Publication Date: Friday, December 10, 2004
A good time for a party
A good time for a party
(December 10, 2004) Cardinal women take No. 2 ranking into renovated Maples
by Rick Eymer
It's a welcoming home party tonight, and returning to Maples Pavilion is just one of the many features of the evening.
The Stanford women's basketball team receives the honor of hosting the first athletic contest at the newly-renovated arena because the project was completed nearly a month ahead of schedule.
The Cardinal haven't played since Nov. 28, and it's done wonders for their ranking. After beginning the season ranked seventh in the nation, Stanford woke up Monday morning with the No. 2 ranking tucked in its collective back pocket.
Stanford hasn't been ranked as high as second since beating Santa Clara on March 4, 2002. The Cardinal were last ranked first on Dec. 21, 1996.
Rankings don't mean much in terms of success on the court this early in the season, but what it does mean is the Cardinal are being taken seriously by the rest of the nation this season. A lot of that has to do with last year's Elite Eight appearance and the two-point loss to Tennessee.
Stanford (5-0) welcomes Pepperdine (2-6) tonight at 7 p.m., and the Waves may be the perfect team to help Stanford open the new, luxurious Maples. After all, Pepperdine is coached by Julie Rousseau, who spent the past four years sitting on the Cardinal bench as Tara VanDerveer's assistant.
Rousseau maintained her Stanford connections by hiring former Stanford stars Kate Paye and Vanessa Nygaard as assistants.
Paye, a Menlo School grad, was part of Stanford last national championship in 1992, while Nygaard, the Cardinal's career leader in 3-point attempts, was around the last time Stanford reached the Final Four in 1997.
Stanford travels to USF for a 2 p.m. Saturday matinee. VanDerveer's sister, Heidi VanDerveer, is an assistant coach to Mary Hile-Nepful with San Francisco.
Pepperdine has struggled so far this season. The Waves won their last outing, but have lost four of their past five.
Stanford, which averages 72.8 points per contest while allowing just 47.6, has looked impressive in its first five games, with freshman guard Candice Wiggins leading the charge with a 15.4 scoring average. She led the Cardinal in scoring in each of her first three games.
Wiggins has also been a factor on the defensive front, forcing opponents into turnover and creating easy scoring opportunities. Her quickness has allowed Stanford to maintain consistent pressure. The Cardinal have a plus 7.2 turnover margin.
Brooke Smith, the junior transfer from Duke, has also been a presence for Stanford. She's averaging 12.2 points a game and is one of the reasons Stanford has an 8.2 rebounding margin.
The rebounding duties have been shared by Smith, Azella Perryman, Sebnem Kimyacioglu and T'Nae Thiel.
"Candice has been very steady," VanDerveer said after Stanford beat Texas Tech. "We need more from Sebnem, though she has been playing great defense."
Senior guard Kelley Suminski averages10.8 points a game.
Stanford is 6-1 lifetime against the Waves and has won the last three games.
The Cardinal are 18-9 overall against San Francisco (3-3) and have won the last 12.
Men's basketball
Stanford (2-3) has its hands full when it travels to take on host Michigan State, ranked 11th in the nation, on Saturday at 1 p.m. (PST).
The Cardinal are still searching for an identity under first-year coach Trent Johnson.
"It's a new team and it's not the same system," said guard Chris Hernandez, who is second on the team in scoring with a 14.4 average. "We're still trying to figure it out. But we can still play solid defense and not let them score on us. We have to work hard defensively and be tough all the way around."
Stanford is scoring at a 71.0 average, but is allowing 74.6 points a game, and is being outrebounded by a slim margin, atypical of Cardinal teams past.
"We've been outrebounded in four of our five games," Johnson said. "If we're going to beat good teams, we're going to have to really compete defensively."
The Cardinal are also under .500 for the first time at any point in the season since finishing the 1992-93 season with a 7-23 mark.
Even without Josh Childress, Stanford has plenty of experience in the lineup and a coach who knows the Cardinal system. Johnson also has NCAA experience after leading Nevada to a surprise appearance in last year's Sweet 16.
Stanford also has plenty of firepower with Dan Grunfeld leading the way with a 19.4 average. Matt Haryasz averages 11.4 points and 8.8 rebounds. Rob Little scores at a 10.6 pace.
The Cardinal have not found their shooting touch from long range yet. They are shooting 25 percent from 3-point range (12-of-48), while allowing opponents to shoot at a 37 percent clip (34-of-92).
Michigan State (4-2) features six players in double-digit scoring and the team averages 88.8 point a game. The Spartans also have a distinct rebounding edge (a plus 9.7) over their opponents.
"It's a game we can win," Grunfeld said.
Stanford hopes a win in Michigan, where the Spartans are 3-0 so far, can spark its bid for another successful run to the NCAA tournament.
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