On Friday at 6:00 PM PT on WCC Network and Varsity Network radio, #2 Stanford women’s basketball will head to Stockton to battle the Pacific Tigers. Stanford comes in at 2-0 overall while Pacific comes in at 1-0.
Last time out: On Wednesday, Stanford blew the doors off Cal State Northridge 104-40. Stanford freshman center Lauren Betts scored 18 points off the bench while also adding 6 rebounds and 3 blocks.
RECAP: #2 Stanford WBB dominates CSUN
On Pacific: The Tigers are led by sophomore guard Anaya James, who scored 21 points on 9-10 shooting from the field and 3-4 shooting from 3-point range in their regular season opening victory over UC Riverside (83-61). Junior guard Liz Smith (12 points) and sophomore center Elizabeth Elliott (10 points) scored in double figures as well.
The Tigers are coming off a rough season in which they went 6-23 overall and 3-14 in the WCC but considering how they did against UC Riverside in their opener, it’s possible that they have turned a new leaf and will have an improved season. They’ll certainly be fired up to welcome the number two team in the nation to their home court.
Keys to the game: For Stanford, the first thing they need to do is take advantage of their size. Betts really went to work in the last game, taking advantage of being 6’7”. And Betts isn’t their only player with height. Stanford has five players who are 6’3” or taller including Betts, so they have plenty of size at their disposal. That’s going to be a strength of theirs all season long, but especially against these smaller mid majors.
The second thing Stanford needs to do is just play a clean game. Avoid silly fouls, take care of the ball, and take good shots. They’re going to win this game, so it’s all about building the right habits and playing the right way so that they are in a nice groove come the games that are really going to matter.
Finally, Stanford needs to find the hot hand. Every night, it feels like it’s a different player who gets hot. The key is finding who has the hot hand and letting them keep rolling. Last time it was Lauren Betts and Hannah Jump (17 points). Tonight it could be someone different.
Prediction: I got Stanford winning with ease. Given it’s on the road, Pacific might play a little tighter, but it will still be an easy victory. Stanford 98 Pacific 48 is how I see this one going.
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