No. 2 Stanford women’s basketball (14-1, 2-0 Pac-12) defeated Arizona State (7-6, 0-2 Pac-12) on Saturday 101-69. This is the Cardinal’s sixth straight home game and ninth straight victory this season.
Stanford began the game strong with a made 3-pointer by senior guard Hannah Jump after winning the jump ball. In between two more of Jump’s threes, a jumper and foul shot made by junior forward Cameron Brink gave the Cardinal a double-digit lead over Arizona State only halfway through the first quarter. Freshman guard Indya Nivar came off the bench to score a jumper, putting the Cardinal’s score at double that of the Sun Devils to end the period 26-13.
In the second quarter, Stanford stretched score margins to over 20 points on a 7-0 run, thanks to a layup and foul shot made by Nivar. Arizona State brought Stanford’s lead down to 17 points for a score of 51-34 heading into halftime.
Nivar played significant minutes for the first time since early December. Against the Sun Devils, she scored eight points total, her second highest point total of the season.
Arizona State had its highest scoring quarter in the third with 22 points for a second consecutive period in which the Sun Devils scored comparably to the Cardinal: 24-22. Stanford ended the quarter up 75-56.
The Cardinal put Arizona State to rest in the fourth quarter, outscoring the Sun Devils 26-13 in the period, ending the match in the same fashion it started.
Stanford’s bench dominated in the quarter, contributing 21-of-26 points, all 12 rebounds and 5-of-6 assists.
Freshman center Lauren Betts contributed 10 points, six rebounds and one block against the Sun Devils, all within the final quarter. After a dry December for Betts, she has proven her worth in her minutes against Cal and Arizona State.
“Our bigs are really talented,” said head coach Tara VanDerveer. “Sometimes they’re quick players but if we can get people to come into our bigs we can change their shot or block their shot.”
“Knowing that Cam, Lauren, Ash are back there is kind of like an extra little security blanket, we can be a bit more aggressive,” Jump shared about defense in the paint.
With a final score of 101-69, the Cardinal achieved its 36th straight victory against a Pac-12 opponent.
Jump was the highest scorer of the game with 20 points, shooting 6-for-10 beyond the arc. Close behind were Brink with 17 points and senior guard Haley Jones with 16 points.
Brink’s rebounds returned to double digits against the Sun Devils, with 14 rebounds, as well as four assists and two blocks. Jones put it to work on defense with seven defensive rebounds, one block and two steals. Both Brink and Jones are among ESPN’s top 10 NCAA women’s basketball players: Brink ranked No. 5 and Jones at No. 6.
Next up, Stanford kicks off the new year hosting Arizona (12-1, 3-0 Pac-12) at home. Arizona has defeated its opponents by wide margins as well, notably No. 21 Baylor in mid-December. Stanford will need to make shots and aggressively guard shots to dish a Wildcats defeat.
Tipoff is scheduled for Monday at 11:30 a.m. PT.