[81alum]

No TV that I can find.  Listening to KZSU and watching Gametracker.  Actually, Gametracker does not seem to be working.

Tara is starting:

Chiney, Joslyn, Ruef, Kokenis, and Orrange. 

Interesting.  I presume Ruef is in there to help with the defense on Griner.

***
It is Baylor 9 Stanford 7 in the early going.  Chiney actually went around Griner twice for 4 of those points.  Then she hit her first 3 point shot of the season and we are up 10-9.  Amber hits a jump shot and now we are up 12-9.  Odyssey Sims injured her hamstring and seems to be out of the game :(
***
Stanford 20 Baylor 11.  Chiney is shooting the lights out with a couple of 3s!  Amber has fed a couple of back doors, one to Ruef.  A terrific start 10 minutes into the game.
***
Stanford's offense has slowed down a little, but Bonnie has played good scrappy defense and we are out rebounding the Baylor women 12-7.  We have gotten a couple of fouls setting screens--perhaps due to our switch to the pick and roll as a less familiar offense?  Now with about 5 minutes left in the half it is 27-15.
***
27-21 with Ruef shooting free throws.  The livestream is now up on the Stanford site.
***
Stanford has been fouling on Baylor penetration and the lead is dwindling as half approaches.  The lead dwindled to 1, then Taylor hits a 3!  Griner finally hits a two.  Stanford leads by two at the half 31-29
***
At the half, it seems that Stanford has figured out how to limit Griner to just 4 points and 3 rebounds, but this has left others open.  Baylor also is taking some time to adjust to the loss of their star point guard.  The last five minutes were not nearly as good for Stanford as the first fifteen.  Unless Tara figures out a way of changing that momentum the second half won't be pretty. 

But amazing to think how successful we have been for most of the first half.  We are 50% from 3, we are out rebounding them 17-13, Chiney is 4/7.  Stanford leads in large part because Baylor is shooting 1-11 from three. 

Bonnie picked up 3 fouls and Joslyn two.  That is a bit ominous.  We might need Bonnie's three point shooting before this is over.
***
Second half has started.  Griner looks more aggressive, she got a talking-to.  Toni makes a three.  The refs blow a call--call a shot clock violation after our ball hits the rim. 
***
37-33 with about 16 minutes left.  Toni Kokenis has been playing very well in the second half, with a three and a pretty drive to the basket that got her two free throws.
***
The Stanford offense has a lot of motion.  It definitely looks different than I am used to seeing.  The Stanford video feed is working--goes down every so often but it is better than nothing.  Taylor for 3!  Griner hits inside.  Griner hits again, cutting the lead to 1.
***
Griner is in sync offensively, after a terrible first half, scoring repeatedly over the last few minutes.  The good news is that Stanford's offense is heating up too and we managed a 5-0 run to get a lead up to 4 after Griner had tied it.
***
With 10 minutes left we are up by 4 but this is a tight game.  Will one side crumble?  Baylor has so much more to lose.....
***
Baylor is resting Griner with 9 minutes left.  Tara calls a time out, our defense did not seem to know what to do against a Griner-less Baylor offense and they got an easy back door.  Tara is talking intently to Amber, who apparently left the back door open.
***
Destiny Williams intercepted a pass and scored, Baylor up by one and she is shooting one.  She hits.  Griner is taking over.  We've missed a couple and Baylor now leads by 4.  Toni is shooting FTs....hits 2 and closes to 2 points.  Five minutes remain, we secure the ball and are down by two.  Toni hits another jumper and we are tied 60-60 with four minutes left.  This is an amazing game.
***
Amber is put back in the game, gets a crucial rebound and scores four points.  But she also misses the front end of a one and one.  We give up a basket and the score is tied again.  Tinkle get an O board and puts it away for a lead, then Griner scores to tied it again with a little over a minute left. 
***
Joslyn gets an inbound and scores.  Chiney gets a reverse layup.  Stanford by four.  Destiny Williams hits a 3.  Stanford ball, one point lead, under 30 seconds left....they foul Toni and Toni will shoot with 8 seconds left.  She hits just one.  2 point lead, Baylor gets to half court and calls time out with 4 seconds left.
***
Griner misses, Stanford wins, breaking Baylor's 42 game winning streak!  I am so proud of this team.....zounds!

