Fight on top
The upper tier of the Pac-10 standings still remains uncertain as four teams are currently vying for second-place honors in conference standing.
The volatile structure will experience major toppling around as three of those squads will be squaring off against one another by the end of this week. Arizona State (16-6, 7-4 Pac-10) will host the University of Oregon (12-8, 7-4) this Thursday and Oregon State University (11-10, 7-4) on Saturday.
USC (11-9, 7-4) will be spared the actual fight-for-second bloodshed as they host Washington (11-8, 6-4) on Friday and the lowly Washington State (2-18, 0-10) on Sunday.
All four teams are chasing Stanford, the No. 3 team in the nation. The Cardinals continues to dominate its Pac-10 opponents as they have yet to lose in its 10 conference games.
Standing atop the Pac-10, the squad boasts an overall record of 20 wins with just one loss and it is off to its best start in school history.
Freshmen playing time
As head coach Kathy Olivier experiments with different rotations, the incoming freshmen have been seeing increasing playing time. Krystle Johnson has been able to come in the last couple of games and make her mark at the center position.
In the last four games, she has averaged 4.0 points and 2.3 boards in close to 10 minutes of play. Defensively, she has been a positive force off the bench. Using her 6-foot-4 frame and her sheer strength, Johnson has been able to contain the Bruins’ opponents in the paint.
Brianna Winn has also come off the bench to give the Bruin guards – Natalie Nakase and Jalina Bradley – much-needed relief. The San Diego native has been able to produce offensively for the Bruins, averaging 4.3 points per game in the season.
Although these numbers may not be “impressive,” these freshmen have shown that they are willing and able to provide some quality minutes for the Bruins in the present and, more importantly, in the future.
Pac-10 Player-of-the-Week
Her consistent effort and production has helped her team to its best start ever. And, now, she finally gets some personal recognition. Lindsey Yamasaki of Stanford has just been named the Pac-10 Player-of-the-Week for Jan. 21-27.
The Cardinals forward, who is currently leading her team in scoring, played a major factor in both of Stanford’s decisive victories against University of Arizona (76-62) and Arizona State (62-48). In both wins, she averaged 24.5 points and 2.5 rebounds while shooting 53.3 percent from the field and 41.7% behind the arc.
A pivotal member of the squad, she has helped her team gain a three and a half game separation from the rest of the Pac-10 Conference.
The honor is Yamasaki’s second in her career.