Stanford Gets a Scare, but Not From Howard

Vanessa Nygaard had 18 points and four of her teammates also scored in double figures as Stanford toyed with Howard (24-6) for an 111-59 victory Saturday in the first round of the NCAA Division I West Regional at Stanford.

The Cardinal (31-1) raced off to a 32-point lead at halftime and coasted the rest of the way.

The Cardinal received a scare in the second half when leading scorer Kate Starbird suffered a sprained left ankle in a collision under the basket. She spent the rest of the game in the training room.

Stanford advances against Texas Tech, a 47-45 winner over Montana.

Vanderbilt 74, Washington 62--Michelle Palmisano scored 25 points to lead Vanderbilt (19-10) over Washington (17-11) at Lawrence, Kan.

Palmisano scored 10 consecutive points during a 15-2 run that put the Commodores up for good.

Kansas 81, Detroit 67--Tamecka Dixon scored 21 points as Kansas (25-5) took advantage of its home court with an easy victory over Detroit (23-7) at Lawrence, Kan.

MIDWEST

Connecticut 103, Lehigh 35--The top-ranked Huskies came off the court at halftime with a 30-point lead but were a grim bunch.

Less then eight minutes into the game, freshman standout Shea Ralph suffered a painful knee injury.

Ralph was taking a pass for fastbreak layup when her right knee buckled. Team doctors said Ralph has a sprained knee.

The Huskies (31-0) outrebounded Lehigh (15-15), 58-23.

Iowa 56, North Carolina State 50--Tangela Smith had 17 points as Iowa (18-11) defeated North Carolina State (19-12) at Storrs, Conn.

Oregon 80, San Diego State 68--Arianne Boyer scored 19 points for the Ducks (22-6) at Knoxville, Tenn. Jodi Nowlin-Tres led San Diego State (23-7) with 24 points.

Tennessee 91, Grambling 54--Chamique Holdsclaw scored 16 points as Tennessee (24-10) opened its NCAA title defense at Knoxville, Tenn.

Grambling (24-6) was led by Fredrica Wills with 17 points.

EAST

Tulane 72, UC Santa Barbara 69--Mary Lowry scored 20 points and Tulane shot 73% in the second half at Washington, D.C.

Tulane (27-4) led by 17 early in the second half, then held on when Erin Alexander missed a three-point attempt with five seconds left for Santa Barbara (24-6). Alexander had 26 points, all in the final 15 minutes

George Washington 61, Northwestern 46--Noelia Gomez scored 22 points for George Washington (26-5) at Washington, D.C.

Northwestern (17-11) was the best three-point shooting team (41.8%) in Division I, but shot only 19% in the second half.

Notre Dame 93, Memphis 62--Katryna Gaither had 24 points as Notre Dame (28-6) routed Memphis (22-7) at Austin, Texas.

Texas 66, Southwest Texas State 38--Angela Jackson had 14 points for the Lady Longhorns (22-7) at Austin, Texas.

Lisa Ceasar led Southwest Texas State (17-12) with 15 points.

MIDEAST

Louisiana State 88, Maine 79--Pietra Gay scored 22 points, including 11 of 12 free throws, as LSU (24-4) held off Maine (22-8) at Baton Rouge, La.

Marquette 70, Clemson 66--Clare Barnard had 23 points as Marquette (21-9) rallied past Clemson (19-10) at Baton Rouge, La.

Florida 92, Florida International 68--Dana Smith scored 21 points as third-seeded Florida (22-8) advanced over Florida International (21-9) at Gainesville, Fla.