Women continue play at Alaskan Shootout today

The Stanford women’s basketball team will soon find that there’s more than one meaning to the phrase “cold turkey.” Over Thanksgiving break, the Cardinal (2-0) will continue participation in the Alaska Shootout tournament, following up yesterday’s first-round 91-50 demolishing of Eastern Washington with a game against ULL.

Freshman guard Candice Wiggins led the Cardinal against the Eagles with 18 points and five steals while junior center Brooke Smith finished with 17 points. Though the game was close in the opening minutes, Smith’s free throws spurred a 11-0 run that secured a Stanford win.

The young players on the Cardinal team have stepped up in the early games. Freshman Cissy Pierce has been an asset on the defensive end of the floor with a team-high five steals, and Wiggins has been phenomenal in her first two games, scoring 24 and 15 points. Wiggins was the team leader in scoring for both games, and her 24 points in the effort against Utah helped stave off a feisty Utes team in the last minutes.

“I’m pretty new at this college game so I’m not really sure what kind of pressure we were under,” Wiggins said at the conclusion of the Utah game. “I’m kind of bright eyed and bushy tailed right now.”

Head coach Tara VanDerveer added: “[Candice is] really a phenom. I think a lot of it really is her competitive desire. She has great poise. She’s something. We’re excited about that.”

The talented freshman class of the Cardinal is complemented by the veteran savvy of several returning players from last year’s Pac-10 Champion and Elite-Eight team. When senior guard Susan King Borchardt returns from a foot injury, the Cardinal will boast a formidable freshman-senior tandem in the backcourt in Borchardt and Wiggins.

Senior Kelley Suminski, an instrumental player in last year’s high achieving team, is also expected to be a big factor this season.

Eastern Washington (0-1) lost a close game against Cal State Northridge, 69-66 in its first game of the season. The Eagles have no standout or specific superstar on their roster but believe they can do without one. Eastern Washington finished 13-16 overall and 5-8 in the Big Sky Conference last year.

On paper the Eagles were no match for the Cardinal last night. That proved to be true, as Stanford held a 20-point lead at halftime.

Now that the Cardinal have fulfilled expectations and disposed of Eastern Washington, they will move on to face the Ragin’ Cajuns of ULL (3-0). The Cajuns handled Alaska-Anchorage in the first game of the Alaska Shootout tournament, 88-48. The Cajuns were led by talented junior guard Ashley Blanche who scored a career high 20 points and dished out six assists in 28 minutes of play.

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By Antardeb Guharay