PULLMAN, Wash. (AP) — Second-ranked Stanford was down several players heading into Sunday's game at Washington State, but it didn't make much difference.
Haley Jones scored 24 points and grabbed 16 rebounds as Stanford pounded Washington State 82-44, extending its all-time record to 70-0 against the Cougars. Jones,a junior guard, also led the Cardinal with three assists.
Kiki Iriafen scored 13 points and Hannah Jump and Fran Belibi added 10 points each for Stanford (9-3, 1-0 Pac-12), which did not drop in the rankings after losing at No. 1 South Carolina 65-61 in its previous game on Dec. 21.
"It's a great, great win for our team," Stanford coach Tara VanDerveer said. "A lot of different people stepped up. Haley had a really good game. Anna Wilson gave us great minutes."
With the Gamecocks' loss to Missouri earlier this week the Cardinal could move to No. 1 on Monday when the new poll comes out.
VanDerveer said five players were out for COVID-19 protocols.
"Hoping we'll get people back next week," the Hall of Fame coach said. "This is the world we live in. I'm really excited that we had a lot of different people ready to play today."
Charlisse Leger-Walker scored 15 points and sister Krystal Leger-Walker added 12 for Washington State (9-4, 1-1), which was coming off a win over California. Charlisse Leger-Walker has scored in double figures for eight straight games, but she made just 7-of-21 shots against the Cardinal.
Stanford, the defending national champions, may have been short of players, but the Cougars could not capitalize on that advantage.
Stanford led 36-26 at halftime, but outscored the Cougars 46-18 in the final two quarters. Washington State's three points in the fourth quarter were their lowest total for a quarter this season.
Washington State shot just 31% in the game and committed 20 turnovers.
"We were bad in every phase," Washington State coach Kamie Ethridge said. "Clearly we need to work on offense. We don't know what we're doing at times."
"We have to find a post, or we have got to learn to play without one," Ethridge said of WSU's poor inside play. Center Bella Murekatete had just two points for the Cougars.
"Haley was really dominant in the post and the paint," Ethridge added of Jones
THE STREAK
Stanford and Washington State first played in 1983, and the Cougars are still looking for their first victory. Ethridge said the statistic is somewhat meaningless to her current players. "I think that is more of an indication of how good Stanford has been forever," she said.
STANFORD STATS
The Cardinal shot 46% from the floor, made 13 of 16 free throws and won the rebound battle 48-34.
NO FREEBIES
Washington State shot just four free throws, making two.
BIG PICTURE
Stanford: A strong showing for a team missing so many pieces. The Cardinal are heading into conference play in the right direction. Stanford has a balanced scoring attack, as five players average 8.5-or-more points per game. Cameron Brink, who leads Stanford at 13.2 ppg, was one of five players who did not make the trip to Pullman.
Washington State: The Cougars came in allowing just 55.9 points per game., but could not stop the Cardinal, who scored 44 in the paint. The Cougars are the only team in the Pac-12 to play two conference games this weekend, as the rest of the league had to postpone games due to COVID-19 protocols.
UP NEXT
Stanford hosts Oregon on Friday.
Washington State has another tough game as the Cougars play at No. 4 Arizona on Friday.