Nnemkadi Ogwumike

With the top overall pick in the WNBA draft the Sparks selected Nnemkadi Ogwumike on Monday. Ogwumike, a 6-foot-2 forward from Stanford, led her team this season to a No. 1 regional seeding and a fourth straight Final Four appearance while averaging 22.5 points and 10.2 rebounds. Ogwumike is expected to have an immediate impact on the Sparks, who finished last season with a 15-19 record and missed the playoffs for the fourth time in franchise history. "I just want to come in and contribute," Ogwumike told ESPN2.

With the top overall pick in the WNBA draft the Sparks selected Nnemkadi Ogwumike on Monday. Ogwumike, a 6-foot-2 forward from Stanford, led her team this season to a No. 1 regional seeding and a fourth straight Final Four appearance while averaging 22.5 points and 10.2 rebounds. Ogwumike is expected to have an immediate impact on the Sparks, who finished last season with a 15-19 record and missed the playoffs for the fourth time in franchise history. "I just want to come in and contribute," Ogwumike told ESPN2.

When Sparks General Manager Penny Toler learned last fall her team had landed the top overall pick in Monday's WNBA draft, she jumped and laughed. "I was real surprised," said Toler, whose team had a sparse 104 chances out of 1,000 to receive the first overall selection, the fewest of any of the four teams in the lottery mix. It was much-needed good fortune for a team that has recently teetered toward the unlucky. Superstar Candace Parker has missed more than half of the Sparks' games over the last two seasons because of injury, playing in 27 of 68 regular-season games.

When Sparks General Manager Penny Toler learned last fall her team had landed the top overall pick in Monday's WNBA draft, she jumped and laughed. "I was real surprised," said Toler, whose team had a sparse 104 chances out of 1,000 to receive the first overall selection, the fewest of any of the four teams in the lottery mix. It was much-needed good fortune for a team that has recently teetered toward the unlucky. Superstar Candace Parker has missed more than half of the Sparks' games over the last two seasons because of injury, playing in 27 of 68 regular-season games.

Step 2 has been completed by the Stanford women's basketball team. The Cardinal breezed through the Pac-12 Conference regular season and completed a three-day run through the conference tournament with a 77-62 victory over California on Saturday at Staples Center. Now comes the hard work. The second-ranked Cardinal, which has been to four consecutive Final Fours and won the national title in 2010, will see its path in the NCAA tournament on Monday. "I think, at this point, it is obvious what we'd like to achieve," senior forward Nnemkadi Ogwumike said.

USC hopes to stage an historic run in the Pacific Life Pac-10 Conference women's basketball tournament. The Trojans, seeded fifth, would like to join Arizona State and UCLA as the only teams other than seven-time champion Stanford to win the 10th annual event. USC opens its quest Wednesday against eighth-seeded Washington State at the Galen Center. Top-seeded Stanford and second-seeded UCLA earned byes into Friday's semifinals at Staples Center. The format will allow teams such as third-seeded Arizona State (19-9)

MEN St. Mary's 74, at Pepperdine 45: The Gaels dominated, scoring 30 points from behind the three-point line on 10-for-23 shooting to the Waves' zero and outrebounding Pepperdine 40-29. Matthew Dellavedova led St. Mary's with 16 points, and Jorden Page and Stephen Holt added 14 each. Jordan Baker had 14 points and Taylor Darby 10 for the Waves (7-6, 1-1 West Coast), who shot 37%. The Gaels (13-2, 2-0) never trailed. Loyola Marymount 77, at San Francisco 76: Anthony Ireland drove for a layup with 1.6 seconds left in overtime, giving the Lions a wild victory.

Even Stanford playing poorly was plenty good enough. The Cardinal will be playing for its sixth consecutive conference championship when Stanford meets California on Saturday in the title game of the Pacific Life Pac-12 women's basketball tournament at Staples Center. Despite its worst shooting of the season, Stanford defeated Arizona State, 52-43, Friday for its school-record-tying 27 t h consecutive win this season and 77 t h straight against a conference opponent.

For Stanford, the Pacific Life Pac-12 Conference women's basketball tournament is once again a dress rehearsal for the big dance later this month. The tournament atmosphere, with its neutral site — Galen Center for the first two rounds beginning Wednesday, Staples Center for the final two — and its lose-and-you're-done format, will help prepare the No. 2-ranked Cardinal for the NCAA tournament, which begins March 17 and for which it will probably...

