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Mikaela Ruef hit the first 3-pointer of her career, on her first career attempt, giving the fourth-ranked Stanford women's basketball team its first points Friday.

Ruef didn't stop there either, collecting a career high 12 points to go with eight rebounds in the Cardinal 79-55 victory over host USC in a Pac-12 Conference game.

Stanford (12-1 in the Pac-12, 23-2 overall) travels to another part of Los Angeles for a Sunday meeting with UCLA at 1 p.m. on ESPNU. The Bruins lost to Cal, 79-51, on Friday.

Chiney Ogwumike recorded her ninth straight double-double with 26 points and 15 rebounds while Joslyn Tinkle recorded back-to-back double-doubles for the first time in her career.

It all made for lots of fun as Stanford kept in stride with co-leader California. The Bruins dropped into a third-place tie with Washington, each with a 10-3 mark in the Pac-12. The Huskies play Oregon State on Monday night.

The Women of Troy hung with the Cardinal through the first 15 minutes or so, trailing 19-17 with 5:43 remaining to play in the first half.

Stanford outscored USC, 12-2, to the rest of the way to take a 31-19 advantage into halftime. The Cardinal continued to increase its lead in the second half.

USC went scoreless over a five-minute span that bridged both halves and was never able to make a game of it afterward.

The first half scoring spree was sparked by Amber Orrange, who scored eight of her 10 points during the two-minute stretch immediately after USC drew within 19-17. Orrange also had a game-high five assists.

Tinkle added 17 points and 11 rebounds as Stanford produced a pair of players with double-doubles for the third consecutive game.

It's also important to not that four different players reached double figures in scoring even as Ogwumike, who did not score over the first six minutes, surpassed her season averages in both scoring and rebounding.

Stanford faces a critical test Sunday as the Bruins, who lost 75-49 at Stanford earlier in the season, need a quick turnaround to reestablish themselves. They are on the verge of falling behind Washington in the conference standings.

Stanford plays at Washington in two weeks.

— Palo Alto Online Sports

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