An 18-point run in the opening period established Stanford’s dominance over visiting Utah in Sunday’s 87-51 Pac-12 Conference women’s basketball victory. The only real question was the final margin.
In the blink of a five-minute eye, the eighth-ranked Cardinal (22-4, 12-2) took a two-point edge and turned it into a 20-point advantage and there was still time remaining in the quarter.
In a bit of an understatement, Stanford coach Tara VanDerveer said, “We got off to a great start, a great team win for us.”
The Cardinal travels across the bay to California for an 8 p.m. contest Thursday.
Alanna Smith led Stanford with 16 points, Karlie Samuelson and Brittany McPhee each had 13 and Briana Roberson scored 10.
The Cardinal grabbed 20 offensive rebounds and took advantage with 29 second-chance points.
During the 18-0 run, Utah missed eight shots and turned the ball over five times.
The Utes went without a field goal for 13 minutes, well into the second quarter, missing 16 straight shots.
Utah remains winless in 22 games against Stanford, including 0-9 at Maples Pavilion.
The Cardinal led 31-8 at the end of the first quarter and 43-20 at halftime.
By Stanford Athletics
By Stanford Athletics
By Stanford Athletics