Nov. 27, 2012
Game #7
No. 1/1 Stanford Cardinal (6-0)
- at -
UC Davis (2-2)
Friday, Nov. 30, 2012 - 7 p.m. PT
The Pavilion (7,000) - Davis, Calif.
Series History: Tied 7-7
Last Meeting: Nov. 30, 2011 (Stanford 93, UC Davis 44) - Stanford, Calif.
TV: None
Webcast: http://www.bigwest.tv
Radio: http://kzsulive.stanford.edu - KZSU-3 (P-x-P: Joe Lami)
Game Notes vs. UC Davis 
STANFORD, Calif. - Top-ranked Stanford spends the weekend on the road for the second time in three weeks as it opens things up Friday night at UC Davis for a 7 p.m. tip. The Cardinal will then make the first of two regular-season trips to Spokane, this one to face Gonzaga Sunday at 2 p.m. Friday's contest in Davis will be streamed live at http://www.bigwest.tv and broadcast on the Internet at http://kzsulive.stanford.edu (KZSU-3) with Joe Lami on the call.
Last Time Out
The Cardinal, playing as the No. 1 team in the nation for the first time since 2005, cruised to a 77-41 win over Long Beach State that extended its national-best home winning streak to 81 games. Joslyn Tinkle led all players with 18 points on 8-for-12 shooting while point guard Amber Orrange again threatened a triple-double, finishing with 13 points, nine assists and seven rebounds. Preseason national player of the year candidate Chiney Ogwumike posted a 16-point, 11-rebound double-double while Taylor Greenfield went 3-for-5 from behind the arc in an 11-point effort. The Cardinal used a 26-4 run spanning 7:46 in the first half to break open a 10-7 game and take control of the contest. Stanford would end up setting a season high in first-half scoring as it took a 49-20 halftime lead over the 49ers.
About UC Davis
UC Davis (2-2) bounced back from two straight losses to open the season with wins over Navy and host Houston Baptist at the Houston Baptist Husky Classic this past weekend. Sydnee Fipps averaged 21.0 points over the two wins and is now averaging 21.8 points per game and shooting 55.1 percent this season. Fellow guard Cortney French saw her first action of the season in Houston, averaging 19.5 points and shooting 54.2 percent in Houston.
Against UC Davis
Stanford and UC Davis are tied at 7-7 in the all-time series, although the Cardinal has captured the past six meetings. Friday will mark the sixth meeting of the schools since the 2007-08 season. The Cardinal and Aggies had met nine times from 1974-79 before going 28 years before crossing paths once again on Dec. 2, 2007.
Stanford In The National Polls
Stanford checked in at No. 1 in both the Associated Press and USA Today Coaches' Polls for the second straight week. The Cardinal earned 21 of 39 first-place votes in the AP Poll and 21 of 31 in the Coaches Poll.
In The Pac-12 Statistics
Through Nov. 25, Stanford ranked in the top three of 10 statistical categories amongst Pac-12 schools: field-goal percentage (52.6 - first), assist-to-turnover ratio (1.44 - first), scoring (78.8 ppg - second), scoring margin (+22.7 - second), 3-point field-goal percentage (34.1 - third), free-throw percentage (68.8 - third), 3-point field-goal percentage defense (24.5 - third), assists (15.17 apg - third), rebound margin (+10.5) and defensive rebound percentage (71.4 - third). Individually, Chiney Ogwumike leads the conference in scoring (19.8 ppg), is second in rebounding (12.0 rpg) and fourth in field-goal percentage (64.9). Senior forward Joslyn Tinkle is fourth with 18.2 points per game and sixth with a 63.9 shooting percentage. Amber Orrange is third with 6.17 assists per game and a 3.08 assist-to-turnover ratio, and Toni Kokenis is second with a 92.3 free-throw percentage.
In the National Statistics
The NCAA released the first set of national statistical rankings Monday, and Stanford ranks in the Top 20 of five categories: turnovers per game (10.5 - first), field-goal percentage (52.6 - second), assist-to-turnover ratio (1.44 - third), scoring (78.8 ppg - 17th) and scoring margin (+22.5 - 18th). Individually, Chiney Ogwumike is 15th in the nation in rebounding (11.7 rpg) and field-goal percentage (64.9) while Joslyn Tinkle is 17th in field-goal percentage (64.4).
Sister vs. Sister Highlights Weekend Slate
There will be some sibling rivalry on the hardwood this Sunday at Gonzaga as the Tinkle sisters, Joslyn and Elle, face off from opposite sides of the court. Joslyn, Stanford's senior forward, is enjoying a career year in 2012-13, averaging 18.2 points and 5.2 rebounds per game while shooting 64.4 percent from the field. Younger sister Elle, in her rookie campaign with Gonzaga, has seen action in all seven of the team's games, averaging 4.6 points over 8.7 minutes per game. Both graduates of Big Sky High School in Missoula, Mont., the Tinkles will have a healthy cheering section of family and friends at The Kennel.
