Big game, big Tinkle reunion
The Stanford women, ranked No. 1 for the first time since 2005, are coming to Spokane on Sunday afternoon for their latest game with new West Coast power Gonzaga. The teams will meet for the fifth time in four years, but this year's installment has a bonus feature. Stanford senior forward Joslyn Tinkle will play for the first time against her sister, freshman guard Elle of Gonzaga. Read story
Elle Tinkle said she'll need to get accustomed to identifying her sister Joslyn as a rival.
"It's going to be obviously extremely different and something that it's going to take some time getting used to, seeing her as the person I'm competing against," Elle said.
Elle expects the sisters' demeanor will go back to normal after the game.
"Once the buzzer goes off to start the game, then I think we'll have our competitive nature come out, but at the end of game it will be all in high spirits, I think," she said.
Since Joslyn is a forward and Elle plays guard, they'll often be in opposite spots on the court.
"We both have kind of similar ways of seeing the game, but her strengths and my strengths aren't necessarily the same," she said.
The sellout crowd will be sprinkled with friends, family and Montanans who wish the sisters well.
"We both know already that we just have tremendous support from Missoula, especially, and even in Spokane I've found out that we have so many fans and people just dedicated to this program," she said.
Elle said selecting Gonzaga as her college has given her benefits as a player.
"I think we're just really fortunate right now that we have that opportunity (to play the nation's No. 1 team), because most programs across the nation rarely have the chance to play teams that are in the top 25, top 10," she said.
