[Yellowlab]

Good write up 81alum.  Besides last night's wins, I also noted UCLA's convincing win over Texas earlier.  The Pac-12 might actually start getting some love.  Maybe not.

I would say that Toni looked like her old self.  That was great to see. 

I don't like to see Tinkle hanging around the arc and hoisting up 3's.  On the other hand, she did not finish well on a couple of contested shots around the basket.  That was a bit frustrating too, but I would still rather see her either posted low or at the high post with the offense going through her.  She did make some good quick cuts to the basket, which resulted in some easy points.

Amber is much improved from last year, but her shot sort of comes and goes game to game.  She did have one pretty pick pocket steal, which highlighted her quick hands.  She is also very tough.  It really sets a tone when your point guard is both mentally and physically tough.  She is.

I cannot count the number of games last year when an opponent hung around, and hung around, causing fan agita, until Stanford would go on a run and put the game away.  Last night was a flashback.  Pacific was a good team, but vertically challenged.  They hung around until Stanford went on a 17-2 run.  I was a little surprised they didn't resort to a hack a Chiney strategy, because they had no other answer for her.

I guess you have to give Chiney the game ball, but I want to give it to Ruef.  She made a couple of mistakes, and was less than graceful upon occasion, but she supplied a serious dose of "I'm not a nice girl from Stanford."  As we've noted before, she has a nose for the ball.  She sometimes threads the needle a bit too much on her passes, but most of the time her passes are right on the money and just in the nick of time to facilitate a score.

I was screened from the play where Taylor got banged up, so I couldn't see what actually happened to her.  The chin hitting the floor report makes sense based on what happened afterwards.  We thought she might've had the wind knocked out of her, but grew increasing uneasy as she continued to lay on the floor.  Obviously, we hope she is OK and ready to go for the road trip, but the most important thing is for her to play it safe for now.

I was surprised that Bonnie didn't get more meaningful playing time, and I don't quite know what to make of that.  Sara James came in and impressed.  She is very physical.  If she develops confidence in her shot, she may be able to contribute against even the best teams.  Her lack of lateral quickness remains a defensive liability, but, as of now, I am holding out some hope for her.

Tess came in and hit the boards hard.  I thought back to the times when Booth had a similar height advantage, but did not control the boards.  I will actually be surprised, if Tess does not end up playing a limited, but significant, role late in the season.  Her rebounding and defensive skills are already evident.

I don't know what to make of Jasmine.  I think she is still feeling her way back.  My gut tells me that she will be an important cog later on. 

Erica is another player I can't help but root for.  She is a pesky defender, who can defend a range of players, big and small, quick and strong.  She's aggressive and seems to know what she is doing on the offensive end, although she still seems to need to develop a reliable jumper.

This team keeps growing on me.  I can't wait to see them continue to progress.

[Yellowlab]

Good write up 81alum.  Besides last night's wins, I also noted UCLA's convincing win over Texas earlier.  The Pac-12 might actually start getting some love.  Maybe not.

I would say that Toni looked like her old self.  That was great to see. 

I don't like to see Tinkle hanging around the arc and hoisting up 3's.  On the other hand, she did not finish well on a couple of contested shots around the basket.  That was a bit frustrating too, but I would still rather see her either posted low or at the high post with the offense going through her.  She did make some good quick cuts to the basket, which resulted in some easy points.

Amber is much improved from last year, but her shot sort of comes and goes game to game.  She did have one pretty pick pocket steal, which highlighted her quick hands.  She is also very tough.  It really sets a tone when your point guard is both mentally and physically tough.  She is.

I cannot count the number of games last year when an opponent hung around, and hung around, causing fan agita, until Stanford would go on a run and put the game away.  Last night was a flashback.  Pacific was a good team, but vertically challenged.  They hung around until Stanford went on a 17-2 run.  I was a little surprised they didn't resort to a hack a Chiney strategy, because they had no other answer for her.

I guess you have to give Chiney the game ball, but I want to give it to Ruef.  She made a couple of mistakes, and was less than graceful upon occasion, but she supplied a serious dose of "I'm not a nice girl from Stanford."  As we've noted before, she has a nose for the ball.  She sometimes threads the needle a bit too much on her passes, but most of the time her passes are right on the money and just in the nick of time to facilitate a score.

I was screened from the play where Taylor got banged up, so I couldn't see what actually happened to her.  The chin hitting the floor report makes sense based on what happened afterwards.  We thought she might've had the wind knocked out of her, but grew increasing uneasy as she continued to lay on the floor.  Obviously, we hope she is OK and ready to go for the road trip, but the most important thing is for her to play it safe for now.

I was surprised that Bonnie didn't get more meaningful playing time, and I don't quite know what to make of that.  Sara James came in and impressed.  She is very physical.  If she develops confidence in her shot, she may be able to contribute against even the best teams.  Her lack of lateral quickness remains a defensive liability, but, as of now, I am holding out some hope for her.

Tess came in and hit the boards hard.  I thought back to the times when Booth had a similar height advantage, but did not control the boards.  I will actually be surprised, if Tess does not end up playing a limited, but significant, role late in the season.  Her rebounding and defensive skills are already evident.

I don't know what to make of Jasmine.  I think she is still feeling her way back.  My gut tells me that she will be an important cog later on. 

Erica is another player I can't help but root for.  She is a pesky defender, who can defend a range of players, big and small, quick and strong.  She's aggressive and seems to know what she is doing on the offensive end, although she still seems to need to develop a reliable jumper.

This team keeps growing on me.  I can't wait to see them continue to progress.