[martyup]

Talk about a defensive specialist, Anna Wilson didn't take a shot in the entire game. 0-0

---

Tara wisely limited Jones to 16 minutes, while Jump played 25 minutes and Lacie 18.  Earlier in the season, when Jones would have one of those off nights, Tara would leave her in and she would rack up the turnovers.  As good as Jones can be, she can also play poorly and hurt the team.

[martyup]

Talk about a defensive specialist, Anna Wilson didn't take a shot in the entire game. 0-0

---

Tara wisely limited Jones to 16 minutes, while Jump played 25 minutes and Lacie 18.  Earlier in the season, when Jones would have one of those off nights, Tara would leave her in and she would rack up the turnovers.  As good as Jones can be, she can also play poorly and hurt the team.

[chimera]

I wasn't sure what to think before the game.  I worried that OSU was playing well lately and have good inside play with Jones and outside with Goodman, plus they are well coached and played us tight for three quarters not long ago.  The counter to that is that hot or not, they are not super deep and this is game three in three days, aside from Jones they are not great inside while we have someone better in Brink and excellent subs, and Goodman has a difficult task dealing with our excellent perimeter defenders.  So I was conflicted.  OSU is good but really, not that great, just hyped a lot now because they have been hot lately.  

Turns we were just way too much for them.  Our defense was excellent, especially both Hulls and Wilson, and Brink inside with her blocks.  As Tara said after the game in an interview, we did not play our best game, shot relatively poorly, but the defense was on point.  Amazing how easy that was with Hayley having an off game and team shooting so off for much of the game.  Crushed them in all categories.  

I think UCLA playing their best is better than UA playing their best.  Tiredness won't be a thing for UCLA even with the thin roster because we have a day off.  I am fine with either.  UA would be easier I think.  UCLA would be more interesting, see if we have improved from when we last played and lost to them.

[chimera]

I wasn't sure what to think before the game.  I worried that OSU was playing well lately and have good inside play with Jones and outside with Goodman, plus they are well coached and played us tight for three quarters not long ago.  The counter to that is that hot or not, they are not super deep and this is game three in three days, aside from Jones they are not great inside while we have someone better in Brink and excellent subs, and Goodman has a difficult task dealing with our excellent perimeter defenders.  So I was conflicted.  OSU is good but really, not that great, just hyped a lot now because they have been hot lately.  

Turns we were just way too much for them.  Our defense was excellent, especially both Hulls and Wilson, and Brink inside with her blocks.  As Tara said after the game in an interview, we did not play our best game, shot relatively poorly, but the defense was on point.  Amazing how easy that was with Hayley having an off game and team shooting so off for much of the game.  Crushed them in all categories.  

I think UCLA playing their best is better than UA playing their best.  Tiredness won't be a thing for UCLA even with the thin roster because we have a day off.  I am fine with either.  UA would be easier I think.  UCLA would be more interesting, see if we have improved from when we last played and lost to them.

[martyup]

I would prefer we get to play UCLA.  I am not worried about beating them, and  I think our players would get a boost in confidence to have beaten both the teams they lost to earlier this season.

---

UCLA and AZ combine for a whopping 16 points in the 1st quarter.

[martyup]

I would prefer we get to play UCLA.  I am not worried about beating them, and  I think our players would get a boost in confidence to have beaten both the teams they lost to earlier this season.

---

UCLA and AZ combine for a whopping 16 points in the 1st quarter.

[BillBradley]

Some random thoughts after such a beat-down!

1) Gotta start with Brink. Seriously. The amazing box score doesn't even show so many other contributions - altered shots, deflections, passes. How many players can rebound, shoot inside, shoot outside, run the court, block shots, defend, move her feet, catch EVERYTHING, and...is a great teammate. So impressive. We need every minute she can give us.
2) Hannah Jump is turning into a PLAYER and kudos to Tara for realizing it. She made a lot of plays tonight even though her shots weren't falling. And when she's on...lethal. Gonna be a big factor down the stretch.
3) Ki played great. Something tells me she's going to play great when we win the natty. 
4) The Hulls and Anna are so freaking tough. Has another guard ever "gone off" against them? I don't think any has even hit their average. Gonna love watching them guard Paige Bueckers in the championship :>
5) My favorite thing about this team is their blend of competitiveness and their joy for one another. How cool to see Haley sitting on the bench and genuinely happy for her team. So seldom do you see that. 
6) The studio commentators Ros Gold-Onwude (Stanford grad!) and Elise Woodward have done a nice job. Really solid analysis and deep discussions of the teams. Sideline reporter has been good too!  Way better than the men's side.

[BillBradley]

Some random thoughts after such a beat-down!

