SEATTLE -- Jayne Appel scored seven of her 16 points during a decisive spurt to start the second half, Jeanette Pohlen led Stanford with 19 points, and the No. 7 Cardinal pulled away to a 76-54 win over Washington on Sunday.
The Cardinal (19-4, 10-1) struggled to shake the pesky Huskies for one half. But Appel, who played just 11 minutes in the first half due to foul trouble, converted a three-point play to start a 12-0 run for Stanford that put any thoughts of an upset to rest.
Sami Whitcomb's 16 points led Washington (5-16, 1-10), which matched its point total from the first meeting on Lydia Young's basket with 13:15 left in the game.
Appel made seven of nine shots, while Pedersen added 13 points and grabbed 15 rebounds, one shy of her career high. Equally important was Stanford's defense on Whitcomb in the second half. After scoring all 10 of her first-half points in the final 6:45 to keep Washington close, Whitcomb was limited to just six points in the second half and hit only one of five shots.
Stanford seemed poised for another rout after surging to an early 26-14 lead on the strength of an 8-0 run midway through the first half. Instead of folding, Washington pulled within three on a couple of occasions, twice seeing 3-point attempts by Whitcomb rim off instead of pulling the Huskies even.
Stanford led just 38-31 at halftime, the complete opposite from the first meeting when the Cardinal led by 47 at the half. Stanford had 11 turnovers in the first half, but was able to stay ahead thanks to shooting nearly 56 percent.
But Stanford coach Tara VanDerveer obviously got her team's attention at halftime and kept the players from looking ahead to next Saturday's showdown with No. 3 California.
After Young scored on the first possession of the second half to get Washington within 38-33, Appel and the Cardinal scored 15 of the next 19 points, surging to a 53-37 lead. Stanford's biggest lead this time was only 26.
Mackenzie Argens added six points for Washington as no other player scored more than five. The Huskies saw their school-record losing streak grow to 10.
Notes
- With Sunday's victory, Stanford now leads the all-time series against Washington, 36-14
- Kayla Pedersen posted her sixth double-double of the season with 13 points and 15 rebounds. It was her first double-double since posting 14 points and 13 rebounds at Oregon on Jan. 22
- Jeanette Pohlen matched her season and career highs with four three-pointers in the contest. It is the sixth time she has made four three-pointers in a game, with the last occasion being on Jan. 10, 2009 against Washington State
- Jeanette Pohlen set a new career high with seven free throws in the contest. Her previous high had been five, accomplished against Washington on Jan. 8, 2009
- Jeanette Pohlen scored a season-high 19 points in the contest, besting her previous season high of 18, set against Washington State on Jan. 10, 2009. She also finished the game just one point shy of her career best of 20, which came against Washington on Dec. 30, 2007
- Jayne Appel's 16 points increased her career total to 1,376, passing Meg Metzger (1,360 points) and Kelley Suminski (1,364 points) for 16th on Stanford's all-time scoring list
- Jayne Appel's three blocked shots increased her career total to 190, just 11 behind Val Whiting's school-record 201 blocks
- Jillian Harmon's 10 points brought her career total to 959, leaving her just 41 points shy of becoming Stanford's 29th member of the "1,000-Point Club"
- Kayla Pedersen's 15 rebounds were just one shy of her career high of 16
- Rosalyn Gold-Onwude passed out a season-high six assists in the contest