University of Washington
Stanford
Huskies Bow Out Of Pac-12 Tournament
March 08, 2012 | Women's Basketball
March 8, 2012
Final Stats |
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LOS ANGELES - The Huskies knew it would have taken a Herculean effort to knock off top-seeded Stanford. And while Coach Kevin McGuff was proud of the way his team competed, sometimes an upset is always not in the cards.
Stanford was typical Stanford on Thursday afternoon, eliminating the Huskies from the Pac-12 Tournament with a 76-57 win at USC's Galen Center. With the loss, the Huskies fell to 17-13, while Stanford improved to 29-1.
Now the Huskies must wait to hear if they will be selected for the Women's Basketball National Invitational Tournament. When asked about Washington's chances of being selected, McGuff sounded optimistic.
"These players deserve to play in the postseason," McGuff said.
Nnemkadi Ogwumike showed why she's likely to be a top WNBA draft selection, scoring 18 points to go with seven rebounds. But it was the degree-of-difficulty factor that made her performance so effective, with the eldger Ogwumike sister raining shots from various spots on the court, despite strong defense from the Huskies.
Younger sister Chiney scored 16 points while also pulling down 11 rebounds, making for a combination the Huskies could not contain. Regina Rogers led Washington with 13 points, but picked up a crucial first-half foul that allowed Stanford to stretch a 26-21 advantage into double digits.
The Huskies didn't have the firepower offensively to answer back. Freshman Player of the Year Jazmine Davis struggled throughout the game, making just 2 of 18 shots to finish with eight points. Stanford took away her looks by being aggressive on the Huskies' ball screens, and then walling up around the basket.
"(Stanford) had a great game plan," McGuff said. "Defensively, they really forced us into a lot of tough shots and they were also really efficient on the offensive end." Davis did tie Loree Payne for most three pointers made by a freshman. The San Jose guard now has 60 on the season.
Once Stanford began rolling on offense, the Huskies were powerless to stem the tide, especially when other Cardinal players joined in. Bonnie Samuelson and Lindy LaRocque hit timely threes, which unlocked the interior of the paint for the Ogwumikes.
"Yes, it's difficult guarding them," said senior Mackenzie Argens, who scored 12 points. "But I fell that our team over the years, and especially this year, has done well to figure out a way to guard them. But they are a great team and very talented."
