Trojan takedown: Brink units profession block document on Pink Friday

No. 3 Stanford ladies’s basketball (24-3, 12-2 Pac-12) returned residence to face No. 25 USC (19-6, 9-5 Pac-12) within the “Pink Sport” on Friday evening. Each groups have 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 out to be Stanford’s profession chief in blocked pictures, tallying six on the evening. And with a remaining rating of 50-47, the Cardinal notched one other victory.

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

Rating droughts have been a typical theme all through the evening. Not 1 / 4 glided by through which each groups didn’t expertise a minimum of one drought averaging three minutes, which explains the low-scoring consequence. Throughout rating droughts, the Cardinal would encounter bother securing defensive rebounds and transferring 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 value them the sport.

The ultimate quarter noticed each groups within the thick of scoring droughts at numerous factors. With two fouls referred to as on Stanford, the Trojans trailed by 3 factors with 00:37 left within the recreation. Stanford held onto the ball, trying to drain the clock and log a win, however USC managed a defensive rebound off a missed area objective 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 time beyond regulation. However VanDerveer was fast to ship in freshman middle Lauren Betts to interrupt up the play. A nook three was tried by way of site visitors, however in the end airballed the Cardinal into the profitable seat: 50-47.

Along with setting the profession document for blocks, Brink delivered the one double-double of the evening 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 Sport.

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

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

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

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