* UTC at No. 12 Stanford
* Maples Pavilion in Stanford, Calif.
* Today at 10 p.m.
* Radio: 96.1 FM
UTC (8-4)
Starters: Ht. Pts.
G Alicia Payne 5-9 6.3
G Nakeia Burks 5-10 4.3
G Keiana Gilbert 5-11 12.3
G Moses Johnson 5-10 5.9
F Jasmine Joyner 6-2 12.4
Key reserves:
G Queen Alford 5-9 6.3
F Ansley Chilton 6-3 3.0
Stanford (9-2)
Starters: Ht. Pts.
G Lili Thompson 5-7 17.7
G Briana Roberson 5-7 9.1
G Karlie Samuelson 6-0 9.7
F Kaylee Johnson 6-0 3.6
F Erica McCall 6-0 14.1
Key reserves:
G Brittany McPhee 6-0 5.3
F Alanna Smith 6-3 7.5
Stanford report
The perennial powerhouse Cardinal are ranked 11th by the coaches and 12th by The Associated Press. Thompson is a playmaker at point guard, averaging 5.1 assists per game, while McCall averages 10.5 rebounds and almost two blocks per contest. The staple of this team has been its defense – opponents have shot 21 percent (27-of-130) in the past two games.
Key matchup
The Mocs don’t have the playmakers on the perimeter they had a season ago, when they hit seven 3-pointers in an eight-point win over the Cardinal. As a result, the ball movement is going to have to be crisp, and UTC is going to have to take good shots with time running low on the shot clock when possible. In the event of misses, the Mocs could have some success crashing the boards – opponents have rebounded 35 percent of their missed shots against Stanford.
– Gene Henley