Tonight at 7:00 PM PT on Pac-12 Bay Area and Varsity Network radio, Stanford women’s basketball will welcome the Portland Pilots to Maples Pavilion. Stanford comes in at 1-1 overall while Portland comes in at 2-0.
Last time out: On Sunday, Stanford fell to #25 Texas by a final score of 61-56 at Maples Pavilion. Stanford also got their national championship rings post-game. Lexie Hull was the top performer for Stanford with 16 points, 11 rebounds, and 2 steals while Texas freshman guard Rori Harmon led the Longhorns with 21 points and 5 rebounds. Stanford fell to #7 in the AP Poll as a result while Texas climbed to #12.
RECAP: #3 Stanford WBB falls to #25 Texas
On Portland: The Pilots are led by senior guard Haylee Andrews (12.5 points & 3.5 rebounds), junior forward Alex Fowler (11.5 points & 3.0 rebounds), and junior forward Lucy Cochrane (11.0 points & 12.0 rebounds). The three of them form a very nice trio that has the Pilots out to a solid 2-0 start.
Through two games against UC San Diego and Weber State, the Pilots are averaging 79.0 points per game on 45.0% shooting from the field, 19.4% shooting from 3-point range, and 79.5% shooting from the foul line. They’re averaging a +4.5 rebound margin, 18.5 assists, 15.5 steals, 5.0 blocks, and 18.5 turnovers per game. Their opponents are averaging 47.0 points per game on 28.0% shooting from the field, 5.0% shooting from 3-point range, and 60.0% shooting from the foul line.
Last season, the Pilots were a middle of the pack WCC team, going 14-13 overall and 9-8 in the WCC. They’ve been pretty dominant so far this season, but Stanford is obviously at a whole other level than the teams they’ve been playing so far this season.
Keys to the game: For Stanford, the first thing they have to do is shoot better from deep. Stanford shot 4-27 (14.8%) from deep against Texas. As we’ve seen so far this year through two games, the Pilots have done a great job at defending the perimeter, so it’s no slam dunk Stanford’s 3-point shooting automatically improves. Stanford will need to make sure they’re moving the ball better and creating open looks for each other.
Secondly, Stanford needs to keep Cochrane off the glass. If she has a big night inside on the boards, that could help Portland hang around. This is a game where Cameron Brink will really need to go to work and exert her will inside.
Finally, Stanford just needs to calm down and do what they do. They can’t let Sunday’s game rattle them. They have to put that in the rear view mirror and look forward. The only thing worse than losing to Texas would be to follow that up with another loss. Stanford has to come out sharp, focused, and win this game decisively.
Prediction: After losing to Texas, I do think that’s going to make Stanford all the more motivated and “ticked off” to quote Jaiden Delaire, who used that phrase to describe how the men’s team felt after the Santa Clara loss. I think Stanford comes out with a lot of energy, focus, and blows Portland out of the water by a final score of 80-40.