[81alum]

No TV that I can find.  Listening to KZSU and watching Gametracker.  Actually, Gametracker does not seem to be working.

Tara is starting:

Chiney, Joslyn, Ruef, Kokenis, and Orrange. 

Interesting.  I presume Ruef is in there to help with the defense on Griner.

***
It is Baylor 9 Stanford 7 in the early going.  Chiney actually went around Griner twice for 4 of those points.  Then she hit her first 3 point shot of the season and we are up 10-9.  Amber hits a jump shot and now we are up 12-9.  Odyssey Sims injured her hamstring and seems to be out of the game :(
***
Stanford 20 Baylor 11.  Chiney is shooting the lights out with a couple of 3s!  Amber has fed a couple of back doors, one to Ruef.  A terrific start 10 minutes into the game.
***
Stanford's offense has slowed down a little, but Bonnie has played good scrappy defense and we are out rebounding the Baylor women 12-7.  We have gotten a couple of fouls setting screens--perhaps due to our switch to the pick and roll as a less familiar offense?  Now with about 5 minutes left in the half it is 27-15.
***
27-21 with Ruef shooting free throws.  The livestream is now up on the Stanford site.
***
Stanford has been fouling on Baylor penetration and the lead is dwindling as half approaches.  The lead dwindled to 1, then Taylor hits a 3!  Griner finally hits a two.  Stanford leads by two at the half 31-29
***
At the half, it seems that Stanford has figured out how to limit Griner to just 4 points and 3 rebounds, but this has left others open.  Baylor also is taking some time to adjust to the loss of their star point guard.  The last five minutes were not nearly as good for Stanford as the first fifteen.  Unless Tara figures out a way of changing that momentum the second half won't be pretty. 

But amazing to think how successful we have been for most of the first half.  We are 50% from 3, we are out rebounding them 17-13, Chiney is 4/7.  Stanford leads in large part because Baylor is shooting 1-11 from three. 

Bonnie picked up 3 fouls and Joslyn two.  That is a bit ominous.  We might need Bonnie's three point shooting before this is over.
***
Second half has started.  Griner looks more aggressive, she got a talking-to.  Toni makes a three.  The refs blow a call--call a shot clock violation after our ball hits the rim. 
***
37-33 with about 16 minutes left.  Toni Kokenis has been playing very well in the second half, with a three and a pretty drive to the basket that got her two free throws.
***
The Stanford offense has a lot of motion.  It definitely looks different than I am used to seeing.  The Stanford video feed is working--goes down every so often but it is better than nothing.  Taylor for 3!  Griner hits inside.  Griner hits again, cutting the lead to 1.
***
Griner is in sync offensively, after a terrible first half, scoring repeatedly over the last few minutes.  The good news is that Stanford's offense is heating up too and we managed a 5-0 run to get a lead up to 4 after Griner had tied it.
***
With 10 minutes left we are up by 4 but this is a tight game.  Will one side crumble?  Baylor has so much more to lose.....
***
Baylor is resting Griner with 9 minutes left.  Tara calls a time out, our defense did not seem to know what to do against a Griner-less Baylor offense and they got an easy back door.  Tara is talking intently to Amber, who apparently left the back door open.
***
Destiny Williams intercepted a pass and scored, Baylor up by one and she is shooting one.  She hits.  Griner is taking over.  We've missed a couple and Baylor now leads by 4.  Toni is shooting FTs....hits 2 and closes to 2 points.  Five minutes remain, we secure the ball and are down by two.  Toni hits another jumper and we are tied 60-60 with four minutes left.  This is an amazing game.
***
Amber is put back in the game, gets a crucial rebound and scores four points.  But she also misses the front end of a one and one.  We give up a basket and the score is tied again.  Tinkle get an O board and puts it away for a lead, then Griner scores to tied it again with a little over a minute left. 
***
Joslyn gets an inbound and scores.  Chiney gets a reverse layup.  Stanford by four.  Destiny Williams hits a 3.  Stanford ball, one point lead, under 30 seconds left....they foul Toni and Toni will shoot with 8 seconds left.  She hits just one.  2 point lead, Baylor gets to half court and calls time out with 4 seconds left.
***
Griner misses, Stanford wins, breaking Baylor's 42 game winning streak!  I am so proud of this team.....zounds!

