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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

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Lots of news in women’s basketball

BYU's Mindy Bonham (22) fouls Gonzaga's Claire Raap (35) in the first half Tuesday, Dec. 21, 2010 in the McCarthey Athletic Center. (Colin Mulvany / The Spokesman-Review)
BYU's Mindy Bonham (22) fouls Gonzaga's Claire Raap (35) in the first half Tuesday, Dec. 21, 2010 in the McCarthey Athletic Center. (Colin Mulvany / The Spokesman-Review)

It’s a fun time in women’s basketball with Spokane on the edge of the excitement, three months before two weekends of the NCAA Tournament is going to be here.

The UConn juggernaut continues to roll … winning its 88th straight on Tuesday, led by Maya Moore, who squared off against the Spokane Stars several times a few summers back.

Stanford coach Tara VanDerveer is likely to win her 800th game tonight … and mentioned one of the memorable wins came in Spokane.

U-Hi grad Angie Bjorklund could become Tennessee’s all-time leader in 3-pointers tonight … she’s four short of the record.

And Gonzaga (and Claire Rapp in the Colin Mulvany photo above) is finding its form … rolling feature league rival BYU 91-64 on Tuesday. As junior forward Kelly Bowen said, “I think we’re nearly there. Coach said that’s the best he’s seen us play. … If we’re not there right now, we’re pretty close.”

There’s more.

The Gonzaga game is here (a little longer version than the one that made today's  paper), Eastern Washington dropped a close one at Oregon State and Washington State fell at San Diego State. VanDerveer’s comments were part of our weekly notebook. GU, by the way, is No. 5 in the ESPN Mid-Major rankings.

 

Heck, we could even mention Duke's taught win over Xavier in a No. 3-No. 4 showdown, since Gonzaga and Xavier have squared off in the last two NCAA tournaments.

 

As for the UConn streak ....

 

The Huskies passed the UCLA men’s teams of the 1970’s for the longest NCAA Division I basketball winning streak. Those aren’t necessarily comparable, men vs. women, then vs. now.

 

But sports is all about comparing and lists. Ever heard of the Top 10 stories of 2010? Can you compare Brett Farve, Dan Marino, Johnny U. and Y.A.?

 

Whatever your view, kudos to the Huskies. Can’t wait to watch the UConn at Stanford game next week – the Cardinals are the last team to beat the Huskies, in the semifinals of the 2008 Final Four, the game after that memorable game in Spokane.

 

There are a lot of places to read different takes on the Huskies, starting at ESPN.com and here (which should keep you reading until Christmas), plus Pat Summitt's comment.

 

It would be nice to read your thoughts, if only so I know the blog is being read and is a worthwhile endeavor for the time it takes. And it has become obvious that keeping up is getting harder and harder (this isn't my only duty), so if you have a daughter, niece, granddaughter or friend playing, share their exploits.

 

Though the Bulldogs and Idaho have games on Thursday, this is likely the final post of the week, uncless Bjorklund breaks a record tonight, then I might troll around for a story to share with you tomorrow.

 

I’ll be back after Christmas when Gonzaga has the critical game against Notre Dame in Seattle and the Cougars start Pac-10 play.

Have a Merry Christmas.



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