On Sunday at 1:00 PM PT on Pac-12 Networks, #8 Stanford women’s basketball will take on the Washington Huskies at home. Stanford comes in at 13-1 overall and 2-0 in the Pac-12 while Washington comes in at 11-2 overall and 1-1 in the Pac-12.
Last time out: On Friday, Stanford defeated Washington State 74-65 at Maples Pavilion. Cameron Brink led the way for the Cardinal with 20 points, 18 rebounds, five blocks, and two steals.
RECAP: #8 Stanford WBB hangs on to beat Wazzu
On Washington: The Huskies had a strong non-conference season, going 10-1. Their only loss was to #19 Louisville on the road, falling by a final score of 51-59. They have received votes in the polls, on the edge of being ranked. In league play, they have a win at Washington State, who was ranked #21 at the time. However, they fell to Cal on the road in their most recent outing. Cal is actually pretty good this year, so that’s not a bad loss per se. But they still were expected to win that one.
The Huskies are led by sophomore guard Elle Ladine, who is averaging 13.0 points & 6.1 rebounds. She’s playing really well, doing a great job of leading this Huskies team. The other two players scoring in double figures on average are senior forward Lauren Schwartz (12.2 points) and junior forward Dalayah Daniels (11.1 points & 7.5 rebounds). With three players scoring in double figures, the Huskies have a good amount of scoring balance.
As a team, the Huskies average 68.3 points per game on 44.4% shooting from the field, 34.2% shooting from the 3-point range, and 66.7% shooting from the foul line. They average 41.2 rebounds, 13.8 assists, 7.8 steals, 4.3 blocks, and 13.8 turnovers per game. They also average a +11.4 rebound margin and a +0.7 turnover margin per game. Their opponents average 48.5 points per game on 33.5% shooting from the field, 22.8% shooting from 3-point range, and 63.5% shooting from the foul line.
Keys to the game: For Stanford, the first thing they need to do is win the battle on the glass. This is an oft repeated key to the game, but that’s going to be particularly critical in this game. Washington is used to owning their opponents inside. If Stanford wins the rebounding battle and does more inside, they’ll be in a great position to win the game. As a quick extension of the first key to the game, Stanford needs to contain Daniels inside. She had only four points against Cal on Friday. If Cameron Brink is able to shut her down, Stanford will be fine.
The second thing Stanford needs to do is test Washington’s perimeter defense. Teams have been daring Stanford to shoot from deep, especially Talana Lepolo. If Lepolo makes at least a couple of threes and then Hannah Jump catches fire a bit, they’ll be tough to stop.
Finally, Stanford needs to get to the foul line. If they are able to get to the foul line and make their foul shots, Washington won’t be able to catch up and stay in this game. Free throw shooting will be key in this one.
Prediction: I got Stanford winning by a final score of 80-65. I’m gonna say Washington makes it a bit of game, but Stanford will pull away late.
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