The first half of the Pacific-10 Conference season is almost here and outside of a few surprises here and there, the standings reflect what coaches predicted. Here’s an update on the conference:
USC & UCLA
The USC women’s basketball team is a shell of what it will be next season. Sadly, the rash of injuries and absences suffered by the Trojans coincides with the last season of guard Shay Murphy in Los Angeles.
Murphy had 30 points last Thursday in a 77-68 win over Arizona, and over the holiday break she displayed her ability to take over games, scoring 26 points in a double-overtime win over Oregon, 79-71. CQ
UCLA guard Noelle Quinn is up for a multitude of honors, including the Naismith Trophy, the Wooden Award and the Wade Trophy. She is putting up averages of 16.8 points, 6.5 rebounds and 6.3 assists per game. CQ
Washington & Washington State
Washington is returning to form after breaking a three-game losing streak in an 86-64 win over rival Washington State. The Huskies improved their shooting with a .484 field goal percentage in Pullman after two sub-30 percent efforts against the Bay Area schools. CQ
Marisa Stotler is leading Washington State’s offense with 11.2 points per game and is followed by Katie Appleton at 8.3 points a game.
California & Stanford
Ashley Walker CQ put together two double-digit outings over the weekend to earn Pac-10 Player of the Week honors. In California’s 63-57 win over Oregon State, Walker put in the best shooting performance for a Pac-10 player this season, making 11 of 12 shots for 23 points and a crisp 91.7 shooting percentage from the field. Walker chipped in seven rebounds and two assists.
She scored 13 points and grabbed eight rebounds in a 65-56 win Saturday afternoon against Oregon.
Freshman Lauren Greif provided the most intriguing storyline as the Portland native scored a career-high 19 points to lead all scorers.
“It’s not really a story here (that I’m from Oregon),” Greif said in a media release. “When we go back to Oregon, I think it’ll be more of a story. Here, we’re just going out trying to protect our home court. We did what we had to do.” CQ
The Cardinal may be in first place in the standings, but their recent play has them looking ripe for an upset.
Star guard Candice Wiggins CQ has been battling a sprained right ankle and fought through it against the Oregon schools. She missed a game against Washington State earlier in the season.
With its hobbled star, Stanford trailed 34-23 at halftime against Oregon State at home but survived, 69-55. CQ
Arizona & Arizona State
Joy Hollingsworth has been a scoring machine for the Wildcats with an average of 16.5 points per game. She had 23 points in a 76-73 loss to UCLA. CQ
No. 10 Arizona State may have topped USC Sunday, 62-54, but in the process, lost a valuable part of their rotation to a season-ending injury. Guard Dymond Simon, CQ who averages 9.4 points a game, injured her anterior cruciate ligament.
Oregon State
The Beavers are tied with Oregon at 2-6 in the Pac-10, but may have the more impressive win with a 56-52 upset of UCLA on the road. The Ducks and Beavers meet Wednesday and Sunday this week.
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