Feb 14, 2004
STANFORD, Calif. (AP) - T'Nae Thiel made it a point to get more involved in the Stanford offense. She responded with one of her best games.
Thiel scored a season-high 16 points and No. 11 Stanford beat California 61-53 Saturday to snap a two-game losing streak.
"I wanted to make myself available in the offense," said Thiel, who missed five games earlier in the season with a left foot injury. "I was just posting up and getting the ball in the block."
Susan Borchardt added 14 points as the Cardinal (18-5, 11-3 Pac-10) took a one-half game lead over Arizona in conference play with four games remaining.
"Other people stepped up for us," said Stanford coach Tara VanDerveer. "We can't depend on one person to carry us. T'Nae finished well and Susan was key for us."
Nicole Powell was held to 12 points, nine under her average, nine rebounds and five assists, and Kelley Suminski added 11 points as Stanford beat Cal for the 21st time in 26 games at home.
"We knew they would go to Thiel but we didn't have answer for that right away," said Cal coach Caren Horstmeyer. "They hit key shots at key times."
Leigh Gregory scored 12 points to lead the Lady Bears (9-14, 2-12), who lost their 10th straight and 12th in 13 games. Kiki Williams and LaTasha O'Keith each added 10 points.
"This is the first time I've seen a spark in our team for a while," said Gregory.
The eight-point victory was Stanford's closest home game in conference play.
Stanford, which fell out of first place in the Pac-10 after losing road games at Arizona and Arizona State, got healthy at home, where the Cardinal are 12-1 this season. Cal fell to 1-8 on the road.
The Bears pulled to within 42-40 when LaTasha O'Keith hit an inside basket with 9:20 remaining to play. Stanford went on a 12-2 run over the next five minutes, with Thiel and Borchardt combining for nine of the points.
California got within seven points in the final minute but couldn't get any closer.
Borchardt hit a 3-pointer midway through the first half to snap a 13-all tie and spark a 12-3 run which gave Stanford a 25-16 lead.
California went scoreless for more than seven minutes in the half, but rallied late to pull within 25-20 at halftime.
Stanford freshman center Kristen Newlin missed her fourth straight game with a bone bruise in her right knee.