Nov 29, 2001
STANFORD, Calif. - Kelley Suminski and Bethany Donaphin found a way off the bench and into Stanford's game plan.
Suminski scored a season-high 23 points as No. 7 Stanford defeated San Francisco 103-72 in a nonconference game on Wednesday night.
Donaphin added 22 points, grabbed 10 rebounds, and tied a school record with six blocked shots as the Cardinal (6-0) continued their best start since opening the 1996-97 season with nine wins.
Neither were in the starting lineup.
"I like people who can come off the bench and do a good job," said Stanford coach Tara VanDerveer. "But if they don't start, they'll come in pretty quick."
Stanford survived a sluggish first half, in which the Lady Dons were within a point with 4:13 left after Toni Russell made a pair of free throws.
Suminski and Donaphin sparked the second-half rally, combining for 27 points, nearly matching San Francisco's total of 32. Suminski was 5-of-5 in the final 20 minutes from 3-point range.
"People were setting me with open shots and I was hitting them," said Suminski, who is 14-of-21 on the year from long range. "I really felt the energy the team was creating."
Alicia Hernandez scored 16 points to lead San Francisco (0-3), off to its worst start in 13 years.
Nicole Powell had 14 points to go with seven rebounds and a team-high six assists for Stanford. Lindsey Yamasaki scored 16 points as the Cardinal reached the century mark for the first time this season.
"When you're hot, you're hot. I felt comfortable," said Donaphin. "I wanted to give more to the team because I didn't feel like I was contributing enough."
Celeste Farmer had 13 points for USF, followed by Melanie Turner and Lisa Whiteside, each with 12.
"There was a point they started hitting their 3's and getting some momentum," said Turner. "We didn't match it on our side. They're a great team and they did a great job."
Stanford, which has beaten its first six opponents by an average of 20.4 points, won its 12th straight at home against nonconference foes.
The Lady Dons lost to Stanford for the 10th straight time _ nine by 10 points or more _ and has not beaten a ranked team in their last four tries.
"We kept it close in the first half," said San Francisco coach Mary Hile. "I thought the game opened up when we were in a zone and they got a couple of 3-pointers."
Stanford, the only team currently in the top 10 which was not in the final poll last year, reeled off 17 unanswered points over a five-minute period to take a 76-57 lead with 9:30 remaining. Suminski made two off her 3-pointers during the run.
The Cardinal continued to extend their lead the rest of the way.
Stanford led 43-38 at halftime.
By RICK EYMER
Associated Press Writer