Dec. 27, 2002
STANFORD, Calif. (AP) - Azella Perryman got into foul trouble early and spent most of the first half on the bench. She made up for it in the second half.
Perryman had six of her career-high 23 points during a 9-0 run to start the second half, and sixth-ranked Stanford defeated Arizona State 80-63 Friday night in the Pac-10 opener for both.
"I had a chance to sit and watch their post play," said Perryman, who was 8-of-9 from the field in the second half. "I saw where I could go in and make a difference."
Perryman also had seven of her nine rebounds in the second half.
"Azella had an excellent second half," said Stanford coach Tara VanDerveer. "She got us going. She's a big time player and she made big plays."
Kelley Suminski scored 18 of her career-high 25 points in the first half for Stanford (7-1), which won its 22nd straight conference game. It was the Cardinal's 19th consecutive victory at home over the Sun Devils.
"We're looking to come out strong in the Pac-10," said Suminski.
Amy Denson scored a career-high 18 points for Arizona State (8-2), 2-15 in conference openers. The loss ended the Sun Devils' three-game winning streak.
"Stanford was more aggressive in the second half," said Arizona State coach Charli Turner Thorne. "Perryman has made an immense off-season improvement. We knew that would be a tough matchup."
Stanford's opening burst in the second half established a 41-28 lead. The Cardinal made 11 of their first 16 shots in the half, eventually building a 20-point lead.
The Sun Devils never got closer than 11 points thereafter.
Suminski made eight of her first 11 shots, including all three 3-point tries.
"Kelley is so consistent she just comes out and plays," said VanDerveer. "She played smart and took what the defense gave her."
The Cardinal outrebounded Arizona State 43-26.
"That was the difference," said Thorne. "You can't win getting outrebounded like that."
Katie Denny snapped a 24-24 tie with less than five minutes left in the first half, and the Cardinal held a 32-28 lead at the break.