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ABOVE THE REST: Powell is a
contender for national player of the year.
gonzalesphoto.com |
With five returning starters
and a Pac-10 title to defend, the women’s basketball
team has been drawing big home crowds and hopes for
a solid, though perhaps not superlative, postseason.
The No. 11 Cardinal (17-5, 10-3 Pac-10 at press time)
sailed through preconference play until then-No. 2 Tennessee
came to town on December 14. Before a sellout crowd
in Maples Pavilion, the televised marquee event took
a downturn in the final minutes, with the Lady Vols
winning 70-66 in overtime. Nicole Powell, Stanford’s
All-American forward, played all 45 minutes, but the
team couldn’t quite pull it off. “I don’t
think it’s a good situation to depend on only
one person,” coach Tara VanDerveer noted. The
Cardinal lost to its next ranked opponent, then-No.
3 Texas Tech, 55-46, on December 21.
The team then won four of its next six games by more
than 20 points (88-65 against Oregon State; 77-51 against
Oregon; 90-69 against Washington State; 84-62 against
Arizona). The Arizona win was particularly decisive,
with Stanford leading by 47 at one point in the second
half and shooting 59.6 percent for the game, including
15 of 27 from three-point territory.
But in late January and early February, the Cardinal
began to wobble, losing to USC, trouncing Washington
and Washington State, then falling to Arizona and Arizona
State. The team continued to lean on Powell. “We
had people at times just waiting for Nicole to make
plays,” said VanDerveer after the USC game.
Powell, who leads the Pac-10 in scoring, rebounding
and free-throw percentage, is one of three contenders
for player of the year, with Connecticut’s Diana
Taurasi and Duke’s Alana Beard. She has saved
games with her outside shooting—and she has egged
teammates on to play their own personal bests with her
full-body smiles and leaps from the bench. Other Stanford
scoring leaders include junior forward Sebnem Kimyacioglu,
junior guard Kelley Suminski and redshirt junior guard
Susan Borchardt.
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