Plum leaves opponents befuddled

career and single-season scoring records this season. Schaefer is the next coach who will try to devise a plan to slow Plum when his Bulldogs face the Huskies on Friday in the Sweet 16.

If it’s any consolation, those who play with Plum most often — her teammates — don’t have answers for her unorthodox game, either. She has a lightning-quick lefthanded release on deep shots, but she can dribble and finish easily with either hand. Though she’s just 5-foot-8, she has an array of different ways to score in the paint.

“It’s definitely not easy,” Washington guard Aarion McDonald said of practice. “Kelsey is a crafty player, so she always keeps us on our toes. One minute, we might stop her, but next time down, she gets us back. So we’re like, ‘How do we guard her?”’

Plum is averaging 31.8 points per game this season with a high game of 57 points. Washington guard Natalie Romeo said practicing against Plum makes her a better defender.

“I think guarding all her different moves helps us because there’s no one else who can imitate her,” Romeo said. “If we take away one thing, that’s kind of saying what one player can do, but then Kelsey will come back with a counter, and then a counter counter. Guarding her will help us guard other really good players.”

There’s more to Plum than just big scoring numbers. She shoots 53 percent from the field overall and 43 percent from 3-point range, and leads the team with 4.8 assists per game.

Schaefer has faced a player of this caliber before — he went 1-2 against Southwest Missouri State’s Stiles when he was an assistant coach at Arkansas. He hopes for better luck against Plum.

“Obviously Jackie Stiles, Kelsey Plum — those are two of the best to ever play the game, and from an offensive standpoint, they are just so multi-dimensional,” Schaefer said. “Their coaches use them in such a good way, smart, and so it’s a tall task. There’s no question about it.”