1) Gotta start with Brink. Seriously. The amazing box score doesn't even show so many other contributions - altered shots, deflections, passes. How many players can rebound, shoot inside, shoot outside, run the court, block shots, defend, move her feet, catch EVERYTHING, and...is a great teammate. So impressive. We need every minute she can give us.
2) Hannah Jump is turning into a PLAYER and kudos to Tara for realizing it. She made a lot of plays tonight even though her shots weren't falling. And when she's on...lethal. Gonna be a big factor down the stretch.
3) Ki played great. Something tells me she's going to play great when we win the natty. 
4) The Hulls and Anna are so freaking tough. Has another guard ever "gone off" against them? I don't think any has even hit their average. Gonna love watching them guard Paige Bueckers in the championship :>
5) My favorite thing about this team is their blend of competitiveness and their joy for one another. How cool to see Haley sitting on the bench and genuinely happy for her team. So seldom do you see that. 
6) The studio commentators Ros Gold-Onwude (Stanford grad!) and Elise Woodward have done a nice job. Really solid analysis and deep discussions of the teams. Sideline reporter has been good too!  Way better than the men's side.

[qwerty49]

I would love to see Jump make the all-tourney team. She obviously worked hard in the off-season to be a more complete player and the results are so evident. She had a nice post-up move tonight and a beautiful baseline drive with a left-handed basket last night. And her defense has been very good IMHO.

Did TVD say anything post-game about why the starters (except Jones) got so many minutes?

[qwerty49]

I would love to see Jump make the all-tourney team. She obviously worked hard in the off-season to be a more complete player and the results are so evident. She had a nice post-up move tonight and a beautiful baseline drive with a left-handed basket last night. And her defense has been very good IMHO.

Did TVD say anything post-game about why the starters (except Jones) got so many minutes?

[martyup]

Halftime -- AZ 17 UCLA 25

Ugly

[martyup]

Halftime -- AZ 17 UCLA 25

Ugly

[Spiny_Norman]

Some random thoughts after such a beat-down!

1) Gotta start with Brink. Seriously. The amazing box score doesn't even show so many other contributions - altered shots, deflections, passes. How many players can rebound, shoot inside, shoot outside, run the court, block shots, defend, move her feet, catch EVERYTHING, and...is a great teammate. So impressive. We need every minute she can give us.
2) Hannah Jump is turning into a PLAYER and kudos to Tara for realizing it. She made a lot of plays tonight even though her shots weren't falling. And when she's on...lethal. Gonna be a big factor down the stretch.
3) Ki played great. Something tells me she's going to play great when we win the natty. 
4) The Hulls and Anna are so freaking tough. Has another guard ever "gone off" against them? I don't think any has even hit their average. Gonna love watching them guard Paige Bueckers in the championship :>
5) My favorite thing about this team is their blend of competitiveness and their joy for one another. How cool to see Haley sitting on the bench and genuinely happy for her team. So seldom do you see that. 
6) The studio commentators Ros Gold-Onwude (Stanford grad!) and Elise Woodward have done a nice job. Really solid analysis and deep discussions of the teams. Sideline reporter has been good too!  Way better than the men's side.

I think the officiating is worth mentioning as well. They let the players play. They did not blow their whistles at the expectation of contact whether it happened or not. It allowed Brink especially but Stanford in general to showcase their considerable and diverse talents. I hope we see similar in the P12 championship game.

[Spiny_Norman]

Some random thoughts after such a beat-down!

1) Gotta start with Brink. Seriously. The amazing box score doesn't even show so many other contributions - altered shots, deflections, passes. How many players can rebound, shoot inside, shoot outside, run the court, block shots, defend, move her feet, catch EVERYTHING, and...is a great teammate. So impressive. We need every minute she can give us.
2) Hannah Jump is turning into a PLAYER and kudos to Tara for realizing it. She made a lot of plays tonight even though her shots weren't falling. And when she's on...lethal. Gonna be a big factor down the stretch.
3) Ki played great. Something tells me she's going to play great when we win the natty. 
4) The Hulls and Anna are so freaking tough. Has another guard ever "gone off" against them? I don't think any has even hit their average. Gonna love watching them guard Paige Bueckers in the championship :>
5) My favorite thing about this team is their blend of competitiveness and their joy for one another. How cool to see Haley sitting on the bench and genuinely happy for her team. So seldom do you see that. 
6) The studio commentators Ros Gold-Onwude (Stanford grad!) and Elise Woodward have done a nice job. Really solid analysis and deep discussions of the teams. Sideline reporter has been good too!  Way better than the men's side.

I think the officiating is worth mentioning as well. They let the players play. They did not blow their whistles at the expectation of contact whether it happened or not. It allowed Brink especially but Stanford in general to showcase their considerable and diverse talents. I hope we see similar in the P12 championship game.

[martyup]

Williams was 5 of 7 from beyond the arc.  That's 71%.  Sick.

By comparison, both AZ and UCLA combined are 3 of 14 near the end of the 3rd quarter.

[martyup]

Williams was 5 of 7 from beyond the arc.  That's 71%.  Sick.

By comparison, both AZ and UCLA combined are 3 of 14 near the end of the 3rd quarter.

[chimera]

I thought this was interesting from Rueck after the game.  Lots of interesting thoughts about Stanford:  https://pac-12.com/videos/oregon-state-h...ament-exit

Looks like UCLA is pulling away a bit.  Ugly game.  Tough defense and very physical.

