Dec. 10, 2004
STANFORD, Calif. (AP) - Freshman Candice Wiggins helped second-ranked Stanford usher in a new era with 21 points in an 85-49 victory over Pepperdine on Friday night.
Kristen Newlin added a season-high 16 points as the Cardinal (6-0) played their first game in the newly renovated Maples Pavilion. Brooke Smith added 13 points.
The project modernized the facility, opened in 1969, adding theater-style seating.
Jennifer Lacy scored 15 points for the Waves (2-7), who lost their fifth in six games.
The Cardinal overwhelmed the undermanned Waves, who suited just eight players.
In the closing minutes, the crowd started chanting for Jessica Elway, the freshman daughter of former Cardinal and Denver Broncos great John Elway. She accommodated them by sinking her first career 3-pointer with 4:23 remaining.
Stanford extended its lead by scoring the first 15 points of the second half to finish off a 29-0 run.
Pepperdine was held scoreless over the seven-minute span, missing eight shots and turning the ball over eight times.
Lacy's basket with 3:42 left in the first half tied the game at 28, but it was all Stanford thereafter.
The Cardinal pressured the Wave into 14 turnovers, four in the final four minutes of the half, and scored 14 straight to take a 42-28 advantage at the break. Newlin scored eight of her points during the stretch.
Pepperdine didn't help itself by missing its final five shots of the half.
First-year Pepperdine coach Julie Rousseau served as an assistant to Stanford's Tara VanDerveer the previous four years, and Rousseau's staff includes former Cardinal stars in Vanessa Nygaard and Kate Paye.
Stanford has won seven of eight meetings between the schools.
It's the highest ranking since the Stanford was No. 2 in March 2002. Stanford hasn't been top-ranked since December 1996.