Stanford freshman guard Candice Wiggins (11) leads the eighth-ranked Cardinal in scoring with 17.2 points per game.
Even though Stanford has one of the most experienced teams in the Pacific-10 Conference, the Cardinal is receiving senior-like play from a freshman.
Stanford guard Candice Wiggins was named Pac-10 Player of the Week for Jan. 6-10.
The 17-year-old San Diego native averaged 29.5 points, 4.5 assists, 3.5 rebounds and 3.5 steals in the Cardinal’s two road victories against Arizona State and Arizona.
Wiggins scored a career-high 31 points and handed out six assists in Stanford’s 68-57 victory over No. 24 Arizona State. She led the team in both categories and added a career-high six steals.
In the 78-66 win over Arizona, Wiggins again scored a team-high 28 points and went 8 of 8 from the foul line. The win over the Wildcats snapped Arizona’s NCAA-leading 34-game home winning streak.
Wiggins has led the Cardinal in scoring 10 times this season and is averaging 17.2 points and three steals per game.
“I can’t really remember coaching anyone like her — being so young and yet being so mature and so old,” Stanford head coach Tara VanDerveer said.
Oregon’s Andrea Bills
in a more familiar role
With the return of senior Cathrine Kraayeveld to the Duck lineup this season, Andrea Bills has been able to step out of the spotlight.
But while Bills is no longer the focus, her numbers are nearly identical to last season.
“With (Kraayeveld) in the lineup, it frees her up from the biggest defensive responsibility (from the other team),” Oregon head coach Bev Smith said.
Bills is averaging 11.3 points per game, which is nearly identical to her 2003-04 average of 11.1 points per game. Her 6.8 rebounds per game is fifth-best in the Pac-10.
Surprising USC near top of Pac-10 Conference
Nearly a third of the way into the Pac-10 season, USC sports the second-best record in the conference, one of the biggest surprises thus far.
“We don’t shoot the ball very well, we turn the ball over, so I don’t really know (why we play well),” USC head coach Mark Trakh said. “(However) we rebound the ball well, and I think we play hard.”
The USC (4-1 Pac-10) team does not feature a single top-20 scoring player in the conference, but through an even-distribution approach, the Women of Troy have the fourth-highest scoring team average (68.2) in the Pac-10.
