STANFORD, Calif. (AP) - With Stanford struggling early on, coach Tara VanDerveer looked for a spark off the bench.
She pulled all five starters and watched backups Nnemkadi Ogwumike and Sarah Boothe ignite a 25-2 run that lifted Stanford to a 68-49 victory over the Ducks on Saturday.
Ogwumike scored 13 points and Boothe added 11 for Stanford (22-4, 13-1 Pac-10), which won its ninth straight game. The Cardinal improved to 22-1 all-time against Oregon at Maples Pavilion and beat the Ducks (9-17, 5-10) for the ninth straight time overall.
"I was really pleased with how Sarah and Nneka and all of our young players came in and gave us a great spark in the first half," VanDerveer said. "That was just great to see their contributions. On the other side, it was very disappointing to see our lack of effort and lack of intensity from the start of the game.
"I think our team has already learned that we're not a great 3-point shooting team, we're not a great free-throw shooting team. So, if nothing else, we have to out-hustle people. Otherwise, we don't have a chance."
Oregon, which had 12 points from Taylor Lilley and 10 from Micaela Cocks, took a 12-6 lead, but Stanford outscored the Ducks 30-4 the remainder of the half to build a commanding 36-16 advantage and cruised from there.
The Ducks were coming off an 84-42 loss to Cal, their largest margin of defeat this season and their largest ever against the Bears.
Oregon coach Bev Smith moved Nicole Canepa and Lindsey Saffold into the starting lineup in place of Ellie Manou and Jasmin Holliday.
The Ducks came out with much more fire and energy than they did against Cal, pressuring from end to end.
"Obviously coming off our Cal game, one of our focuses was just to come out with a lot of intensity on the defensive end particularly," Smith said. "Because we really felt that's something that helps us play defensively when we get after it, but it really helps us play offensively as well because we feel strong heading down to the offensive end when we can make some stops.
"We just weren't able to sustain it. Stanford made some changes."
VanDerveer said she can't remember ever before benching all five starters at once, other than when her team was ahead by 20 or 30 points. But that's what she did, yanking Jayne Appel, who scored a season-low 4 points, Kayla Pedersen, Jillian Harmon, Jeanette Pohlen and Rosalyn Gold-Onwude.
With Boothe, a freshman center, and Ogwumike leading the way, Stanford took control.
They each scored nine points in the first half.
"If there's lemonade to be made, that's lemonade from this lemon of a game," VanDerveer said of the play of her reserves.
Boothe's three-point play put Stanford ahead 16-12.
"I have a lot to learn and a lot to improve," Boothe said. "I think I did OK. ... I think everyone brought enthusiasm and a spark to get us going."
Ogwumike, coming off a 15-point game against Oregon State, put the Cardinal ahead 26-12 with her 3-point play with 3:59 left in the half.
"When teams have slow starts, you have to change things up," Ogwumike said. "At that time we weren't in sync. Coach just told us to come in with energy."
Appel, Stanford's leading scorer at 15.6 points per game before Saturday, played only 19 minutes.
"We depend a lot on Jayne," VanDerveer said. "I think that she came out in the second half with more energy and enthusiasm. ... She's tough. I'm not worried about Jayne."
After Stanford's first-half run, the final outcome was never in doubt, only the margin of victory.
Stanford went on a 13-2 run to open the second half, extending its lead to 49-18. Pohlen, Pedersen and Lindy La Rocque each drilled a 3-pointer during the spurt, while Appel and Ogwumike scored inside.
"I hope it's an opportunity for our team to learn a lesson without it costing us something," VanDerveer said of her team's early struggles. "If we don't have energy plays, we're going to be a quick in and out in the tournament."