. The junior forward, who is the only player in the nation ranked in the NCAA's top six in scoring, rebounding, field-goal percentage and double-doubles entering this week, has turned up her performance over this season's 10 games against Top-25 teams, averaging 21.3 points and 11.3 rebounds while shooting 53.5 percent.
Greenfield Bounces Back
Sophomore Taylor Greenfield gave Cardinal fans reason to cheer Friday night, going 7-for-9 from the field, including 4-for-5 from behind the arc as she matched her career high with 18 points against Oregon State. The performance was Greenfield's best since early December, when she hit six 3-pointers for 18 points at Gonzaga on Dec. 2. After scoring in double-digits three times and hitting 17 3-pointers over the first eight games of this season, the Huxley, Iowa native had suffered through a cruel cold spell, hitting just three triples over the next 18 games. Friday night's barrage from Greenfield has her and the Cardinal confident that it is the start of a strong end-of-season push for the 2012 Pac-12 All-Freshman Team honorable mention.
Opponents Hurting Themselves With Fouls
Over the past three games Stanford has been taking full advantage of its opponents' fouls by cashing in on free points at the line. Over this short span, the Cardinal did an exceptional job of hitting its free throws, going a combined 53-for-63 (84.1 percent) in wins over USC, UCLA and Oregon State. The uptick in accuracy from the charity stripe has pumped up Stanford's Pac-12-leading percentage from the stripe to 72.6 percent, with Chiney Ogwumike, who hit a career-high 11 free throws Friday against Oregon State, leading the Cardinal at 80.1 percent.
Keep February Unblemished
In the month dedicated to Valentine's Day and other things related to love, what Stanford loves in February is winning. Friday night's 90-53 win over Oregon State brought the Cardinal's winning streak in the month of February to 53 games. The last time Stanford lost a game in February was a 72-57 loss to California on Feb. 4, 2007.
Pac-12 Tournament Seeding Outlook
Stanford clinched a first-round bye at the Pac-12 Tournament with Feb. 17's 68-57 win at UCLA and Friday's win over Oregon State clinched at least a top-three seed. At the event, set to be held at Seattle's Key Arena from March 7-10, the top four teams on the Pac-12 table earn byes into March 8's quarterfinal round, and after Friday's wins both Stanford and California are tied atop the table with matching 14-1 records.
Should Stanford and California each win out over the final two weekends and finish tied atop the Pac-12 table at 17-1, Stanford would earn the tournament's No. 1 seed based on its higher overall winning percentage.
