With the regular season winding down, the No. 2 Cardinal can take a big step toward clinching its 10th consecutive Pac-10 title thi
s weekend, hosting the Oregon schools in its final home series of the conference schedule. The Cardinal will face Oregon (16-8, 7-5 Pac-10) tonight and Oregon State (9-14, 1-11) on Saturday.
Still undefeated in Pac-10 play, the Cardinal (23-1, 13-0) is coming off a dominant weekend in Washington, where it bested the Huskies 58-36 and routed the Cougars 98-67. Those victories put Stanford 3.5 games ahead of second-place UCLA with just five games remaining on the schedule, so a sweep this weekend would secure at least a share of the conference championship for Stanford.
Tonight’s opponents, the Ducks, should certainly make for a competitive contest. Oregon is currently on a four-game winning streak, and head coach Paul Westhead — in his first year with the squad — has molded them into the nation’s current No. 2 offensive team, averaging 85.3 points per game. Last time Stanford faced the Ducks, the Cardinal earned a solid victory, but still allowed a season-high point total, 100-80.
“I think it’s a great fit, with [Westhead’s] style and the players [they’ve] recruited,” said Stanford head coach Tara VanDerveer. “Their style fits their personnel, and they’re a very dangerous team because they’re never out of it, and they can shoot the ball so well. They have very good, fundamental individual players, plus they fit together really well and a lot of them have played together for a long time.”
Oregon’s explosive offense is headed up by Taylor Lilley (17.8 points per game, 3.29 assists per game), Micaela Cocks (15.2 ppg, 3.2 rebounds per game) and Amanda Johnson (13.1 ppg, 9.1 rpg). The trio has started in all 24 games this season, and over the last two weeks has led the team into a three-way tie for third place in the conference.
The Beavers haven’t fared quite as well as their in-state counterparts recently, struggling to a 1-11 record in the Pac-10 after playing a solid nonconference season. They managed to challenge the Cardinal in the teams’ last meeting, however, holding Stanford scoreless for long stretches in the first half and trailing just 29-27 at halftime. Stanford was able to rebound as the game wound down, eventually winning 63-47.
“They played that game with an intense tempo, and they are a very physical team,” VanDerveer said. “They’re not a big team, but they don’t beat themselves. They screen and box out and do a lot of the fundamental things, but they’re also not the offensive juggernaut that Oregon is.”
Junior guard Jeanette Pohlen, who played against the Beavers last month despite suffering an ankle injury against Washington the week before, thinks that Oregon State shouldn’t be underestimated.
“Oregon State’s a dangerous team . . . they’re young, they play hot, and Oregon State’s a tough place to play at, so hopefully we’ll come out a little tougher,” Pohlen said. “I don’t think we really showed them what we can do [last time], both offensively and defensively, so we’ll really try to take it to them this time.”
Pohlen has been a key contributor for the Cardinal recently, averaging 9.5 ppg in her last four outings. She’s been impressive with her accuracy, shooting 46.2 percent overall and a tremendous 43.8 percent from the perimeter. The Brea, Calif. native has averaged 30.7 minutes per game this season, second behind only junior forward Kayla Pedersen, and has been a staple of Stanford’s staunch defense this season.
“Jeanette is working really hard in practice, and watching a lot of videotape,” VanDerveer said. “I think she’s really taken ownership of improving, and she’s making better decisions and really playing smarter. She has great skills, and I think she’s just taking her time to play with a real purpose instead of just going out there and going up and down the court.”
While she acknowledges the recent improvement in her performance, Pohlen herself says that her offense hasn’t been a particular concern for her lately.
“I try not to focus so much on my offense, believe it or not,” she said. “Sometimes your offense will come when your defense comes, and I’ve been trying to focus on my defense a lot and just trying to let my offense come. A lot of it’s just shot selection too, taking a good shot when you’re open.”
Pohlen is not the only one hitting her stride recently, as freshman forward Joslyn Tinkle posted her first double-double of the season (12 points, 10 rebounds) against Washington State last weekend in just 17 minutes of play. The Missoula, Mont. native missed several games with a stress reaction in her foot earlier this season, but has played in 20 games since. She’s currently shooting 44.7 percent from the field.
“We’re really hoping and counting on her to give us that kind of production and come off the bench,” VanDerveer said. “I think she played about 17 minutes, and we need her to play more. We need her to rebound more and be more aggressive . . . I think Joslyn’s awesome and I’m glad she had that breakout game, and now we want it every game.”
Another Cardinal player heating up recently should certainly be familiar to even casual Stanford fans — senior center Jayne Appel. The reigning Pac-10 Player of the Year — who recently became Stanford’s all-time rebounding leader — averaged 21.5 points and 13.5 rebounds last weekend, and has shot 58.9 percent from the field over her last four games.
“I’m really excited about how aggressive Jayne is playing . . . She’s an All-American and she’s playing like an All-American,” VanDerveer said. “I just love her aggressiveness and how well she’s playing now, and we’re a contending team with her getting that done inside.”
While the possibility of a national championship is at the top of everyone’s mind as the postseason looms, it is also a somewhat bittersweet time of year for VanDerveer and the Cardinal faithful, as Appel and fellow senior Rosalyn Gold-Onwude play some of their last games at Maples Pavilion. The graduating class will be honored during Saturday’s game, when Stanford holds its annual Senior Day.
“It’s hard,” VanDerveer said of seeing her seniors near the end of their careers. “It goes really fast. And with someone like Ros, being a fifth-year senior, even that goes so quickly. Sometimes I just want to stop some of our freshmen and say, you know, ‘feel a sense of urgency,’ because you want them to get after it in every practice and every game [like the seniors do.]”
Stanford will kick off its final regular season homestand tonight at 7 p.m. against the Ducks. The action at Maples Pavilion will continue on Saturday night against the Beavers, with tipoff scheduled for 7 p.m.