USD WOMEN'S BASKETBALL: NCAAs have Pac-10 feel for Toreros

USD draws first-round game against Cal at Stanford

By TOM SHANAHAN - For The North County Times | Tuesday, March 18, 2008 6:35 PM PDT ∞

SAN DIEGO ---- Play it again, USD. One day after the University of San Diego hosted a gathering for its men's basketball team to watch the NCAA tournament selection show, the school staged a similar on-campus event for its tournament-bound women's team, this time with the men's team watching as the women waited for their name to be called.

And just like the men, the women on Monday leapt to their feet like children once "San Diego" appeared on the television screen in the bracket opposite California.

The Toreros (19-12), seeded 14th, will face third seeded and 10th-ranked Cal (26-5), Saturday at approximately 1:30 p.m. on ESPN2 at Stanford's Maples Pavilion. The matchup is part of the Greensboro Regional.

"Everyone is excited that we'll be playing in the West Coast, no matter who it's against," USD women's coach Cindy Fisher said. "Everyone probably except Ky."

That would be Ky Snyder, the USD athletic director, whose objective now is to attend NCAA tournament games on opposite coasts on consecutive days. The Toreros men play Connecticut on Friday afternoon in Tampa, Fla.

But it's a good problem to have for a school that had never previously sent both its men's and women's team to the NCAA tournament in the same season.

"The beauty of this is we can start breaking down film now that we know who we're going to play," said senior point guard Amanda Rego. "I couldn't sleep, waiting all week. But now we know we're playing at Stanford, and friends and family can come see us play."

USD earned an automatic bid by winning the West Coast Conference tournament following a third-place finish in the WCC regular season.

Cal was the runner-up to No. 4-ranked Stanford in both the Pac-10 regular season and conference tournament. The Golden Bears lost to Stanford three times, including a 56-35 setback in the tournament final.

"They're an athletic team with a lot players from California, so we've seen them in (club tournaments during the recruiting offseason) and know a little more about them than we would an East Coast team," Fisher said. "They're going to be a tough opponent, but at this point anybody is a tough opponent."

The Bears' best player is 6-foot-1 post player Ashley Walker. She led the team in scoring (15.0 points per game) and the Pac-10 in rebounding (9.3 per game). In addition to first-team All-Pac-10 honors, Walker was a second-team Sports Illustrated All-American.

Devanei Hampton, a 6-3 forward/center, joined Walker as a first-team All-Pac-10 pick, and Alexis Gray-Lawson, a 5-8 guard, was named second-team All-Pac-10. Hampton averaged 13.6 points and 8.2 rebounds, and Gray-Lawson 11.7 points.

USD played one Pac-10 team this year, defeating UCLA 63-57 on Dec. 8 at Jenny Craig Pavilion. UCLA finished tied for fourth in the Pac-10 and lost twice to Cal (73-70 in overtime and 67-53).

One player Cal would like to have, but doesn't, is Amber Sprague, USD's 6-5 junior center.

The team's leading scorer turned down Cal, among other Pac-10 schools, as a Mission Bay High student to play for the Toreros.

"They're a really good team that did well in the Pac-10," Sprague said. "We're going to have to bring it."

Comment at sports.nctimes.com.

First name only. Comments including last names, contact addresses, e-mail addresses or phone numbers will be deleted. Attempts to misrepresent your identity or impersonate any person will not be approved. All comments are screened before they appear online, so please keep them brief. Comments reflect the views of those commenting and not necessarily those of the North County Times or its staff writers. Click here to view additional comment policies.