Stanford women step on gas in third quarter to blow out Washington State 94-65
From staff reports
STANFORD, Calif. – The 75th meeting between the Stanford and Washington State women’s basketball teams was similar to the previous matchups Thursday.
They’ve all been victories by Stanford.
The Cardinal used hot shooting from 3-point range, pouring it on the Cougars 94-65 in a nonconference game at Maples Pavilion .
Leading 54-46, Stanford went on a 12-0 run that included four 3-pointers, including one at the buzzer by Nunu Agara, as the Cardinal took a 69-48 lead into the final quarter.
Stanford (2-0) hit 12 of 15 3-pointers through three quarters and finished 14 of 20.
Santa Clara transfer Tess Heal, playing in her first game for Stanford, hit a 3-pointer to give the Cardinal their biggest lead at 93-55 with 2:48 remaining.
Eleonora Villa led WSU (1-1) with 19 points and four assists and Tara Wallack scored 13.
The Cardinal had four players in double figures.
Elena Bosgana led Stanford with 19 points and five rebounds, Ngara had 18 points, eight rebounds and four assists, Heal had 14 points on 4-of-4 shooting from 3-point range, and Chloe Clardy added 13 points.
Stanford used a 11-3 surge in the final 3 minutes of the first half for its biggest lead at 42-28. Wallack hit her first 3-pointer of the season with 3 seconds left before halftime to pull the Cougars within 42-31.
WSU suffered from a poor combination in the first half – inconsistent shooting and turnovers.
The Cougars made 12 of 29 from the field and had eight turnovers, six in the first quarter. They finished with 17 turnovers.
Cougars coach Kamie Ethridge said before the game that her team had to defend Stanford’s 3-point shooters.
The Cardinal, who made a school-record 18 3-pointers in a season-opening 107-43 win over Le Moyne College on Monday, made 6 of 8 in the first two quarters. Heal came off the bench and went 3 of 3 from behind the 3-point arc.
The Cougars committed four turnovers in their first five possessions in the opening quarter. Still, WSU fought back within a point twice in the quarter before trailing 16-13 going into the second quarter.
Wallack and Villa combined for 21 of WSU’s 31 points in the opening half.
Stanford is in its first season with coach Kate Paye, who took over for retired legendary coach Tara VanDerveer.
The game was Stanford’s 1,600th in school history.
Stanford is picked to finish seventh in the ACC.
WSU returns to Pullman to take on Idaho on Sunday at noon.
Gonzaga (1-0) is next up for Stanford on Sunday in a nationally televised game on ESPN2. Tipoff is at noon.