[M T]

The web broadcast is on now.

[M T]

The web broadcast is on now.

[M T]

Oops..  It showed a few seconds of video but then goes back to the error.

25-11 right now!!

[M T]

Oops..  It showed a few seconds of video but then goes back to the error.

25-11 right now!!

[M T]

I've been watching it for a few minutes, so I guess the webcast is stable now.

[M T]

I've been watching it for a few minutes, so I guess the webcast is stable now.

[76lsjumb]

Hhhmmm... 

We went from AHEAD 25-11 to BEHIND 28-27 without Tara calling a timeout.  If this were Dawkins, people would be calling for his head right now...

[76lsjumb]

Hhhmmm... 

We went from AHEAD 25-11 to BEHIND 28-27 without Tara calling a timeout.  If this were Dawkins, people would be calling for his head right now...

[washingtonismoney]

Or if Dawkins were facing one of the top five in the country. Scuffling with one of the worst teams in the country is entirely different.

[washingtonismoney]

Or if Dawkins were facing one of the top five in the country. Scuffling with one of the worst teams in the country is entirely different.

[Griffins78]

I have it streaming but no audio. They have to show the scoreboard when play is stopped.

[Griffins78]

I have it streaming but no audio. They have to show the scoreboard when play is stopped.

[M T]

Is that the Bob-Barker-look-alike ref that was at one of our earlier games?  They weren't a good set of refs, but it is earlier in the season for them as well.

[M T]

Is that the Bob-Barker-look-alike ref that was at one of our earlier games?  They weren't a good set of refs, but it is earlier in the season for them as well.

[Griffins78]

They did it!

[Griffins78]

They did it!

[Griffins78]

71 to 69. Stanford Giant Killers!

Now for the Football team to bring down Oregon!

[Griffins78]

71 to 69. Stanford Giant Killers!

Now for the Football team to bring down Oregon!

[Cardinal96]

Wow.  I was able to catch the tail end of that game.  What an amazing game for Stanford.  Griner is such a dominant player for Baylor.  Our entire defense was keyed on limiting her production and it worked.  What a coaching job by Tara.

[Cardinal96]

Wow.  I was able to catch the tail end of that game.  What an amazing game for Stanford.  Griner is such a dominant player for Baylor.  Our entire defense was keyed on limiting her production and it worked.  What a coaching job by Tara.

[Viking_Guy]

Glenn--

They tossed it in for a turnaround shot by Griner, contested by Tinkle.  Missed and Chiney brought down the rebound.

VG

[Viking_Guy]

Glenn--

They tossed it in for a turnaround shot by Griner, contested by Tinkle.  Missed and Chiney brought down the rebound.

VG

[Spiny_Norman]

Great job, Stanford women!  A great team effort.  Some clutch plays in the last 2 minutes, especially a stellar out of bounds play for a layup with only a few seconds left on the shot clock.

Baylor had won 42 in a row, 5th longest in women's D1 history. 

[Spiny_Norman]

Great job, Stanford women!  A great team effort.  Some clutch plays in the last 2 minutes, especially a stellar out of bounds play for a layup with only a few seconds left on the shot clock.

Baylor had won 42 in a row, 5th longest in women's D1 history. 

[81alum]

What a stunning game.  Hard to believe they pulled that off, but Tara's new offense does seem to have worked.  Baylor will say, with some justification, that they had to compete with the catastrophic loss of Odyssey Sims early in the game.

