SPOKANE, Wash. – Erica McCall put up another double-double with a career-high 23 points and 13 rebounds, Lili Thompson added 21 and No. 16 Stanford closed the game on a 19-1 run to beat Gonzaga, 65-48, at McCarthey Athletic Center in Spokane on Sunday afternoon.
The win completed an opening weekend sweep on the road for the Cardinal (2-0) and moved Stanford to 7-0 all-time against Gonzaga (1-1).
Stanford returns to The Farm for its home opener against No. 21 George Washington on Saturday, Nov. 21 at noon. Season tickets, mini plans and single-game seats are available by calling 800-STANFORD or visiting gostanford.com/tickets.
TURNING POINT » A 3-pointer by Lili Thompson put the Cardinal up 46-38 with 8:50 to play, but the Bulldogs responded with nine straight points, taking a 47-46 lead on Kiara Kudron's free throw at the 6:23 mark. McCall answered with a layup for the 11th and final lead change before the Cardinal hit three straight 3s. Thompson sandwiched a pair around one from Karlie Samuelson for a 57-47 lead with 4:02 to go.
SHUTTING THEM DOWN » Stanford closed the game on a 19-1 run over the last 5:28 and held Gonzaga to 0-of-12 shooting over that stretch. Gonzaga shot 25 percent in the second half and 31 percent for the game. The Bulldogs were 3-of-21 from behind the arc and 9-of-20 from the foul line, including 1-of-10 from deep in the third and fourth quarters. Elle Tinkle, the younger sister of former Cardinal Joslyn Tinkle and the daughter of Oregon State men's head coach Wayne Tinkle, scored 10 points on 4-of-9 shooting in the first 20 minutes, but was held scoreless in the final 20. Tinkle and Jill Barta (11) were Gonzaga's scorers in double figures.
STRONG SECOND » The Cardinal just 34.4 percent (11-of-32) in the first half and made just one of its eight 3-point attempts (12.5 percent). But in the second half, Stanford hit 12-of-25 from the floor (48 percent) and 5-of-7 from behind the arc (71.4 percent). Brittany McPhee hit a triple with 3:07 left in the third period, which started a run of five straight successful 3-pointers from Stanford. Thompson made one early in the fourth (8:50) before the aforementioned back-to-back-to-back bombs during Stanford's decisive run.
FLYING HIGH » For the second consecutive game to open the season, forward Erica McCall was a dominant force for the Cardinal and tallied another double-double. Against Gonzaga the junior set a career high with 23 points, added 13 rebounds and set another personal best with four steals. She scored nine of her game-high 23 in the third quarter and finished the afternoon 9-of-17 from the floor. In two games this season, McCall is averaging 16.5 points and 12.0 rebounds.
GETTING INTO THE SWING OF THINGS » Coming off the bench while recovering from a minor injury, Lili Thompson looked like her old self in Spokane. She scored 21 points in 29 minutes and adding three assists against just one turnover. It's the first time Stanford has had two 20-point scorers in the same game since Jan. 23, 2015 at UCLA.
DOING WHAT SHE DOES » Kaylee Johnson grabbed 10 rebounds for Stanford on Sunday. It was the sophomore's 19th career game with at least 10 in her 38th appearance.
