Dec. 30, 2011

Game #12

No. 4/4 Stanford Cardinal (10-1, 1-0 Pac-12)

- at -

UCLA Bruins (6-6, 1-0 Pac-12)

Saturday, Dec. 31, 2011 - 2 p.m. PT
John Wooden Center (2,000) - Los Angeles, Calif.
Series History: Stanford leads 49-22
Last Meeting: March 12, 2011 (Stanford 64, UCLA 55) - Los Angeles, Calif.
TV: None
Webcast: UCLA All-Access
Radio: 90.1 KZSU (P-x-P: Kevin Zhang)

Game Notes vs. UCLA

STANFORD, Calif. - Fourth-ranked Stanford closes out the first week of Pac-12 play Saturday afternoon with a 2 p.m. contest at UCLA. Saturday's contest will be webcast on UCLA's All-Access, and the contest will also be available on the airwaves at 90.1 KZSU with Kevin Zhang on the call and Rosalyn Gold-Onwude serving as analyst.

Last Time Out
The Cardinal won its Pac-12-record 58th straight game over a conference opponent Thursday night, defeating USC 61-53 at the Galen Center in Los Angeles. Despite an off night on the stat sheet, in which it shot just 37.9 percent from the field and 59.1 percent (13-for-22) from the line, the Cardinal gritted out a strong effort in the final minutes to hold off the Trojans. Each of the Ogwumike sisters posted a double-double, as Nnemkadi went for 19 points and 15 rebounds and Chiney scored 12 points with 13 boards. Guard Toni Kokenis kept the Cardinal afloat much of the way, going 7-for-16 from the field for 15 points while also making three steals on the defensive end.

Scouting UCLA
UCLA (5-5) snapped a four-game losing streak with a 60-55 home victory over California Thursday night. The Bruins, guided by first-year head coach Cori Close, are led on the court by the play of Rebekah Gardner (14.6 ppg, 5.8 rpg) and Markel Walker (13.2 ppg, 7.8 rpg).

All-Time Against UCLA Stanford leads the all-time series with USC by a 49-22 margin. The Cardinal is currently on an 11-game winning streak against the Bruins. The teams have met three times in each of the past four seasons, most recently last March as the Cardinal defeated the Bruins, 64-55, in the Pac-10 Tournament title game.

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 Dec. 29, Stanford ranks in the Pac-12's top three in: scoring (82.0 ppg - first), scoring margin (+22.9 - first), field goal percentage (47.2 - first), free-throw percentage (71.7 - first), assists (18.18 apg - first), assist-to-turnover ratio (1.36 - first), 3-point field-goal percentage defense (25.1 - second), rebounding (47.6 - second), rebounding margin (+14.8 - second), offensive rebounding (17.9 rpg - second), offensive rebound percentage (46.9 - second), 3-point field goal percentage (35.9 - third), 3-pointers per game (6.5 - third) and defensive rebounding (29.7 - tied for third).

Individually, Nnemkadi Ogwumike leads the conference with 23.5 points and 11.4 rebounds per game and Chiney Ogwumike is third with 9.5 rebounds per game. Nneka also ranks second in free-throw percentage (81.8) and fourth in field-goal percentage (61.3). Freshman Bonnie Samuelson is second in 3-point field goal percentage (47.1) while Toni Kokenis and Lindy La Rocque are 1-2 in the Pac-12 assist-to-turnover ratios of 2.64 and 2.50, respectively.

Kokenis Shines Brightest In Tinseltown
There's something about Los Angeles that brings out the best in sophomore guard Toni Kokenis. Although she hails from the Chicago suburb of Oak Brook, the Second City Sparkplug has lit up L.A., as seen in her 15-point, three-steal effort in Stanford's 61-53 win at USC Thursday. In five career games in Los Angeles, Kokenis is averaging 10.4 points, 1.20 assists and 1.60 steals per game while shooting 55.0 percent (22-for-40) from the field. The highlight of these Southern California-area performances for Kokenis was her big day in the Pac-10 Tournament title game at Staples Center last March. There, Kokenis scored 17 points on 7-of-9 shooting to lead the Cardinal back from a nine-point halftime deficit and to a 64-55 win.

Boards By Ogwumike
Thursday night's win at USC showcased once again the domination that the Ogwumike sisters, Nnemkadi and Chiney, hold on the boards. The sisters combined to grab 28 of Stanford's 44 rebounds, with Nneka leading the way with 15 and Chiney grabbing 13. Six of Nneka's boards also came on the offensive glass, tops for all players in the contest. Out of Stanford's first 11 contests, the one of the Ogwumikes has led the Cardinal in rebounds in nine of those. Junior forward Joslyn Tinkle led the Cardinal in rebounds in the remaining two games.

Grinding Out The Win
Stanford overcame an off-night on the court Thursday to grind out its 61-53 victory over a tough USC squad. Despite setting single-game lows to date this season in field goals made (22) and attempted (58), assists (11), blocks (one) and second-half points (28), and setting its second-lowest totals of the year in points scored (61), field-goal percentage (37.9) and first-half points (53), the Cardinal still showed it has the grit to still come out on top. Although senior Nnemkadi Ogwumike went an uncustomary 6-for-16 from the field, she still went hard to the rim, getting to the line where she went 7-for-8, and grabbed a game-high 15 rebounds. Lindy La Rocque, despite a 1-for-9 showing from the field, continued to keep the offense running with four assists and attacked the boards for three defensive rebounds, showing that the Cardinal has no problem getting its hands dirty in the pursuit of victory.

December Joy
Stanford brings a perfect 5-0 December record into Saturday's contest at UCLA, which is also the team's final game of this holiday month. A win Saturday would mark an undefeated month of December for the Cardinal, the team's first since pulling the feat two consecutive years in 2006-07 and 2007-08.

Basketball First, Bubbly Second
Saturday's game at UCLA also marks just the second time in program history that Stanford will play a game on New Year's Eve. The only other time that the Cardinal played on Dec. 31 was way back in the 1980-81 season. That day (Dec. 31, 1980), the Cardinal captured an 84-80 victory over Montclair State at Maples Pavilion to close out the old decade and ring in the new decade of legwarmers, acid-washed jeans, ALF and Molly Ringwald films.