Publication Date: Wednesday, December 24, 2003
Powell's injury turns into a double loss on the road
Powell's injury turns into a double loss on the road
(December 24, 2003) by Rick Eymer
This is not how Stanford women's basketball coach Tara VanDerveer pictured her team's trip to Texas: Nicole Powell, her face contorted in pain, lying on the ground with an injured left ankle.
VanDerveer had to like Stanford's resiliency though. The seventh-ranked Cardinal already faced a double-digit deficit before Powell left Sunday's 55-46 loss to fourth-ranked Texas Tech.
The Cardinal staged a remarkable comeback against one of the toughest defensive teams in the nation, pulling within two points of the Lady Raiders when Kelley Suminski made a layup with 10:32 remaining to play. Pinewood grad Sebnem Kimyacioglu made a 3-pointer 34 seconds previous to help in the 11-2 Stanford run in front of 14,674 fans in Lubbock.
Texas Tech, in the midst of a brilliant season, had too much for the Cardinal down the stretch though, leading by as many as 15 points in the final five minutes. The Lady Raiders (11-0) set a school record for most consecutive victories to start a season.
Stanford (7-2), meanwhile, dropped its ninth consecutive road game to a ranked opponent, and will try to regroup in time for Saturday's Pac-10 opener against visiting Oregon State at 2 p.m.
The Cardinal opened their trip to Texas with a 72-62 victory over Rice on Thursday.
The injury to Powell on Sunday, which occurred when Texas Tech's Casey Jackson stepped on the outside of Powell's left ankle with 6:18 to go in the first half while she was dribbling up the right side, overshadowed a solid effort from the rest of her teammates.
VanDerveer said Powell's foot was badly swollen but hopes the time off this week will allow it to heal in time for the Beavers, who come to Maples Pavilion with a 6-3 record, which includes a win over No. 19 Utah.
Oregon State, which hasn't played since Dec. 19, has won two in a row and four of its last five.
Texas Tech had Powell stymied in the first half. She had four turnovers, missed all three of her shots and was held scoreless for the first time in her collegiate career.
Still, her absence was felt.
"When you take away a player who scores 20 points a game, handles the ball and is one of your top defenders, it does change things," VanDerveer said. "But I thought we responded well."
Indeed, following their dependence on Powell against Tennessee, the Cardinal found themselves again having to rely on each other. Good things happened.
Freshman Kristen Newlin scored 14 points and grabbed 12 rebounds in her best game yet considering she was facing one of the nation's best teams. Kimyacioglu scored eight points for Stanford, coming on the heels of a 13-point effort in the win over Rice.
Kimyacioglu lay to rest her recent shooting troubles, and might have earned her way back into the starting lineup. Even if she doesn't start against Oregon State she'll be a significant part of the rotation.
Stanford, which has lost two of its last three games for the first time since March of 2001, also maintained a defensive presence against Texas Tech, limiting the Lady Raiders to their season low in points. Texas Tech has scored less than 74 points just twice all season, beating No. 20 UC Santa Barbara, 68-41, earlier in the year.
There are, however, some lingering questions concerning the Cardinal. While Stanford outrebounded the Lady Raiders, including a significant edge on the offensive boards, the Cardinal are still allowing opponents too many second chance points.
Texas Tech scored 14 second-chance points for the game. During their 15-2 run that led their 53-38 edge, the Lady Raiders forced five of Stanford's 22 turnovers and scored five points off turnovers.
The 46 points were the lowest total for Stanford since losing at Saint Joseph's, 59-41, on Dec. 12, 1999. In fact, Stanford has scored fewer than 50 points only four times since VanDerveer became the head coach in 1985. The other times were at UCLA (49 points in a loss on Feb. 7, 1987 and 43 points in a loss on Feb. 22, 1986).
The health of Powell was obviously a factor, as well as the health of both T'Nae Thiel and Azella Perryman, neither of whom are at full strength after sustaining foot injuries before the season began.
Chelsea Trotter, who continues to play with chronically painful knees, turned in another solid effort as well with 11 rebounds and seven points.
Against Rice, Stanford rallied from a halftime deficit to win as Powell scored all 16 of her points in the second half. She also had 13 rebounds.
"In the first half I was handling the ball a lot and they were putting a lot of pressure on me," said Powell, who was 0-for-6 in the first half, but 6-for-15 overall.
Trotter added 13 points and Susan Borchardt had 10.
Stanford, picked by both the conference coaches and media to win its fourth straight Pac-10 title, won't be at full strength when Oregon State gets to town but the Cardinal should remain a title contender as long as their key players can get healthy in a hurry.
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