On Saturday at 12:00 PM PT on Pac-12 Washington and Varsity Network radio, #2 Stanford women’s basketball will take on the Washington Huskies for Senior Day. Stanford comes in at 24-3 overall and 15-0 in the Pac-12 while Washington comes in at 7-14 overall and 2-11 in the Pac-12.
Last time out: On Thursday, Stanford defeated Washington State 61-54 despite being without senior guard Lexie Hull, who was out due to injury. Hull’s status for Saturday is to be determined. Stanford sophomore forward Cameron Brink led the way for the Cardinal with 16 points, 15 rebounds, and 4 blocks.
RECAP: #2 Stanford WBB fends off Wazzu
On Washington: It’s been a rough year for the Huskies as they have just two wins in league. However, those two wins have come in a row at home against Arizona State and then at Cal. Their two most recent games. So, they’re coming to Maples Pavilion on a two-game winning streak.
Junior forward Haley Van Dyke (11.4 points & 8.0 rebounds), senior center Nancy Mulkey (10.9 points & 6.0 rebounds), and sophomore forward Lauren Schwartz (10.0 points) are leading the way for this Huskies team. All three are providing nice scoring balance and are doing everything they can to keep their team afloat amid a rough season.
As a team, the Huskies average 56.4 points per game on 40.6% shooting from the field, 34.1% shooting from 3-point range, and 69.1% shooting from the foul line. They average 36.2 rebounds, 12.9 assists, 6.0 steals, 4.3 blocks, and 18.2 turnovers per game. They also average a +2.9 rebound margin and a -6.5 turnover margin per game.
Keys to the game: For Stanford, the first thing they need to do is play a strong first quarter. Washington is coming in with belief and Tara VanDerveer knows that. She mentioned multiple times on Thursday, including after the press conference was over, how Washington will be coming in with belief and nothing to lose. This is clearly a message that she is hammering into her team. The key to taking away a team’s belief is to snuff out any belief from the get-go. If Stanford can win the 1st quarter decisively, odds of a Washington victory will be close to zero.
The second thing Stanford needs to do is get some threes to fall. On Thursday, Stanford shot just 5-19 (26.3%) from 3-point range while Washington State shot 8-27 (29.6%). That’s a major reason why Wazzu was able to keep the game as close as they did. If Stanford can have a bounce back game from beyond the arc, they should win this game with little trouble. This is one area Lexie Hull will be able to help in if she’s available to play.
Finally, Stanford needs to take advantage of Washington’s turnovers. Washington turns the ball over. A lot. If Stanford can turn those turnovers into points while also taking care of the ball on their end, it should be smooth sailing for them.
Prediction: It’s Senior Day and Stanford is undefeated in Pac-12 play. That alone makes Stanford the favorites. On top of that, Washington is a pretty weak opponent overall, though I do want to give credit to them for improving down the stretch of the season. I see a decisive Stanford victory, but Washington not getting totally humiliated: Stanford 83 Washington 65.
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