Feb 7, 2004
By MEL REISNER
AP Sports Writer
TEMPE, Ariz. - Jenny Thigpin looked at visiting Stanford as the biggest opponent of the season, and responded with a career game.
Thigpin had 16 of her career-high 18 points in the second half, and Arizona State handed the No. 7 Cardinal back-to-back losses for the first time this season with a 73-53 win Saturday.
"This game has just been on my mind all week, and I wanted this one so bad," said Thigpin, who also had a season-high seven rebounds. "I mean, we just went in and played hard."
Emily Westerberg added 16 points and eight rebounds, and Betsy Boardman scored 10 points for the Sun Devils (15-6, 9-3 Pac-10), who rallied from a 13-point deficit to win their fifth straight.
"We did frazzle them a little bit," Arizona State coach Charli Turner Thorne said. "We played really well."
It was Arizona State's first win over a top 10 opponent since upsetting then second-ranked Stanford in the 2002 conference tournament.
The Cardinal (17-5, 10-3) dropped an 88-83 decision at Arizona on Thursday.
Nicole Powell had 22 points and 15 rebounds - her 43rd career double-double and 13th this season.
But she and her Stanford teammates couldn't stop Arizona State once the Sun Devils overcame 2-for-22 shooting at the start.
"I have no idea why we weren't able to continue it," Cardinal coach Tara VanDerveer said. "It was an absolute meltdown. We were hurt by rebounds, we were hurt by turnovers and missed layups."
Down 26-13 with 1:52 left in the first half, Arizona State outscored the Cardinal 31-11 over the next 15:52 to take a 44-37 lead on a layup by Thigpin with six minutes left.
The sophomore had two field goals and two free throws in the next 1:32, building the lead to 50-38, and Westerberg capped a 20-1 run with a 3-pointer with 3:41 remaining.
"Charli told us something before we went out," said Westerberg, a freshman whose three 3s was a season high. "She said we're a special team and we're not going to be satisfied with just going out and maybe getting beat by two or four, we're not going to be satisfied with losing."
The Sun Devils missed 13 of their first 14 shots - 12 in a row after Kristen Kovesdy tied it at 2 early on - allowing Stanford to open a 10-2 lead.
Kovesdy had two free throws and Alisha Godette drove for a layup, but Azella Perryman had three straight baskets during a 10-0 run that lifted the Cardinal to a 20-6 lead - their biggest of the game.
Westerberg made a 3-pointer and a 17-footer late in the half, but Powell kept the ball the final 30 seconds, working defender Carrie Buckner into the lane for a short jumper that beat the buzzer and gave Stanford a 28-18 lead at halftime.
"I don't know what happened," Powell said about the second half. "I wish I had an explanation. I don't."