STANFORD, Calif. (AP)--So much for Stanford suffering a letdown.
Five days after an emotional victory over Cal that moved the the fourth-ranked Cardinal into a tie for first place in the Pac-10, they crushed Oregon State 72-43 on Thursday night.
"I really don't think anybody was thinking about overlooking Oregon State at all," Stanford coach Tara VanDerveer said. "We're trying to get ready for the Pac-10 tournament. We like being in first place, and we want to stay there."
Jayne Appel and Nnemkadi Ogwumike each scored 15 points for the Cardinal.
Stanford (21-4, 12-1) beat OSU for the 18th straight time and remained perfect against the Beavers at Maples Pavilion at 23-0. The Cardinal extended its winning streak to eight games and won its 26th straight home game.
Brittney Davis led Oregon State (15-9, 6-8) with 12 points, and Talisa Rhea had 10.
In the first game against Oregon State this season, Stanford overcame a 28-27 halftime deficit on the road to win 69-54.
This time, the Cardinal built a 35-23 halftime lead against the Beavers, who had won four of their past five games before Thursday.
Stanford took full advantage of its superior size, starting five players at least 6-foot, including Ogwumike (6-2), Appel (6-4) and Kayla Pedersen (6-4). OSU had one starter over 5-11 -- the 6-2 Tiffany Ducker.
Ogwumike made back-to-back inside baskets to give Stanford a 25-16 lead with 5:50 left in the first half. Both times, she took passes from Appel for easy hoops.
"The biggest thing is they got 48 points in the paint," Oregon State coach LaVonda Wagner said. "Period. The end.
"They played exactly the way we knew they would play. They are very good here."
With less than a minute left in the half, backup guard Rosalyn Gold-Onwude drained a 3-pointer from the left corner, putting Stanford ahead 33-23. Then Jillian Harmon nailed a contested 18-footer at the buzzer to give Stanford a 12-point cushion.
Rhea, who came into the game averaging a team-best 14.0 points per game, kept OSU in the game early. She scored seven first-half points, shooting 3-for-5.
In the second half, Stanford turned to its fastbreak, quickly extending its lead to over 20 points and often beating the Beavers downcourt for uncontested layins.
Appel, known most for her inside game, raced downcourt for back-to-back fastbreak baskets early in the second half. Her second put Stanford ahead 50-29 with 14:46 left to play.
"I think that's what we look to do every game, rebound and run," Appel said. "That's our goal. That's the way we like to play."
Ogwumike's fastbreak hoop made it 55-31, Cardinal.
"I think it's really cool to know where each player is going to be on the fastbreak," Ogwumike said.
Jeanette Pohlen helped ignite Stanford's break and had a game-high eight assists.
Appel, the reigning Pac-10 Player of the Week, scored 22 points and grabbed 14 rebounds in Stanford's win over Cal. This time she had six rebounds and four blocks and shot 7-for-10 from the field.
It took some time in the first half for Stanford to get untracked against Oregon State's physical defense. With 7:32 left in the half, Stanford led just 20-16.
"I think coming into the game we knew Oregon State was known for their aggressive defense," Pohlen said. "I think we ran on them in the second half. That kind of showed our aggressiveness, too."
Notes
- With Thursday's victory, Stanford now leads the all-time series against Oregon State, 43-6
- The victory was Stanford's 26th consecutive home victory, matching the fourth-longest streak of 26, which stretched from Dec. 28, 2001 to March 24, 2003
- Stanford's eight blocked shots fell just one short of the team's season high of nine
- Stanford committed a season-low nine fouls in Thursday night's win
- Nnemkadi Ogwumike's 15 points marked her 12th game this season in which she scored in double-digits
- Jeanette Pohlen's eight assists matched her season high, last accomplished on Jan. 8, 2009 against Washington
- Jayne Appel's 15 points increased her career total to 1,413, leaving her just one point behind Louise Smith (1978-82) for 15th on Stanford's all-time scoring list
- Jayne Appel's four blocked shots increased her career total to 196, just five behind Val Whiting's school-record 201 blocks
- Oregon State attempted only eight free throws Thursday, matching the season low for a Stanford opponent this season. UC Davis also attempted just eight free throws on Dec. 28, 2008
- Jillian Harmon's nine points brought her career total to 986, leaving her only 14 points away from becoming Stanford's 29th member of the "1,000-Point Club"