Trojan takedown: Brink units profession block report on Pink Friday

No. 3 Stanford ladies’s basketball (24-3, 12-2 Pac-12) returned house to face No. 25 USC (19-6, 9-5 Pac-12) within the “Pink Recreation” on Friday night time. Each groups had been suited up head-to-toe in pink to boost consciousness for breast most cancers.

A packed crowd at Maples Pavilion, together with NBA All-Star Steph Curry, witnessed a low-scoring but extremely aggressive matchup that noticed junior ahead Cameron Brink turn into Stanford’s profession chief in blocked photographs, tallying six on the night time. And with a closing rating of 50-47, the Cardinal notched one other victory.

For 2 groups that common effectively over 50 factors a sport, their face-offs have taught followers to anticipate the surprising. Of their final head-to-head, the Trojans beat Stanford 55-46, snapping the Cardinal’s 39-game profitable streak towards Pac-12 opponents and 51-game profitable streak towards unranked opponents. Head coach Tara VanDerveer and the Stanford squad entered Friday’s match hungry for redemption.

Rating droughts had been a typical theme all through the night time. Not 1 / 4 glided by wherein each groups didn’t expertise not less than one drought averaging three minutes, which explains the low-scoring consequence. Throughout rating droughts, the Cardinal would encounter hassle securing defensive rebounds and shifting the ball for an efficient offensive possession. Nonetheless, Stanford outscored USC in each quarter besides the fourth, the place a four-minute rating drought nearly price them the sport.

The ultimate quarter noticed each groups within the thick of scoring droughts at numerous factors. With two fouls known as on Stanford, the Trojans trailed by 3 factors with 00:37 left within the sport. Stanford held onto the ball, seeking to drain the clock and log a win, however USC managed a defensive rebound off a missed discipline aim from the Cardinal with three seconds remaining. All of the Trojans wanted was a shot from past the arc off an out-of-bounds baseline go to ship the sport into extra time. However VanDerveer was fast to ship in freshman heart Lauren Betts to interrupt up the play. A nook three was tried by means of site visitors, however finally airballed the Cardinal into the profitable seat: 50-47.

Along with setting the profession report for blocks, Brink delivered the one double-double of the night time for both group, with 12 factors and 10 rebounds. The Oregonian wasn’t alone within the block division, nonetheless, as freshman guard Indya Nivar and sophomore ahead Brooke Demetre each thwarted makes an attempt by the Trojans in the course of the Pink Recreation.

It appears VanDerveer is entrusting Nivar with extra minutes, because the North Carolinian has averaged 17 minutes per sport during the last 9 video games for the Cardinal. Towards USC – her fourth 20-plus minute sport of the season – she shot 100% for a complete of 9 factors.

Senior guard Haley Jones was simply in need of a double-double, with 8 factors and 10 rebounds, however she produced 5 assists and Stanford’s solely two steals of the night time.

Subsequent up, the Cardinal will host No. 16 UCLA (21-6, 10-5 Pac-12) for his or her closing house sport of the season. Jones, senior guard Hannah Leap, and senior forwards Fran Belibi and Ashten Prechtel, usually generally known as “The Funky 4,” will probably be honored on Senior Evening at Maples, commemorating the top of their four-year journey collectively.

Tip-off is scheduled for Monday night time at 6 p.m. PT.