STANFORD, Calif. (AP) – Cameron Brink scored nine of her career-high 29 points in overtime, including a pair of clutch free throws with 11.9 seconds remaining, and No, 6 Stanford held off Duke 82-79 on Sunday.
The reigning two-time Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year added 11 rebounds and six blocked shots to keep the Cardinal (4-0) unbeaten.
"They gave us all we could ask for and more," Stanford coach Tara VanDerveer said. "This game was kind of a heavyweight fight and it was a grind-out game. These are the kind of games that will get us ready for the Pac-12 gauntlet. in.
"There are things we can do better but I'm really excited about how our team stuck together, battled and found a way to win."
Kiki Iriafen had a career-high 27 points with nine rebounds for Stanford. Hannah Jump added 15 points with five 3-pointers.
Ashlon Jackson made six 3s and scored 22 points for Duke (3-2).
Brink's performance in overtime made up for her missed contested layup off an inbounds pass as time ran out in the fourth quarter. She scored all but two of Stanford's 11 points in overtime.
"We're such a young team, getting a game like this under our belts shows us that we can fight through stuff," Brink said.
Unlike its previous two wins – blowouts over then-No. 9 Indiana and Cal Poly – Stanford didn't have a chance to coast.
Down by 17 in the first quarter, Duke didn't go down quietly. The Blue Devils pulled within 43-35 at halftime then broke through in the third and held the high-powered Cardinal to 10 points, six on free throws. Stanford shot 2 of 12 in the period, both makes by Iriafen.
"Tough loss for us," Duke coach Kara Lawson said. "We battled and battled. Just really proud of my group just to hang in there and go toe-to-toe. We have a lot to learn, we have a lot of ways we have to grow. But it was fun to watch them compete on this floor."
BIG PICTURE
Duke: Credit the Blue Devils for not folding early and making Stanford sweat it out with their physicality on defense. Lawson was denied her 50th career coaching win but has to like the fight her team showed against the Cardinal.
Stanford: This was a good test for VanDerveer's team, which needed to be challenged after beginning the season with three lopsided wins, The Cardinal came out strong against but the offense dried up when Brink was on the bench. Her return immediately sparked Stanford and showed why she's one of the best players in the country on both ends of the floor.
