Buffalo was a tournament team last year and I see no reason why they won't be against this year. Tough and scrappy, they weren't intimidated by playing the number three team in the country. Here are some random thoughts and observations:

Attendance is still sparse. Intro music uninspiring. The refs forgot to get a ball for the game and Amy had to fetch one for them during player introductions. Mikaela is out of her boot while Maya is not. Did you get your flu shot? Apparently Stanford forgot to get their free throw-itis shots. Shooting below 50% is going to come back to haunt them.

Lexie lead the way with 21 points and uptempo defense. Kiana had a quiet 14 points and 7 assists. Ashten recorded her first double double with 17 points and 10 rebounds. She was a force in the middle with blocks and assists. Hannah and Hailey both had solid games. Different players are contributing each game. What is emerging is a team that will present the opposition with difficult choices on what to take away or defend.

The turnovers are still problematic but not surprising given a young team learning to play together. They're young because Nadia is nine months from knee surgery and limited. DiJonai is still ramping up to speed from surgery this past summer. Maya is out. That Nadia is playing is a credit to her but she wouldn't be if Maya were healthy. This is going to put Ashten under more pressure to learn collegiate level defense faster. To that end, Stanford did spend some time in a 2/3 zone.

The Victoria Tournament is next with Cal Baptist up first. If the chalk holds, Syracuse and MS State follow.

Go Card!