Stanford tops Washington State, 70-57, increases streak against Cougars to 63-0
Stanford increases win streak vs. Washington State to 63-0
Win » ?#GoStanford pic.twitter.com/yjZiDN7zp1
— Stanford Women’s Basketball (@StanfordWBB) January 13, 2018
STANFORD, Calif. – The Stanford Cardinal (10-7, 4-1) extended their dominating winning streak versus conference foe, the Washington State Cougars (8-9, 1-4), after a 70-57 victory at Maples Pavilion Friday night. The conference series, in Stanford’s favor, is now 63-0.
The Cardinal started the onslaught early with a 10-0 lead (6:30) in the first quarter, surprisingly initiated by senior forward, Kaylee Johnson, from whom the team received her 10th double-double (10 points, 15 rebounds), including the first basket of the game, four additional points, and a strong eight rebounds after 10 minutes of play (22-7).
“Not just me, I think we were all disappointed with our last game, so we were excited to be back on the court and take advantage of it,” Johnson said explaining her team’s great start. “We really wanted to come out with energy. I think that was a big focus.”
Three other Stanford starters also tallied double figures in scoring. Junior forward Alanna Smith led the foursome with 20 points and nine rebounds, freshman guard Kianna Williams contributed 15 points and senior guard/forward, Brittany McPhee chipped in 12 points and five assists.
Smith stated the reason for Stanford’s inside scoring ease: “We knew the inside game was going to be an option, and I think Kaylee [Johnson], myself, and Maya [Dodson] did a really good job of taking advantage of that.”
Sophomore guard Chanelle Molina led Washington State with 19 points. Redshirt sophomore Borislava Hristova added 14 points, but on a paltry 5-19 (26 percent) shooting night.
Stanford led wire to wire, and even had an advantage as large as 30 points in the third quarter. However, with over 20 turnovers and being outscored by 15 points in the second stanza, the previous seemingly insurmountable lead diminished by more than half.
“We need to do a better job in the second half,” Cardinal head coach Tara VanDerveer said. “In the first half we were out in transition, we got nice looks and we ran the floor hard. We need people that are going to get assists, not turnovers.”
The Cardinal will host the Washington Huskies Sunday, January 14 at Maples, while the Cougars head across the Bay to Haas Pavilion to take on the California Golden Bears, also on Sunday.
