Riverside Is No Big West Pushover

At the beginning of the season, Big West opponents no doubt were eagerly anticipating their games against UC Riverside, a new kid on the block in the conference and playing a Division I schedule for only the second season.

Not anymore.

Going into the final two weeks of conference play, the Highlanders, 13-10 overall, are sandwiched between first-place Santa Barbara and third-place Long Beach State. Those are the only teams they have lost to in 12 conference games.

“We had some confidence of being competitive within the conference,” Coach Jennifer Young said. “We beat Fullerton and Northridge last year. But being second is a pleasant surprise.”

Young has six seniors, including leading scorer Amy Houchens, who is averaging 15.6 points overall, Crystal Harris, who is averaging 12.2 points in conference, and Starr Knight, whose 6.4 rebounding average leads the team. “They all provide a tremendous amount of leadership,” Young said.

But the most important factor has been health. Young said this is the first time in the last three seasons her team has been virtually intact all season.

Case in point: Center Stephanie Hughes missed 15 games last season when she sustained a fractured right eye socket during practice a week before the season started. This season, Hughes, a senior averaging 8.3 points and 4.7 rebounds, has missed only two games.

Young has been hard on the Highlanders, insisting they approach every game “like it was a championship game.”

“We have to bring our best every night,” she said.

The question remains whether Riverside has enough energy and emotional fortitude to continue its winning ways through the rest of the conference season and the Big West tournament (March, 6, 8-9 at the Anaheim Convention Center).

But, as Young pointed out, “this is all new to us--[being in] the [Division I] conference. Every game takes a lot out of us, and right now the success is hard to enjoy. But I have a talented squad. We’re on a mission to continue our success. And I think the teams we’ve played the second time realize we’re not a fluke.”

*

A Stanford sweep of UCLA and USC in Los Angeles this week would mark the fourth time the Cardinal has gone unbeaten in conference games. The Cardinal, which last week clinched the No. 1 seeding for the first women’s Pac-10 tournament (March 1-4 at Oregon’s McArthur Court), went 18-0 in the 1988-89, 1995-96 and 1996-97 seasons.

Stanford is the only school to go unbeaten in conference since the women’s Pac-10 was formed 16 seasons ago and has finished first 11 times.

On the flip side, Washington State has two final shots to avoid being the first Pac-10 school to go winless in a conference season.

The Cougars, who at times have had a lineup including four freshmen, are guaranteed their worst season since entering Division I in 1971. They are mired in a school-record 21-game losing streak, and have lost 19 consecutive Pac-10 games. They have lost 14 games this season by 20 or more points.

“For me, in my career, nothing is comparable to this season,” said Coach Jenny Przekwas, whose team finishes the regular season at home against Oregon and Oregon State. “But we’re not focusing on next year; we’re just trying to figure out how to get some success this year. It helps to have a life and some positive things outside basketball.”

Unlike the men’s Pac-10 tournament, all 10 schools will participate in the women’s conference tournament.