We shot 7-14 from 3 and Baylor shot 2-14 from three.  That was a major difference, obviously.  If we had shot threes that well in the national semifinals last spring we would have won that game too.

We outrebounded them 35-27, amazing given they had Griner.

Toni was excellent in the second half and wound up with 15 points.  Amber was taken out during part of the second half but when she returned she sparked the team, got a clutch rebound, sank some jumpers. 

Chiney was steady throughout and led with 18 points.  But she did wind up with 4 fouls--which may explain why Griner became more effective late in the game.

Ruef led rebounds with 12!  She was a major help to the team and looked so much better than just a couple of games ago.

Taylor went 4/6 from three and was critical for our offense.

It wasn't Bonnie's day.  She played 11 minutes and picked up 3 fouls, she did have 5 rebounds but only one shot. 

We had 13 assists but 10 turnovers--Toni had 3 and Ruef had 3.  Baylor had only 3 total.  I'm sure Tara will dwell on turnovers when she talks to her team. 

I wonder if Tara is calculating how the win might breed overconfidence--she often says that teams learn more from early-season losses than early-season wins.  But given that we are learning to play without Nneka, I think the win is a much needed boost of confidence that we can win as a team with the new system.

Congrats to a fine team effort and the new offense!

[81alum]

What a stunning game.  Hard to believe they pulled that off, but Tara's new offense does seem to have worked.  Baylor will say, with some justification, that they had to compete with the catastrophic loss of Odyssey Sims early in the game.

We shot 7-14 from 3 and Baylor shot 2-14 from three.  That was a major difference, obviously.  If we had shot threes that well in the national semifinals last spring we would have won that game too.

We outrebounded them 35-27, amazing given they had Griner.

Toni was excellent in the second half and wound up with 15 points.  Amber was taken out during part of the second half but when she returned she sparked the team, got a clutch rebound, sank some jumpers. 

Chiney was steady throughout and led with 18 points.  But she did wind up with 4 fouls--which may explain why Griner became more effective late in the game.

Ruef led rebounds with 12!  She was a major help to the team and looked so much better than just a couple of games ago.

Taylor went 4/6 from three and was critical for our offense.

It wasn't Bonnie's day.  She played 11 minutes and picked up 3 fouls, she did have 5 rebounds but only one shot. 

We had 13 assists but 10 turnovers--Toni had 3 and Ruef had 3.  Baylor had only 3 total.  I'm sure Tara will dwell on turnovers when she talks to her team. 

I wonder if Tara is calculating how the win might breed overconfidence--she often says that teams learn more from early-season losses than early-season wins.  But given that we are learning to play without Nneka, I think the win is a much needed boost of confidence that we can win as a team with the new system.

Congrats to a fine team effort and the new offense!

[M T]

Congrats to Stanford!  I thought that we shouldn't have been rated as low as #4, considering what we had returning.  Now maybe the pollsters will pay a bit more attention to us.  I'm eager to see the stats later.  (I don't think Stanford is as good as it needs to be;  there's a lot to be improved.)

To listen to the KZSU announcer, Amber has somewhere north of 100 points and has stuffed Briner's shots.  What I've seen (1.5 games, not counting today's fuzzy video) of her play, it doesn't live up to what the announcer has portrayed her as.  She can be flashy, but seems to forget to play defense some of the time.  To my mind, Toni is still our best guard at both ends, by quite a bit.

Do others think Amber deserves the lion's share of compliments?  Is this a bias of this announcer that we'll have to put up with all season?  Or have I just been seeing nothing but her questionable plays?

A question:  If both Baylor and Stanford win out the rest of the regular season (a BIG IF), what do you think the rankings will be at that point?  Would they put Stanford #1, or ignore this game and put Baylor ahead of an unbeaten team that beat Baylor?  I'd bet they'd put Baylor #1, with the excuse/reason that Baylor played tougher teams after mid-January.  I'm very confident that if the two teams have the same record (say, having a single loss), they'll choose Baylor.

