With only five games remaining in the regular season, the No. 6 Stanford women’s basketball team kicks off its final home stand tonight at 7 p.m. when it faces the University of Arizona. The Cardinal looks to extend its 10-game winning streak before meeting the conference’s other best teams in Arizona State and No. 9 California in back-to-back games.

Sophomore forward Jayne Appel highlighted the importance of the encounter with the Wildcats as the team hopes to keep its momentum going into the stretch run of the regular season.

“I think [the key is] setting up our own game going into the Pac-10 Tournament and going into the Cal game,” she said. “It’s really important that we get it going this weekend.”

Stanford (22-3, 11-2 Pac-10) also has eyes on the fact that the desert teams’ arrival marks the last regular season home games for senior guards Cissy Pierce and Candice Wiggins. Sophomore J.J. Hones said that this adds another dimension to the team’s focus.

“I think Thursday starts a very important weekend because it is senior night [Saturday’s game vs. Arizona State] and Candice and Cissy’s last home league games,” she said.

However, she added that this did not detract from the intensity with which Stanford prepared for Arizona (9-14, 3-9 Pac-10).

“Arizona has been doing well,” Hones said. “They’ve kept it close in recent games. They just played Arizona State to a 3-point game, and we only beat Arizona State by 4, so they’re going to come in looking for the upset.”

The Cardinal, though, will not yield easily. In the Jan. 17 meeting, Stanford beat the ‘Cats 89-64. Senior guard Ashley Whisonant powered Arizona’s offense with 17 points. She ranks behind only Wiggins in conference scoring with 16.3 ppg and will be the primary focus of the Cardinal backcourt defenders.

“The posts will be an advantage if Whisonant gets to the basket,” Hones said. “Jayne [Appel] is an amazing shot blocker, Kayla [Pedersen] can block shots and Morgan [Clyburn] can come in as an equally great shot-blocker. So I feel like our posts will help as a second line of defense in taking care of [Whisonant].”

This doesn’t mean that the forwards don’t have their own responsibilities. Arizona has more height inside than many of the Cardinal’s recent opponents, especially with forward Amina Njonkou averaging 13.5 points and 7.2 boards. Njonkou is joined by freshman forward Ify Ibekwe, who adds 7.9 rebounds per game.

Appel, though, is not concerned about being unprepared. She praised the high quality scouting by the coaching staff, adding that a win would come as long as Stanford followed its game plan.

“Our scouting should be good, especially [since it’s] the second time around,” Appel said. “We’ll be ready. We’re going to try to contain Amina and know exactly what she does. [The forwards] will also have to stay out of foul trouble, especially [in regards to] Whisonant. If [Whisonant] does beat our perimeter defense, then we’ll be there to have their back.”

Stanford’s bigs will have to manage the inside effort without key contributor Jillian Harmon. Harmon started 18 games, carrying an average of 7.6 points and 5.8 rebounds a game, before being sidelined for at least four weeks with a stress reaction in her right foot. The Cardinal’s depth was a huge factor in the last Arizona game, as Stanford’s bench outscored that of the Wildcats, 23-10. Appel said that Harmon’s absence will serve to encourage other members of the Cardinal squad to step in to and make up the difference.

“Coach [VanDerveer] describes Jill as [a] warrior type of player who you can always depend on,” Appel relayed. “It’s going to leave a space, definitely, that people will step into on our team.”

“Jill is just a great all-around player,” Hones agreed. “She always gets rebounds and she always hustles . . She’s always a solid force for us. Now other people are going to have to step up. I feel like everyone needs to rally and elevate their games.”

Appel and Pedersen should have no trouble handling Njonkou alone. In the last meeting with the Wildcats, the two had 16 and 22 points, respectively, along with a combined 20 boards. They helped the Card to outscore Arizona 48-22 in the paint, dominating the area under the basket.

Although every Pac-10 team is looking to hand Stanford a loss, the players are aware that most match-ups will come down to mental toughness, especially in the games that the Cardinal is expected to win handily.

“We just need to make sure that we’re not being lackadaisical or complacent,” Hones said.

“Arizona is very talented,” Appel added. “We just need to come out with the mentality of doing what Stanford does. I think it’s a game [in which] only we can stop ourselves.”