Stanford Gets Going

It was no surprise that sixth-ranked Stanford defeated UCLA on Friday, 81-50, before 3,661 at Maples Pavilion.

The surprise was in how long it took for the Cardinal to pull away.

UCLA (3-8, 0-3 in the Pacific 10) trailed, 39-35, after Bruin guard Whitney Jones made a three-pointer with 17:24 to play.

But Stanford (11-1, 3-0) went on a 15-2 run to take control, then used the rest of the game demonstrating the differences between the first-place and last-place teams in the Pac-10.

The undersized Bruins, who lost their seventh consecutive game, forced 22 turnovers. They kept top scorers Lindsey Yamasaki and Nicole Powell relatively quiet; Powell had 15 points (and 13 rebounds) but made only two of nine shots. Yamasaki, who averages 18 points, was dogged by foul trouble and scored only nine.

The Cardinal outrebounded the Bruins, 48-35. It shot a respectable 43.9% from the field (UCLA made only 27.9%), made 26 of 30 free throws, got a game high 18 points from forward Bethany Donaphin and threw a net around the Bruins’ inside game, blocking seven shots.

“Stanford is a very deep team with a lot of weapons,” Bruin Coach Kathy Olivier said. “We tried to get turnovers with our defense and have our defense create our offense. But when we got in foul trouble in the second half, that hurt us.”

UCLA guard Jalina Bradley, who had a career-high 14 points, said the Bruins won’t end their losing streak until they play a complete game.

“We’re keeping our heads up,” Bradley said. “But it’s difficult knowing we’re not doing the little things we need to do. Every game, the coaches tell us about rebounding and making free throws.”