Jump sets a record

 

Hannah's Mom celebrates her daughter!

Round #1: Stanford 92 - SHU 49

 

            Stanford took the floor for the first round of the NCAA Tournament without All-American Cameron Brink.  As one of the ESPN Analysts said in the half-time show, "No Cameron Brink, no problem."  Stanford had too much talent and too much height for a gallant but over-matched Sacred Heart team.

          SHU scored the game's first basket and played the CARD basically even for the first eight-and-a-half minutes. But by the end of the first quarter the CARD was up by five. Defense ruled for the first four minutes of the second quarter, with Stanford's first basket not coming until nearly three-and-a-half minutes had passed.  But once Haley Jones took the lid off the basket, scoring on a beautiful pass from Talana Lepolo, the CARD was off to the races, scoring 22 points in the quarter while holding SHU to only 8. By the end of the first half, Haley had 17 points -- on seven of ten from the floor including several highlight reel layups.

 

            Stanford dominated in all areas - rebounds, scoring percentage, assists, steals, blocks, and points-in-the-paint. But a big part of what allowed the CARD to run away with the game was turning up the defensive intensity.  Sacred Heart got here by turning teams over and scoring off those turnovers.  But in this game, Stanford only turned the ball over seven times (resulting in four SHU points) while scoring 19 points off SHU's 11 turnovers. The only stat category where Sacred Heart came out ahead was free-throw percentage. Without Cam's nearly perfect contributions from the charity stripe, Stanford regressed to a 57% mark. 

 

            One of the big side moments of the first half was Hannah Jump's three-pointer with three seconds left, assisted by Talana.  Hannah's two three-pointers in the first quarter had moved her into a tie with Karly Samuelson and Jeanette Pohlen for the three-pointers in a season.  That buzzer beater gave Hannah 97 for  the year and sole possession of the season record.  Another big moment came when Sacred Heart star 5'3" Ny'Ceara Pryor thought she had a layup and Lauren Betts just stuffed the ball. Pryor went down and the ball went out of bounds off her. 

 

            With the game under control, all available players were able to get minutes on the floor. Only point guards Talana and Indya Nivar played more than 20 minutes -- 23 for Talana and 21 for Indya. Additionally, five players (Haley, Hannah, Fran, Indya, and Lauren) scored in double-figures while Kiki Iriafen and Elena Bosgana both had nine.  Twelve players participated in pulling down Stanford's 57 rebounds, with only Fran reaching double figures in rebounds, part of the CARD's only double-double for the game. Ten CARD players recorded assists, led by Talana's seven assists with no turnovers!  Hopefully this team win has the CARD ready to make a run in the tournament.

 

Next Up: Ol' Miss

 

            It is unlikely that Stanford's next game will be as easy.  Eighth seed Ol' Miss dominated nineth seed Gonzaga, winning 71-48.  That margin suggests that Ol' Miss is seriously under seeded.  This is, after all, the other team that has taken South Carolina to overtime!  They are fast, physical, and aggressive.  They play the type of physical defense that can give the CARD trouble.  They play team basketball.  In the win over Gonzaga, nine of the ten players who entered the game scored.  Stanford's size and talent should be enough to carry the day -- but it promises to be an intense game.  How the CARD handle this matchup may tell us a lot about how the tournament will go.  

 

            See you SUNDAY.  Let's show up big to cheer the Funky Four in their last game at Maples!!! ESPN has the game at 6:30!