Publication Date: Wednesday, January 21, 2004
Stanford women rise to No. 6 nationally, but roadblocks ahead
Stanford women rise to No. 6 nationally, but roadblocks ahead
(January 21, 2004) Cardinal put Pac-10 Conference basketball lead on the line this week with testy road games at UCLA and USC
by Rick Eymer
Even with such a small margin for error, the Stanford women's basketball team can start setting itself apart from the rest of the Pac-10 Conference with a successful trip to Los Angeles this weekend.
The sixth-ranked Cardinal (7-0, 14-2) already has overcome two major hurdles as the conference race enters its halfway point. Stanford, which has won 23 consecutive home games in Pac-10 play, has pinned a loss on Arizona, and won at Washington.
Stanford's latest triumph, a 63-53 victory over host California on Friday night, may help the Cardinal overcome last year's problems on the road.
The Cardinal have won 43 of their past 46 conference games, and all three of those losses were on the road last season. Stanford has already avenged its loss to the Huskies and can earn some payback against USC on Sunday at 2 p.m.
The Women of Troy (5-2, 8-7) are a talented group led by senior center Ebony Hoffman and former Menlo School standout Rometra Craig, and are particularly dangerous at the Los Angeles Sports Arena. That's where they beat Stanford, 75-72, last year.
The Cardinal can't overlook Friday's game at UCLA though. The Bruins (3-4, 8-8) have had their difficult away from Pauley Pavilion, but they're 6-1 at home and feature one of the conference's top guards in sophomore Nikki Blue.
Stanford can answer Hoffman and Blue with senior All-American Nicole Powell, perhaps the most versatile player in the nation. She could be at a guard position on Friday, then switch to center on Sunday. This is one woman who knows how to play wherever she is on the court.
California did everything it could to interrupt Powell's play on Friday night and still couldn't get her out of rhythm.
"She gets 25 points and I thought we did a pretty good job on her," said Bears coach Caren Horstmeyer. "Whenever her team needs a basket, she makes one. That's what makes her a great player, an All-American."
Powell, who did not commit a turnover, also had a game-high 11 rebounds to give her 38 career double-doubles (44 if you include her six triple-doubles) in 101 games.
"I don't think this was my best game offensively," said Powell. "I missed a lot of shots. I'll have to work on my shooting."
Susan Borchardt, meanwhile, appears to have emerged as Powell's perfect complement. She's enjoying a quietly dazzling season, especially when Powell returned to action after missing three games with a sprained ankle.
"Nicole and Susan have really been constants for us," said Stanford coach Tara VanDerveer.
Borchardt had 19 points - 16 in the second half - on 5-of-7 shooting (3-of-3 from long range) to go with four assists against California.
Chelsea Trotter, who has missed three straight game with sore knees, is expected to return to action this weekend.
If Stanford can continue to take care of business on the road, the Pac-10 title will likely be decided when the Cardinal visit Arizona on Thursday, Feb. 5. The Wildcats are playing as though they're not going away and can match up with Stanford at both the guard and post positions.
Arizona travels to Oregon and Oregon State this week, always tough places to play. The Wildcats also still have to play in Los Angeles and at Washington.
Meanwhile, Cal closed to within 38-33 with 11:53 remaining before Powell scored five quick points. When the Bears made another threat late in the game, Powell immediately answered with a three-point play with 6:26 remaining.
Powell leads the Pac-20 in scoring (20.8) and rebounding (11.0). Pinewood grad Sebnem Kimyacioglu has a team-high 33 3-pointers and is averaging 11.3 points a game in conference play despite a 1-of-10 effort against the Bears.
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