[M T]

Congrats to Stanford!  I thought that we shouldn't have been rated as low as #4, considering what we had returning.  Now maybe the pollsters will pay a bit more attention to us.  I'm eager to see the stats later.  (I don't think Stanford is as good as it needs to be;  there's a lot to be improved.)

To listen to the KZSU announcer, Amber has somewhere north of 100 points and has stuffed Briner's shots.  What I've seen (1.5 games, not counting today's fuzzy video) of her play, it doesn't live up to what the announcer has portrayed her as.  She can be flashy, but seems to forget to play defense some of the time.  To my mind, Toni is still our best guard at both ends, by quite a bit.

Do others think Amber deserves the lion's share of compliments?  Is this a bias of this announcer that we'll have to put up with all season?  Or have I just been seeing nothing but her questionable plays?

A question:  If both Baylor and Stanford win out the rest of the regular season (a BIG IF), what do you think the rankings will be at that point?  Would they put Stanford #1, or ignore this game and put Baylor ahead of an unbeaten team that beat Baylor?  I'd bet they'd put Baylor #1, with the excuse/reason that Baylor played tougher teams after mid-January.  I'm very confident that if the two teams have the same record (say, having a single loss), they'll choose Baylor.

[Cardinal96]

A question:  If both Baylor and Stanford win out the rest of the regular season (a BIG IF), what do you think the rankings will be at that point?  Would they put Stanford #1, or ignore this game and put Baylor ahead of an unbeaten team that beat Baylor?  I'd bet they'd put Baylor #1, with the excuse/reason that Baylor played tougher teams after mid-January.  I'm very confident that if the two teams have the same record (say, having a single loss), they'll choose Baylor.

We would be number 1 in that scenario without a doubt.  We would have beaten Baylor and UConn.

[Cardinal96]

A question:  If both Baylor and Stanford win out the rest of the regular season (a BIG IF), what do you think the rankings will be at that point?  Would they put Stanford #1, or ignore this game and put Baylor ahead of an unbeaten team that beat Baylor?  I'd bet they'd put Baylor #1, with the excuse/reason that Baylor played tougher teams after mid-January.  I'm very confident that if the two teams have the same record (say, having a single loss), they'll choose Baylor.

We would be number 1 in that scenario without a doubt.  We would have beaten Baylor and UConn.

[Griffins78]

I think the best indicator or Tara and her coaching staff's greatness was their defense. They have been one of the only teams in the country to be able to slow Brittney Griner and Baylor down. They did it in the FInal Four too. It was an effective strategy executed well by the team to limit Griner's touches and to take away what they wanted to do. The big difference in this game from the Final Four was we made our 3 point shots. This opened up the scoring AND the court so we go better looks and made them. I also saw some offensive tactics with our guards driving the lane and getting Griner to commit and then dishing it off to Chiney or one of our bigs crashing into the lane. It was effective in clearing a space nearer the basket for mid-range jumpers without Griner blocking the shot.

This Baylor team blew #5 Kentucky 85-51 just a few days ago.

[Griffins78]

I think the best indicator or Tara and her coaching staff's greatness was their defense. They have been one of the only teams in the country to be able to slow Brittney Griner and Baylor down. They did it in the FInal Four too. It was an effective strategy executed well by the team to limit Griner's touches and to take away what they wanted to do. The big difference in this game from the Final Four was we made our 3 point shots. This opened up the scoring AND the court so we go better looks and made them. I also saw some offensive tactics with our guards driving the lane and getting Griner to commit and then dishing it off to Chiney or one of our bigs crashing into the lane. It was effective in clearing a space nearer the basket for mid-range jumpers without Griner blocking the shot.

This Baylor team blew #5 Kentucky 85-51 just a few days ago.

[ceece]

The KZSU announcer didn't really say. Sims was guarding Amber and then ?? Was there contact, or just an awkward step?

Hope she recovers soon, but I can't say I missed her out there today.

[ceece]

The KZSU announcer didn't really say. Sims was guarding Amber and then ?? Was there contact, or just an awkward step?

Hope she recovers soon, but I can't say I missed her out there today.