[chimera]

I thought this was interesting from Rueck after the game.  Lots of interesting thoughts about Stanford:  https://pac-12.com/videos/oregon-state-h...ament-exit

Looks like UCLA is pulling away a bit.  Ugly game.  Tough defense and very physical.

[martyup]

UCLA leads 38 to 28 at the end of 3 quarters.  They might break 50.

They are beating each other up. Someone is going to get hurt. This is why I don't like having a conference tourney when we've already played each conference team twice.

[martyup]

UCLA leads 38 to 28 at the end of 3 quarters.  They might break 50.

They are beating each other up. Someone is going to get hurt. This is why I don't like having a conference tourney when we've already played each conference team twice.

[martyup]

UCLA wins 58 to 49 in an ugly slugfest.  I'd like our team to beat them pretty.

[martyup]

UCLA wins 58 to 49 in an ugly slugfest.  I'd like our team to beat them pretty.

[Leftcoast]

I’m not surprised by the score. Stanford is a good team and getting better - compared to OSU the Cardinal has better rebounders, better defenders, better shot creators, and if all else fails we’re much, much deeper.  

Sometimes, it’s ok to admit our team is pretty darn good and should win easily.  This was one of those nights.

.

[Leftcoast]

I’m not surprised by the score. Stanford is a good team and getting better - compared to OSU the Cardinal has better rebounders, better defenders, better shot creators, and if all else fails we’re much, much deeper.  

Sometimes, it’s ok to admit our team is pretty darn good and should win easily.  This was one of those nights.

.

[Leftcoast]

I enjoyed the Rueck interview Chimera, thank you for sharing. The OSU coach comes across as a thoughtful, fair, and well-spoken man.

[Leftcoast]

I enjoyed the Rueck interview Chimera, thank you for sharing. The OSU coach comes across as a thoughtful, fair, and well-spoken man.

[Softball Fan]

One thing Brink is really good at is running full speed in a fast break, getting the ball just before the basket, and guiding the ball into the basket with precision and balance.

I second the opinion that Rueck is a very good speaker in a press conference.

[Softball Fan]

One thing Brink is really good at is running full speed in a fast break, getting the ball just before the basket, and guiding the ball into the basket with precision and balance.

I second the opinion that Rueck is a very good speaker in a press conference.

[BosCard]

I really like how this team has different players who can step up and take over games if someone else is having an off night.  Contrast that with say Arizona which really needs Aari McDonald playing well to beat another top team.

In this game, Brink and Williams were both amazing.  And Jones had an off night scoring only 1 point and going 1 for 7.  BUT, remember Jones had an amazing game the day before with 14 points, 10 rebounds, 5 assists, 0 turnovers in just 21 minutes of play.  And Prechtel was relatively silent in game 2 but had a strong game 1 with 15 points and 11 rebounds.  You could argue that the most consistent offensive player has been Jump who scored 14 and 10 in games 1 and 2 respectively.

By the way, there were so many things to love from Brink this game but my favorite was her hook shot in the post.  A lot of times hook shots seem more like prayers where the player is just thrusting the ball and hoping it goes somewhere near the rim.  But Brink had the body control and shooting ability to take an actual shot.  I hope she keeps working on that because that shot is unguardable.

[BosCard]

I really like how this team has different players who can step up and take over games if someone else is having an off night.  Contrast that with say Arizona which really needs Aari McDonald playing well to beat another top team.

In this game, Brink and Williams were both amazing.  And Jones had an off night scoring only 1 point and going 1 for 7.  BUT, remember Jones had an amazing game the day before with 14 points, 10 rebounds, 5 assists, 0 turnovers in just 21 minutes of play.  And Prechtel was relatively silent in game 2 but had a strong game 1 with 15 points and 11 rebounds.  You could argue that the most consistent offensive player has been Jump who scored 14 and 10 in games 1 and 2 respectively.

By the way, there were so many things to love from Brink this game but my favorite was her hook shot in the post.  A lot of times hook shots seem more like prayers where the player is just thrusting the ball and hoping it goes somewhere near the rim.  But Brink had the body control and shooting ability to take an actual shot.  I hope she keeps working on that because that shot is unguardable.

[martyup]

That hook reminded me of Kareem Abdul Jabbar.   If she can master that shot, she will be legend.

[martyup]

That hook reminded me of Kareem Abdul Jabbar.   If she can master that shot, she will be legend.

[UltimateCard]

That hook reminded me of Kareem Abdul Jabbar.   If she can master that shot, she will be legend.

We had Brooke “the Hook” Smith who, as I recall, could take it with either hand.
https://www.sfgate.com/sports/article/Ar...693486.php

[UltimateCard]

That hook reminded me of Kareem Abdul Jabbar.   If she can master that shot, she will be legend.

We had Brooke “the Hook” Smith who, as I recall, could take it with either hand.
https://www.sfgate.com/sports/article/Ar...693486.php