Stanford freshmen key in 74-33 rout of UNLV, Dodson and Williams help lead the way

In balanced effort, Stanford routs UNLV, two games to go before Pac-12 play begins

STANFORD, Calif. – Stanford (6-4) had no trouble putting away UNLV (5-4) Saturday afternoon at Maples Pavilion with a dominant 74-33 victory. Freshmen played a large role in the win with four first-year players in the scoring column, including two in double digits.

“To have the leadership of our team be from the freshmen, I think it’s great,” said Cardinal head coach Tara VanDerveer about the scoring prowess of her first years in the game. “They’re not just going through the motions their freshman year, they’re here to play.”

The Cardinal took control from the outset, starting the game on a 10-0 run. For UNLV, the first quarter began with a slew of turnovers, mostly travels, that stymied their offensive effectiveness. Junior guard Nikki Wheatley put UNLV on her back to get her team some buckets in the first quarter, scoring the first six points for the Lady Rebels.

Junior forward Alanna Smith paced Stanford in the first quarter with nine points. Her team led 17-10 after the first quarter.

First-year guard Kiana Williams took over the scoring lead for Stanford in the second period with nine points in the second ten minutes. In addition, the Cardinal defense locked down UNLV’s offense and the Lady Rebels could only muster three points in the second period. A lone trey from senior guard Brooke Johnson was their only made shot. At the half Stanford led by 22 points, 35-13.

UNLV could not do much to put a dent in Stanford’s double-digit lead in the third quarter. The Cardinal hit 50 points before the Lady Rebels could reach 20, outscoring their opponent 22-7 in the ten minutes after the break.

The huge lead enabled the Cardinal to give reserves ample minutes and provide players with the chance to expand their repertoire. Sophomore forward Nadia Fingall had two three-point shots in the third quarter and seven different Stanford players scored including freshman Maya Dodson who had six in those ten minutes.

UNLV stepped it up offensively in the fourth quarter, but their efforts were not nearly enough to overcome Stanford’s massive lead 37-point lead after the third period, 57-20.

Williams led Stanford with 14 points while Smith and Dodson contributed 11 points each. Smith pulled down five rebounds and Dodson grabbed four.

“Maya has had a great week in practice, Kiana has had a great week in practice,” said VanDerveer about the success of the first-year players in the game. “Maya could be in our starting lineup. She’s playing really, really well. It’s just a matter of looking at what we really need for her to keep growing and keep finishing.”

UNLV’s Johnson was the game’s leading scorer with 19 points.

Stanford has two more contests before the Christmas break, both at home. First up is Western Illinois on Monday night and SEC stalwart and top ten team Tennessee on Thursday.

The week does not get any easier for UNLV as the Lady Rebels host the Duel in the Desert tournament Dec. 20-22, an event that includes last year’s national championship runner-up Mississippi State, plus top 25 team Syracuse and Boise State. In a stretch of seven days, UNLV will play three teams in the top 25.

Notes

• All 12 active players for Stanford scored and just two – Smith and Wilson – played more than 20 minutes.
• The 33 points allowed tied for the ninth-fewest in Stanford history.
• UNLV’s 33 total points tied for the lowest in school history. On Feb. 16, 1975, UNLV lost to UCLA 99-33 in Las Vegas.
• The 41-point loss was the largest for UNLV since an 87-39 loss at Wyoming on Jan. 23, 2008.
• UNLV is now 0-10 in its last 10 games against Top-25 opponents.

By the Numbers