[81alum]

For some perspective, we were 2-17 shooting from 3 point range against Baylor in the national semifinals.  7-14 today.  Three point shooting not only netted us a lot more points, but as has been pointed out, it also opened up the inside for drives, cuts, and backdoor plays--which we seemed better prepared to take advantage of with more team speed.

On the Amber vs. Toni comparison--I'd prefer to think of them as complementary.  Toni is more versatile and able to play either point or off guard, while Amber seems much more a pure point guard to me.  Amber's assist/turnover ratio was superb last year and late in the year she began to score too.  Toni faded late in the year as her three point shot went into a funk.  We need them both and our other guards to play well.

Today I thought they both looked terrific in the second half.  Tara was clearly very displeased with Amber's defense at one point when she allowed the back door cut, but Amber seemed poised and had 3 assists to 1 turnover.  Last spring against Baylor she had 0 assists and 3 total points, so today was a massive improvement compared with that game.  All the nerves were gone.  8 points and 3 assists against the national champions is not bad progress.

Toni had 15 points, 3 assists, and 3 turnovers today.  Last spring she had 9 points, 2 assists, and 2 turnovers.  She played better too.  Her cuts to the basket were aesthetically beautiful, and they earned her 6 free throws of which she made 5.  This was a very good day for Toni.  I do wonder what her illness was, which Tara said makes her "day to day."  I hope it is gone for good.

Of all the good things that so many players accomplished today, a soft spot in my heart goes to Mikaela Ruef.  4 offensive rebounds and 8 defensive rebounds while supplying some of the double and triple teams on Griner--after a year off.  Wonderful stuff. 

[81alum]

For some perspective, we were 2-17 shooting from 3 point range against Baylor in the national semifinals.  7-14 today.  Three point shooting not only netted us a lot more points, but as has been pointed out, it also opened up the inside for drives, cuts, and backdoor plays--which we seemed better prepared to take advantage of with more team speed.

On the Amber vs. Toni comparison--I'd prefer to think of them as complementary.  Toni is more versatile and able to play either point or off guard, while Amber seems much more a pure point guard to me.  Amber's assist/turnover ratio was superb last year and late in the year she began to score too.  Toni faded late in the year as her three point shot went into a funk.  We need them both and our other guards to play well.

Today I thought they both looked terrific in the second half.  Tara was clearly very displeased with Amber's defense at one point when she allowed the back door cut, but Amber seemed poised and had 3 assists to 1 turnover.  Last spring against Baylor she had 0 assists and 3 total points, so today was a massive improvement compared with that game.  All the nerves were gone.  8 points and 3 assists against the national champions is not bad progress.

Toni had 15 points, 3 assists, and 3 turnovers today.  Last spring she had 9 points, 2 assists, and 2 turnovers.  She played better too.  Her cuts to the basket were aesthetically beautiful, and they earned her 6 free throws of which she made 5.  This was a very good day for Toni.  I do wonder what her illness was, which Tara said makes her "day to day."  I hope it is gone for good.

Of all the good things that so many players accomplished today, a soft spot in my heart goes to Mikaela Ruef.  4 offensive rebounds and 8 defensive rebounds while supplying some of the double and triple teams on Griner--after a year off.  Wonderful stuff. 

[Yellowlab]

I apologize for not posting earlier, but I had no connectivity in Stan Sheriff Center, and thanks to Friday afternoon traffic on Honolulu we have just gotten back to our hotel room.

That was worth the trip!  I had very low expectations coming in, and Sims's injury does somewhat taint the victory, but that is a very senior Baylor team, with the nation's best player that Stanford just beat.

The center can hold over ten thousand people, and there were not quit that many people n attendance.  Despite the cavernous setting Stanford fan was in full voice... Kinda.  The players and coaches could hear us for sure, and I'm pretty sure the refs could too.  One ref in particular.

