STANFORD, Calif. (AP) - Jillian Harmon played in the Olympic spotlight last summer but she prefers to play in near anonymity. Her identity is getting out.
Harmon scored 17 points to help No. 9 Stanford win its 24th consecutive game at home with a 68-51 victory over UCLA on Sunday.
"Our scouting report includes the fact she is the glue to their team," UCLA coach Nikki Caldwell said. "Her second effort and her board play allowed Stanford to change the momentum their way. She did a great job establishing herself in both halves."
Kayla Pedersen added 13 points for the Cardinal (17-4, 8-1 Pac-10), which won their fourth straight and nine of 10 overall. Nnemkadi Ogwumike had 11 points and 10 rebounds.
"I love playing basketball," Harmon said. "It's just something that was always there. I'd play anyone, anywhere."
Harmon, who played for the New Zealand Olympic Team in Beijing last summer, had seven offensive boards -- nine total -- and four assists as the Cardinal scored 20 second-chance points.
"That's Jill's signature," Stanford coach Tara VanDerveer said. "She's scrappy and she hustles. She's a fan favorite because of how hard she plays and it's rubbing off on others. Kayla has become a scrappy player. Her and Jill are mentally tough and they are bringing other people around."
Doreena Campbell scored 11 points and Erica Tukiainen added 10 to lead the Bruins (14-6, 5-4), who lost consecutive games for the first time this season.
"Our rebounding and defense stepped up," VanDerveer said. "When we missed Jill swooped in and got the rebound. We showed some grit and did things we needed to do."
Campbell tied the game at 25 early in the second half before the Cardinal scored three quick baskets that sparked a 21-8 run and gave them a 12-point edge midway through the second half.
Cardinal center Jayne Appel, third in the conference in scoring, was held to six points on 3-of-11 shooting.
Appel, who missed the three shots she attempted in the first half, has struggled throughout her career against the Bruins. The Pac-10 field goal percentage leader is a career 44.4 percent shooter versus UCLA, her worst against any conference foe.
She made up for her lack of scoring with six assists, one off her career-high, a steal and a blocked shot.
"If Jayne struggles there's Kayla or Harmon," Caldwell said. "I call it Batman, Robin and Batgirl. They have so many weapons you have to pick and choose which facet of their offense you can potentially disrupt."
UCLA has had more success against the Cardinal than most Pac-10 teams, winning three of the past eight meetings. The Bruins defeated then No. 2 Stanford in Los Angeles last season, the highest ranked team they have beaten.
Notes
- With Sunday's victory, Stanford now leads the all-time series against UCLA, 41-22
- Sunday's win extended Stanford's home winning streak to 24 games
- Kayla Pedersen tied a career high with three triples in Sunday's game. The last time she hit a trio of three-pointers in a game was on Nov. 29 against Iowa State at the Waikiki Beach Marriott Classic
- Jillian Harmon's eight field goals matched her season-high, last accomplished Jan. 2 at Arizona State
- Nnemkadi Ogwumike posted her second double-double of the season with 11 points and 10 rebounds. Her first double-double came on Jan. 4 at Arizona (14 points and 10 rebounds)
- The Cardinal held the Bruins to just 33.3 percent shooting Sunday, the 10th time this season that a Stanford opponent made no more than a third of its field-goal attempts