Nov 29, 2003
STANFORD, Calif. (AP) - After yet another easy victory, the sixth-ranked Stanford Cardinal are ready for a challenge - and they expect to have their hands full this Sunday against 10th-ranked Georgia.
Nicole Powell had 17 points and 19 rebounds Friday night for Stanford, which took command with a 15-0 run in the game's opening minutes in a 67-51 victory over winless Boston University.
Powell, a preseason All-American, came within two rebounds of matching her own school record. She also had a team-high six assists and three steals. Her only flaw was missing all six of her 3-pointers.
As soon as the game was over, the Cardinal started preparing for the home game against Georgia - which stayed undefeated by winning 77-65 just down the road in Santa Clara on Friday night.
"Playing this game and playing on Sunday is like saying you're playing checkers and now you've got to play chess," said Stanford coach Tara VanDerveer. "They're totally different games."
Susan Borchardt added 16 points, including four 3-pointers, for Stanford (4-0). Borchardt also had five assists and tied her career high with four steals.
Freshman Kristen Newlin tied a Stanford school record with six blocked shots. The 6-foot-5 Newlin, who had five of her blocks in the first half, tied a school record that had been achieved four times before.
"She's awesome, she's great," Powell said. "In practice, we all say to each other that she's going to break the school record and the season record for blocks."
Former Stanford backup Becky Bonner had 19 points and Larissa Parr added 13 for the Terriers (0-3). Bonner spent her first two seasons getting little playing time for the Cardinal, and is now playing for the Terriers after sitting out a year following her transfer.
"When I first got here I was a little shaky," she said of her return to Stanford. "Ultimately, I wanted to be closer to my family and be happy. I wasn't unhappy here, but it wasn't the right fit."
BU's early 5-2 lead turned into a 12-point deficit when the Cardinal went on the run that included a pair of 3-pointers by Borchardt, the wife of Utah Jazz center and former Stanford star Curtis Borchardt.
Stanford opened a 25-8 lead with 5:24 left in the half on a jumper by Borchardt and then matched that 17-point margin when Kelley Suminski hit a 3-pointer at the halftime buzzer to give the Cardinal a 34-17 lead.
After the Terriers scored the first basket of the second half, Stanford responded with an 8-0 run that included a pair of steals by Borchardt to expand its lead to 23 points.
BU got within 14 points when it cut Stanford's lead to 54-40 with 5:54 left, but could get no closer the rest of the game.
After winning their opener by eight points at Pepperdine, the Cardinal have crushed Fordham, San Francisco and BU by an average of 22 points.
All three of those wins have come at home, and Stanford does not play its next road game until Dec. 18. Another big test for the Cardinal will come Dec. 14 at home against Tennessee.