What a way to go.

In their last regular season game at home, the Cardinal women certainly gave their fans something to remember. In an all-around solid effort, the No. 2 Stanford squad (25-1, 15-0 Pac-10) soared past the Oregon Beavers (9-16, 1-13) by a final score of 82-48, earning a share of its 10th consecutive regular-season conference championship in the process. The team’s Senior Night victory was highlighted by sophomore forward Nnemkadi Ogwumike’s 17-point performance, while junior guard Jeanette Pohlen and senior center Jayne Appel added 13 and 12 of their own, respectively.

The Cardinal started where it left off on Thursday, with Appel scoring just 15 seconds from tip-off and the team running out to an 11-0 lead with 15:39 left in the half. With 10 minutes gone Appel netted a layup to break through the career 2,000-point mark, joining the privileged company of Nicole Powell and Val Whiting as only the third Cardinal player to have both 2,000 points and 1,000 rebounds.

The fast start seemed to inspire a lot of confidence in the Stanford women. Quick, accurate passes and a lot of movement allowed them to get around and inside the Beaver defense. At times this play came undone — Ogwumike was called for traveling with a clear lane to the basket, and some looping passes went straight to the opposition — but the final outcome never really looked in doubt.

“We shot the ball very well, but we turned the ball over a little too much for me,” said head coach Tara VanDerveer. “I thought we could’ve been more aggressive on the O[ffensive]-boards.”

It was exactly the opposite for OSU. Since the opening game of the Pac-10 conference it has not won a single contest, posting a 14-game losing streak, which must have sapped the confidence of coach and players.

For five of the Cardinal’s players — Appel, Gold-Onwude, redshirt junior forward Michelle Harrison, redshirt junior guard Melanie Murphy and redshirt junior guard JJ Hones — this was Senior Night, and the dominant first few minutes allowed VanDerveer to play even the non-starters in this group early on. With her first shot, Harrison scored a nothing-but-net three-pointer from the corner of the court and, by game’s end, all five would be on the score sheet in what could be their last regular-season home game in Maples.

This group took the floor together early in the second half as Stanford maintained its halftime lead of 46-21. The last time these two teams met, Stanford struggled to build a significant lead in the first half as the Beavers stood tall on defense, and the Cardinal had just a 29-27 lead at halftime. The scoring was more even to start the second half on Saturday, with both teams putting up 13 points in the first eight minutes of the half to make it 59-34. Palmer was the top scorer of the game for the Beavers with 16 points, but, with none of her fellow players making double figures, the 20-plus point gap could not be closed.

While the Cardinal women were not exactly running away with the game to open the second half, VanDerveer was pleased with their ability to play solid basketball and maintain the lead.

“One of the goals I had in this game was to be able to play our five (Class of 2010) players, and we were able to do that for a little bit,” she said. “I think in some ways that might’ve thrown us a little bit out of our rhythm, it was a different substitution pattern, but I know that Nneka and Kayla [Pedersen] and Jeanette are flexible, and they were happy to see Michelle and JJ come in.”

Towards the end of half, VanDerveer began to move even deeper into her bench, as sophomore guards Lindy La Rocque and Grace Mashore earned eight and four minutes, respectively. The duo teamed up for one of the more thrilling plays of the game, as La Rocque flung a one-arm, midair pass under the basket to Mashore, who launched a nothing-but-net three-pointer from deep in the corner to electrify the crowd. Mashore added a fast break lay-up as time wound down a few moments later, giving Stanford its final touch of offense at home this season.

With the win — Stanford’s 19th straight against Oregon State and its 44th straight at home — the Cardinal clinches a share of its 10th regular-season conference championship in as many years. Though the second-place UCLA Bruins (18-7, 11-3) cruised past Washington State 93-58 earlier in the day to remain mathematically eligible for a possible tie in the standings, Stanford already secured the No.1 seed in the Pac-10 tournament, having swept the Bruins.

Given her team’s recent hot streak, VanDerveer is optimistic about Stanford’s chances in the post season.

“I think we’re playing our best basketball . . . We’re playing our best when it counts,” she said. “This weekend, we’ve been playing well. We had a little lull through January, I think we picked it up through February and I think the time to be playing your best is March, so we’re looking forward to March.”

While VanDerveer and her players are no doubt pleased with the victory, Saturday’s Senior Night contest also carried a somewhat bittersweet tone, as some of the Cardinal squad bid farewell to the friendly confines of Maples Pavilion, at least until the postseason. Appel and Gold-Onwude are certainly graduating and moving on, but the future for the redshirt juniors is less certain. All five were honored in an on-court ceremony following the game.

“Today’s game, and this whole weekend, have been about looking back at the great things our seniors have accomplished,” VanDerveer said. “The night was about our seniors, and what great seniors we have. Two of them are here sitting next to me, and for Ros and Jayne it’s just gone really fast, and they’re really exceptional young women . . . It’s so unreal to me that Ros and Jayne are really graduating . . . I know Ros and Jayne will be moving on, and we’ll miss them terribly.”

In a fairly emotional post-game conference, Appel and Gold-Onwude shared what they would each like to leave behind as a legacy.

“I think the main thing is about team chemistry,” Appel said. “I’d like to be remembered along with the rest of the senior class for having good team chemistry each year and building on that, and I think that’s something that’s really grown since my freshman year.”

“I’ve been at many different points at my career here at Stanford, and now, as a fifth-year, I’m much more mature,” Gold-Onwude added. “I’m on my way out with different motivations and incentives. I just hope all the underclassmen, especially those that have struggled . . . can know that this basketball thing is beautiful, and Stanford basketball especially is amazing. Everybody’s role is really important, and we literally can’t go anywhere without everyone contributing.”

Stanford will hit the court again next Thursday at Arizona State, when the team will take on the Sun Devils at 6 p.m.