Rk. Team Rec. Result Next 1. CONNECTICUT 19-0 d. Villanova, 74-35 Rutgers, Tuesday Maya Moore scores 24 points and pulls down eight rebounds. 2. STANFORD 17-1 d. Oregon, 100-80 Arizona State, Thursday Nnemkadi Ogwumike sets school's single-game rebounding record with 23. 3. TENNESSEE 16-2 Did not play at No. 18 LSU, today 4. NOTRE DAME 16-1 Did not play No. 16 West Virginia, today 5. OHIO STATE 20-1 Did not play at Purdue, Monday 6. DUKE 16-3 Did not play at Maryland, today 7. NEBRASKA 17-0 d. Kansas State, 71-56 at Texas Tech, Wednesday Kelsey Griffin leads with 22 points; Yvonne Turner has six three-pointers.

Step 2 has been completed by the Stanford women's basketball team. The Cardinal breezed through the Pac-12 Conference regular season and completed a three-day run through the conference tournament with a 77-62 victory over California on Saturday at Staples Center. Now comes the hard work. The second-ranked Cardinal, which has been to four consecutive Final Fours and won the national title in 2010, will see its path in the NCAA tournament on Monday. "I think, at this point, it is obvious what we'd like to achieve," senior forward Nnemkadi Ogwumike said.

Even Stanford playing poorly was plenty good enough. The Cardinal will be playing for its sixth consecutive conference championship when Stanford meets California on Saturday in the title game of the Pacific Life Pac-12 women's basketball tournament at Staples Center. Despite its worst shooting of the season, Stanford defeated Arizona State, 52-43, Friday for its school-record-tying 27 t h consecutive win this season and 77 t h straight against a conference opponent.

USC needed a win or two in the Pacific Life Pac-12 Conference women's basketball tournament to bolster its slim postseason hopes. But after a 69-55 loss to Washington State during Thursday's quarterfinal round at the Galen Center, USC's chances of making the NCAA tournament were downgraded to hopeless. Measured by seeding differential, the third-seeded Trojans' loss to the 11th-seeded Cougars marked the biggest upset in tournament history, besting the 2002 upset by seventh-seeded Oregon against second-seeded Washington.

For Stanford, the Pacific Life Pac-12 Conference women's basketball tournament is once again a dress rehearsal for the big dance later this month. The tournament atmosphere, with its neutral site — Galen Center for the first two rounds beginning Wednesday, Staples Center for the final two — and its lose-and-you're-done format, will help prepare the No. 2-ranked Cardinal for the NCAA tournament, which begins March 17 and for which it will probably...

MEN St. Mary's 74, at Pepperdine 45: The Gaels dominated, scoring 30 points from behind the three-point line on 10-for-23 shooting to the Waves' zero and outrebounding Pepperdine 40-29. Matthew Dellavedova led St. Mary's with 16 points, and Jorden Page and Stephen Holt added 14 each. Jordan Baker had 14 points and Taylor Darby 10 for the Waves (7-6, 1-1 West Coast), who shot 37%. The Gaels (13-2, 2-0) never trailed. Loyola Marymount 77, at San Francisco 76: Anthony Ireland drove for a layup with 1.6 seconds left in overtime, giving the Lions a wild victory.

USC hopes to stage an historic run in the Pacific Life Pac-10 Conference women's basketball tournament. The Trojans, seeded fifth, would like to join Arizona State and UCLA as the only teams other than seven-time champion Stanford to win the 10th annual event. USC opens its quest Wednesday against eighth-seeded Washington State at the Galen Center. Top-seeded Stanford and second-seeded UCLA earned byes into Friday's semifinals at Staples Center. The format will allow teams such as third-seeded Arizona State (19-9)

USC needed a win or two in the Pacific Life Pac-12 Conference women's basketball tournament to bolster its slim postseason hopes. But after a 69-55 loss to Washington State during Thursday's quarterfinal round at the Galen Center, USC's chances of making the NCAA tournament were downgraded to hopeless. Measured by seeding differential, the third-seeded Trojans' loss to the 11th-seeded Cougars marked the biggest upset in tournament history, besting the 2002 upset by seventh-seeded Oregon against second-seeded Washington.

Based strictly on the margin of defeat, UCLA's women's basketball team narrowed the gap with Stanford on Sunday at Pauley Pavilion. Ninth-ranked UCLA's 67-53 loss to the third-ranked Cardinal was not as bad as the 26-point blowout suffered by the Bruins last month. But with the Pacific 10 Conference and NCAA tournaments looming in March, Sunday's result was another reminder that the Bruins have a long way to go before they can join the nation's elite. "When you want to play with the big dogs, your big dogs have to show up," UCLA Coach Nikki Caldwell said after watching Stanford pull away in the second half.