10:15 a.m., four hours before game-time and senior guard Krista Rappahahn was already on the Maples Pavilion three-point line. She was practicing her shot for Saturday’s match against California, but Rappahahn’s routine of attempting more than 100 three-pointers is nothing unusual for her — she does it almost every day.

As a rising top-notch scorer for the No. 14 Stanford women’s basketball team, Rappahahn averages around seven three-point attempts in an actual game. The hundreds she takes outside — the practice — pays off: whether it was with six total three-pointers against Cal, five against UCLA or one game-changing three against Oregon.

Rappahahn averages more than three three-pointers per game and has a .456 percentage, but what may be more amazing is that she’s still not satisfied

“I’m doing an okay job according to me,” Rappahahn said. “I’d like to shoot better than I am right now, and I think I can. My goal is to shoot 50 percent or better every game, and in the last two games I definitely haven’t been doing that. I’ve been close, but I’m not there.”

Many of Rappahahn’s teammates attribute her success to this attitude. With a strong work ethic and enthusiasm, Rappahahn has come to the forefront of the Cardinal squad in her senior year, averaging more than 25 minutes of playing time and more than 10 points.

“I’m so proud of her,” sophomore guard Candice Wiggins said. “I think her story is incredible: how someone can be supportive for all these years and now step up this year and be one of our key players.”

Rappahahn is humble about her performance this season, but enjoys the role she has obtained after heavy shooters Susan Borchardt and Kelley Suminski graduated and left the Cardinal.

“It’s really exciting to be out there because my three years before this I had tremendous players in front of me,” she said. “I give them tons of credit for helping me develop into the player that I am, but being out there this year is just incredibly exciting for me.”

Rather than working to get on the court, Rappahahn now has to work to stay on it. With numbers and a shot like hers, head coach Tara VanDerveer says she will bench Rappahahn if she doesn’t keep taking her open shots.

“What I tell Krista is ‘keep shooting or you’re coming out,’” VanDerveer said.

Rappahahn’s teammates have also followed suit to give her as many openings as possible. On the court, it’s all about getting the ball to “Rapp,” according to VanDerveer’s orders.

“We all trust Rapp to knock down shots,” sophomore guard Candice Wiggins said. “When I’m in transition, coming down the court, I just think ‘Rapp — find Rapp,’ and almost every time you find her, it’s an instant three.”

Rappahahn specifically credits Wiggins and junior center Brooke Smith for getting her open, ball in hand, but the whole team has been supportive in providing her with as many opportunities as possible for a shot from the outside.

“This has been her most productive season by a huge margin,” freshman guard Rosalyn Gold-Onwude said. “She’s stepping up, she’s going to make it worthwhile and we’re going to try to make it happen for her.”

For Rappahahn, though, there’s more to making a three than getting the chance for it. What takes her just a couple seconds on the court follows hours of preparation, before, during and after practice. Of course, proper footwork, a high release and strong follow-through are all important to Rappahahn’s shot, but the years of coaching and advice from her mother have made practice, and not technique, the most crucial.

“I think most of it is muscle memory,” Rappahahn said. “You take so many shots in practice, and the shots you take in a game are just a small fraction of that which you take in practice.”

In addition, shooting for practice and shooting for the win are different, so Rappahahn has to prepare herself mentally for the heat of the game and moment.

“You start playing mind games and put all this pressure on yourself [on the court],” she said. “You think ‘I got a wide-open three. Am I going to make this shot?’ But really, the most effective way is to just catch and shoot. You’ve done it thousands of times — just catch the ball and shoot it.”

Wiggins, who has also shown a strong three-point shot (seven against Cal), understands how crucial confidence is and how well Rappahahn is able to handle it.

“You just have to keep shooting and keep being confident, and I think Rapp does a really good job of that, not getting discouraged and not getting down,” Wiggins said.

Rappahahn admits she does get frustrated at times with any misses, but when she does make a three, which is often, she’s happy to have fulfilled her role and contributed to the team.

“When I make a shot it’s like, ‘That’s it. I did my job,’” Rappahahn said. “That’s how it’s supposed to be.”