Feb. 23, 2006
STANFORD, Calif. (AP) - Candice Wiggins scored 29 points and made a career-high seven 3-pointers, helping No. 15 Stanford clinch at least a share of its sixth straight Pac-10 title with a 100-69 victory over Washington on Thursday night.
Brooke Smith added 20 points, seven rebounds and seven assists for the Cardinal (20-6, 14-3), who won their 15th Pac-10 title overall.
The Cardinal also extended their home-winning streak against Pac-10 opponents to 45 games.
Kristen Newlin scored 10 of her 12 points in the second half for Stanford, which reached the century mark for the first time since last Jan. 20 against UCLA. It was Washington's second-worst loss to Stanford.
Breanne Watson scored 12 points and Jill Bell and Andrea Plouffe each scored 10 points to lead Washington (18-8, 11-6), which beat the Cardinal earlier in the season and was looking for its first season sweep of Stanford. The Huskies lost their seventh straight at Stanford.
Washington entered the game with an outside shot at tying for the title and will likely settle on the third seed in next week's conference tournament.
Wiggins missed her first 3-point attempt and then made four straight to help Stanford open a 22-point advantage in the first half. After the fourth make, Washington's Cameo Hicks turned to her coach and threw up her arms as if to say, "How can I defend that?"
Hicks, who scored 23 points in Washington's earlier win over Stanford, returned to the lineup after missing a game with the stomach flu. She was held to eight points, her worst effort in conference play and ended a string of eight straight double-figure scoring games.
Wiggins, who nursed a stomach ailment on Wednesday, sat out the final 8:50.
Stanford took control of the game with a 15-0 run midway through the first half. Wiggins and Smith combined for 12 of those points and the Cardinal held a 27-9 lead with 9:09 left in the half.
The Huskies went over five minutes without scoring during that span.
Stanford led 51-31 at halftime.