Familiar Foes
The Cardinal has seen each of its weekend opponents, UC Davis and Gonzaga, multiple times over the past five seasons. After playing the Aggies nine times between 1974-79, the series took a 28-year hiatus until a regular-season meeting on Dec. 2, 2007 that was won 62-41 by the Cardinal. Since that game, the Cardinal and Aggies have met each of the next four years, including an NCAA Tournament First Round game in 2011, won 86-59 by Stanford.
Stanford and Gonzaga had not met until the 2009-10 season, when the Cardinal defeated the Bulldogs, 105-74, at Maples Pavilion. Since then, the teams have met thrice more, including a 2011 NCAA Tournament Spokane Regional contest, won 83-60 by Stanford. The teams have met once at The Kennel in Spokane, with Stanford escaping with an 84-78 win on Nov. 21, 2010.
Going For An Unbeaten November
Friday's contest at UC Davis provides an opportunity for the Cardinal to complete an undefeated month of November for just the fourth time in the past nine seasons. Stanford went undefeated in November of the 2004-05, 2009-10 and 2010-11 seasons and already this year is 6-0 in the campaign's first month. A win Friday over the Aggies would give the Cardinal seven wins in for the month, matching the program record for November previously set in 2001-02.
Coming Up On The Finals Break
This weekend also marks the Cardinal's last action before its annual two-week break for final exams. Stanford has gone into the break on a winning note in each of the past six seasons, with the last pre-finals loss coming on Dec. 4, 2005, a 74-67 home loss to No. 2/1 Tennessee. This year's last game before finals against Gonzaga is the second for Stanford against the Zags, as the schools met Nov. 29, 2009 at Maples Pavilion with the Cardinal running to a 105-74 win.
Ogwumike Posts Another Double-Double
Consensus national player of the year candidate and preseason All-American Chiney Ogwumike posted her fourth double-double of the young season Sunday, going for 16 points and 11 rebounds in the 77-41 win over Long Beach State. The performance continued a dream start to the season for Ogwumike, who last week was named espnW's inaugural National Player of the Week after earning MVP honors at the Jack in the Box Rainbow Wahine Classic. During that tournament the Cypress, Texas native scored 18 points with eight rebounds in Stanford's 71-69 victory over then-No. 1/1 Baylor on Nov. 16. Through the season's first six games, Ogwumike is averaging 19.8 points and 11.7 rebounds per game and shooting 64.9 percent from the field.
Flirting With The Triple-Double
Freshman point guard Amber Orrange flirted with a triple-double for the second straight game Sunday against Long Beach State, finishing the contest with 13 points, nine assists and seven rebounds. The speedy Houston, Texas native posted that effort a week after going for 12 points, 10 assists and seven rebounds in Nov. 18's Rainbow Wahine Classic against Tennessee-Martin. While there hasn't been a Stanford triple-double since Nicole Powell pulled the feat on March 18, 2002, Orrange has teased her ability to be a force whether shooting, passing ro chasing down loose rebounds. On the year, the rising star is third on the team with 13.0 points per game while passing out 6.17 assists per game and boasting a Pac-12-leading 3.08 assist-to-turnover ratio.
Stanford's Inside-Outside Threat
Senior forward Joslyn Tinkle has become Stanford's top inside-outside threat so far this year, shooting 64.4 percent from the field overall while also hitting 42.1 percent (8-for-19) of her 3-point attempts. Sunday against Long Beach State, the Missoula, Mont. native scored a game-high 18 points on 8-of-12 shooting which included a 2-for-5 showing from behind the arc. She also grabbed seven rebounds with a blocked shot to bolster her numbers. So far, Tinkle's offensive production has brought her career scoring total to 777 points, putting her well on pace to become Stanford's 34th member of the 1,000-Point Club by the end of the season.
Someone's Gotta Do The Dirty Work
And that someone is redshirt junior forward Mikaela Ruef, who has bullied her way into the Cardinal starting lineup with her dogged rebounding and aggressive defense. After having her 2011-12 season curtailed after three games last November due to foot issues, Ruef has come back strong in 2012-13, bringing a selfless, do-anything attitude to the lineup. The Beavercreek, Ohio native made her first collegiate start Nov. 16 against Baylor and didn't disappoint, grabbing a game-high 12 rebounds and helping provide the defense that got Stanford out to a key halftime lead by holding Baylor's Brittney Griner to just four points at halftime. Since that game Ruef has stuck in the starting five and is second on the team with 5.5 rebounds per game and 14 assists.
