Jan. 3, 2007
FRESNO, Calif. (AP) - Jayne Appel scored 15 points, Brooke Smith added 13 and No. 12 Stanford routed Fresno State 80-52 Tuesday night for its eighth consecutive victory.
Jillian Harmon had 13 points and 10 rebounds for her first double-double of the season for the Cardinal, who scored the game's first 16 points. Kristen Newlin added nine points for Stanford (10-3), which outrebounded Fresno State 50-32.
Jenny Thigpen had 15 points for Fresno State (7-6), which was hoping for its third home victory of the season over a ranked opponent. The Bulldogs previously defeated No. 18 Brigham Young and No. 23 Texas Tech.
Stanford bolted to a 16-0 lead to start the game as Fresno State missed its first nine shots.
The 6-foot-4 freshman Appel was especially effective against the smaller Bulldogs, scoring 10 points in the first half. While Newlin and Smith dominated inside, getting several easy putbacks, Fresno State struggled to find any offense.
The Bulldogs did not score until Chantella Perera drove the lane for a layup with 14:20 left.
Stanford didn't need major contributions from stars Candice Wiggins and Smith. Wiggins finished with seven points and four assists in 24 minutes. Smith got her first basket on a hook shot with 5:53 left, putting the Cardinal ahead 35-13.
Stanford shot 52.6 percent in the first half compared to 27.3 percent for the Bulldogs.
The Cardinal led 45-20 at halftime.
NOTES: Jillian Harmon (13 points, 10 rebounds) registered her first double-double of the year and first since Feb. 9, 2006, when Stanford routed UC Santa Barbara 81-47. In that game, Harmon finished with 17 points and 11 rebounds ... Prior to tonight's game, Fresno State had crafted a reputation as a top-25 giant-killer with a 2-0 record against top-25 opponents on its home court. The Bulldogs defeated No. 22/18 BYU 61-51 on Nov. 17 and No. 25/23 Texas Tech 74-65 on Dec. 1 ... Stanford's roster features five players who stand 6-3 or taller while Fresno State's tallest player is senior center Jenny Thipgin, who is 6-3 ... During Stanford's eight-game winning streak, the best opponent field-goal percentage is 37.3 (by Arizona State on Dec. 30) ... Tonight marked Stanford's second 30-point victory of the year, as the Cardinal defeated Santa Clara 88-56 back on Nov. 29 ... Stanford held a commanding 50-32 edge in rebounds ... Fresno State scored its first bucket of the game with 14:20 remaining in the first half on a lay-up by Chantella Perera ... Jayne Appel has scored in double-figures four straight games and eight overall.