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Women's Basketball

Women's Basketball Makes History With Drubbing of Washington

STANFORD, Calif. (AP) - Stanford is thinking about a return trip to the Final Four and what it will take to get there. Productive games from start to finish on both ends like this one are what the Cardinal want every night.

Jayne Appel had 21 points, nine rebounds and two blocked shots in only 19 minutes, Jeanette Pohlen added 16 points and eight assists and No. 11 Stanford made 14 3-pointers on the way to the largest margin of victory in Pac-10 and program history, 112-35 over Washington on Thursday night.

Jillian Harmon scored 14 points in 16 minutes of action as the Cardinal (12-3, 3-0 Pac-10) topped a 73-point win over Long Beach State from Dec. 8, 1993 (122-49) with their fourth straight victory since losing at two-time defending national champion Tennessee on Dec. 21 in a rematch of last season's NCAA title game.

"We just realize we're pushing toward March and April and we need everyone to come in and play well now so we can do that in April," Harmon said. "We had two great days of practice. This game is the first time we put 40 minutes together."

Sarah Morton scored seven points to lead Washington (5-7, 1-1), which couldn't keep up from the opening tip and fell behind big right away to fall to 0-3 against ranked opponents this season with its worst loss in school history. The points allowed were the most ever by the Huskies, who scored their fewest points since getting 30 against Portland State on Feb. 13, 1976.

It was Stanford's sixth consecutive win in the series, 10th in a row at home against the Huskies in Maples Pavilion and 10th in 11 overall dating to Jan. 4, 2004. Coach Tara VanDerveer was able to use several different combinations on the court and get plenty of playing time for her deep, talented bench.

Flanked postgame by Appel, Harmon and Pohlen - Jayne, Jillian and Jeanette - VanDerveer praised her team for its energy, unselfish play and willingness to keep pushing after halftime despite already having a huge lead.

"We count so much on the three Js up here. They lead the way," VanDerveer said. "I really liked our energy and the attention we had in practice this week. I just think we're starting to solidify our rotation, our lineup, the roles we have on our team. We shot the ball very well. People did things within the flow of the offense."

Stanford, picked to win its ninth straight Pac-10 regular-season title, shot 65.6 percent in the first half (21-for-32) on the way to a 47-point lead. The Cardinal shot above 60 percent in a first half for the second time this season and finished the night at 57 percent.

The sloppy Huskies beat rival Washington State 71-58 in their conference opener last weekend but were way overmatched by Stanford. And it doesn't get easier Sunday at Berkeley against No. 13 California in a nationally televised game.

"We know what we're capable of, so I think that's the toughest part of games like this," Washington's Sami Whitcomb said. "I think we'll be OK."

The Huskies already suffered a 109-51 loss at top-ranked Connecticut back on Dec. 18. And now this.

Rosalyn Gold-Onwude hit four 3-pointers - two to start the game - and freshman Lindy La Rocque added three of Stanford's 3s, helping the Cardinal score a season high in points and reach the 100 mark for the second time. The school record for 3-pointers is 16, accomplished twice.

"I think we were all surprised. I'd like to think everyone in the building was surprised when Gold-Onwude hit two 3s," Washington coach Tia Jackson said. "She was (3-for-14) here. It just kind of opened the game up for them. We were getting layups early and we were missing. At that point, the size of the basket was like an ocean on one end and the size of a peanut on the other end."

Once her work was done, Pohlen sat down and needed an ice pack on her right hand. Stanford also forced 22 turnovers and held a 55-27 rebounding advantage.

The Cardinal could have another lopsided game Saturday when they host Washington State - 11 of the last 14 games with the Cougars have been decided by more than 20 points.

In this one, Stanford jumped out to a 31-4 lead and started the game 10-for-12 with five 3-pointers in the opening 8 1/2 minutes, while Washington began the game by missing its first seven shots before Heidi McNeill's basket at 16:02. The Huskies were 3-for-18 at one point and trailed 62-15 at halftime.

Washington is 4-20 all-time at Stanford, where the Huskies have lost their last four contests by 26 or more points. The team's last win at Maples came on Feb. 18, 1999.