UCLA has a chance at redemption against Stanford

Only six spots separate Stanford and UCLA in the women’s college basketball polls.

But is ninth-ranked UCLA really closing the gap with the third-ranked and perennially powerful Cardinal?

UCLA, under third-year Coach Nikki Caldwell, gets another chance to measure its progress Sunday when it plays host to Stanford at Pauley Pavilion.

“I told our players, ‘We’re a team right now that that has an opportunity in front of us to make something great happen,’ � Caldwell said Saturday.

At 22-2 overall and 12-1 in the Pacific 10 Conference, UCLA is off to its best start. But the Pac-10 loss was a 64-38 blowout by Stanford last month.

The Cardinal ended Connecticut’s record winning streak at 90 games in December and is making a run for a ninth Final Four appearance under Coach Tara VanDerveer.

Stanford beat USC on Friday night to improve to 23-2 and 14-0 in the Pac-10. But star forward Nnemkadi Ogwumike suffered a right ankle sprain that forced her to sit out most of the second half.

That might bode well for UCLA since the 6-foot-2 Ogwumike averages a team-best 16.3 points and 7.8 rebounds. The Cardinal, however, has plenty of firepower. Senior guard Jeanette Pohlen averages 16 points and Kayla Pedersen, a 6-4 senior forward, averages 12.8 points and 7.9 rebounds.

UCLA, coming off a victory over California on Friday night, has won 13 consecutive home games.

In the process, the Bruins have raised their national profile. But as Caldwell said, “We can’t stay there unless we’re competing in the end with teams that are already there.�

UCLA, like most teams, will have difficulty matching up with the Cardinal’s size.

At 6-feet, junior Jasmine Dixon is UCLA’s best inside threat. The former Long Beach Poly High standout, who transferred to UCLA from Rutgers before the 2010 season, averages 12.3 points and seven rebounds.

Senior guard Darxia Morris averages 12.5 points for the Bruins.

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