We were very surprised to see Ruef go out to jump ball versus Griner.  She gave BG a sheepish grin and a half hearted fist bump and then proceeded to play intense and effective defense albeit with help on every possession.  They didn't exactly neutralize BG, but it was amazing to see how well they defended her.  Ruef gets my game ball.  Big rebounds and good passing.  She had several hockey assists, when she made a pass to set up a pass to set up the shot.  She was just plain tough out there, and Stanford needed it, because Pope and Williams try to intimidate you too.  Ruef simply would not back down.  As the game went on Pope's body language deteriorated noticeably.

To start the game Chiney drives on BG and lays it in.  The crowd went as nuts as we could considering our numbers.  Then she faces up and buries a jumper.  Next she nails a three!  People are looking around at each other with a mixture of elation and disbelief.

Amber was very aggressive and kept attacking.  She showed no hesitation whether driving or shooting.  At times Stanford fan will prefer a little more hesitation, but it was still good to see her fearlessness.  I expected more from her when Sims went down, but Niya Johnson came off the bench and gave Baylor more than I thought she would.  She played tight defense and was aggressive on offense too.  Not as big a drop off as I thought there would've been.

Stanford's d was very impressive and the o looked great at the start.  For some reason Stanford switched to the over dribble the ball or pass it around the perimeter to no good effect offense.  Baylor got right back into the game.

Toni begin the second half in full attack mode.  It was great to see.  It was 60-60 with 3:54 left and Stanford fans were  reminding each other to breathe. 

What a finish!  Hard to say what the closing key was, but I might have to give Chiney the credit for her drive on BG and reverse lay up.

Two players deserve mention: Tinkle made some big plays, and Taylor greenfield hit some timely three pointers.  Both were able help defenders too.

The ebb and flo of this game made it impossible to relax.  Wbbfan and I intend to start now!

[Yellowlab]

I apologize for not posting earlier, but I had no connectivity in Stan Sheriff Center, and thanks to Friday afternoon traffic on Honolulu we have just gotten back to our hotel room.

That was worth the trip!  I had very low expectations coming in, and Sims's injury does somewhat taint the victory, but that is a very senior Baylor team, with the nation's best player that Stanford just beat.

The center can hold over ten thousand people, and there were not quit that many people n attendance.  Despite the cavernous setting Stanford fan was in full voice... Kinda.  The players and coaches could hear us for sure, and I'm pretty sure the refs could too.  One ref in particular.

We were very surprised to see Ruef go out to jump ball versus Griner.  She gave BG a sheepish grin and a half hearted fist bump and then proceeded to play intense and effective defense albeit with help on every possession.  They didn't exactly neutralize BG, but it was amazing to see how well they defended her.  Ruef gets my game ball.  Big rebounds and good passing.  She had several hockey assists, when she made a pass to set up a pass to set up the shot.  She was just plain tough out there, and Stanford needed it, because Pope and Williams try to intimidate you too.  Ruef simply would not back down.  As the game went on Pope's body language deteriorated noticeably.

To start the game Chiney drives on BG and lays it in.  The crowd went as nuts as we could considering our numbers.  Then she faces up and buries a jumper.  Next she nails a three!  People are looking around at each other with a mixture of elation and disbelief.

Amber was very aggressive and kept attacking.  She showed no hesitation whether driving or shooting.  At times Stanford fan will prefer a little more hesitation, but it was still good to see her fearlessness.  I expected more from her when Sims went down, but Niya Johnson came off the bench and gave Baylor more than I thought she would.  She played tight defense and was aggressive on offense too.  Not as big a drop off as I thought there would've been.

Stanford's d was very impressive and the o looked great at the start.  For some reason Stanford switched to the over dribble the ball or pass it around the perimeter to no good effect offense.  Baylor got right back into the game.

Toni begin the second half in full attack mode.  It was great to see.  It was 60-60 with 3:54 left and Stanford fans were  reminding each other to breathe. 

What a finish!  Hard to say what the closing key was, but I might have to give Chiney the credit for her drive on BG and reverse lay up.

Two players deserve mention: Tinkle made some big plays, and Taylor greenfield hit some timely three pointers.  Both were able help defenders too.

The ebb and flo of this game made it impossible to relax.  Wbbfan and I intend to start now!