On Friday at 7:00 PM PT on Pac-12 Bay Area and Varsity Network radio, #2 Stanford women’s basketball will take on the Washington State Cougars on the road in Pullman. Stanford comes in at 21-2 overall and 9-1 in the Pac-12 while Washington State comes in at 15-6 overall and 5-5 in the Pac-12.
Last time out: On Sunday, Stanford defeated Oregon 62-54. Cameron Brink had an historic triple-double with 16 points, 11 rebounds, and 10 blocks. 10 blocks being a program record. Brink was named Pac-12 WBB Player of the Week as a result while Stanford moved back up to #2 in the latest AP Top 25 Poll.
RECAP: #3 Stanford WBB defeats Oregon behind Brink triple-double
Cameron Brink named Pac-12 WBB Player of the Week: Jan. 30th
On Washington State: The Cougars did really well in the non-conference, going 10-1. In league, they’ve been playing .500 ball, keeping it close against some tough teams. They lost by five points at home against then-No. 11 Utah and squeaked out an 85-84 overtime victory over then-No.21/18 Oregon. Most recently they defeated then-No. 19/14 Arizona 70-59 in Tucson. They’ve shown they can compete with top teams and defeat them.
The Cougars are led by junior guard Charlisse Leger-Walker, who is averaging 19.2 points and 5.5 rebounds while senior center Bella Murekatete is averaging 13.8 points and 7.2 rebounds. The other Cougar scoring in double figures is sophomore guard Tara Wallack, who is averaging 10.3 points and 5.4 rebounds per game.
As a team, Washington State is averaging 70.0 points per game on 44.3% shooting from the field, 34.2% shooting from 3-point range, and 74.4% shooting from the foul line. They are averaging 37.0 rebounds, 15.5 assists, 8.0 steals, 4.7 blocks, and 15.3 turnovers per game. They also are averaging a +1.8 rebound margin and a +0.3 turnover margin per game. Their opponents average 61.0 points per game on 37.3% shooting from the field, 31.0% shooting from 3-point range, and 73.3% shooting from the foul line.
Keys to the game: For Stanford, the first thing they need to do is contain Leger-Walker. Leger-Walker is having a fantastic season for the Cougars and is a major reason why they’ve won the games that they’ve won. If Stanford can put the clamps on her, it’s going to be tough for the Cougars to generate enough offense.
Secondly, Stanford needs to keep feeding Brink. She’s on quite a roll and very few teams have an ability to stop her. If Stanford can get another big night from Brink, their odds of winning will be really good.
Finally, I’m going to go back to Hannah Jump. If I’m Washington State, the main thing I’m looking to do is contain Jump and not allow her to get going. That’s been a key part of opposing teams’ success in either beating Stanford or at least making things tough on them. If Jump gets going, Stanford is going to be really tough to stop. Stanford has to get her going.
Prediction: Washington State certainly has the pieces to pull off an upset, but I still have to pick Stanford in this one. They’re back to being #2 in the nation and don’t want to lose that spot anytime soon. Stanford 76 Washington State 64 is how I see this one ending.
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