STANFORD, Calif. – Four Cardinal scored in double figures and Stanford used a strong second-half spurt to take control and dispatch visiting Miami 86-69 on Thursday night.
Brooke Demetre led Stanford (15-13, 7-10) with 19 points, a career-high six assists and zero turnovers and Courtney Ogden put up a personal best for the second consecutive game, scoring 18. Chloe Clardy added 16 points and six assists, while Elena Bosgana chipped in 15 and was a team-best +23 in her 31 minutes.
A back-and-forth first half featured four ties and 10 lead changes. Each team shot better than 50 percent from the floor and 50 percent from distance and the Cardinal was up just one at the break, 45-44.
The game turned early in the third quarter when, after a Cameron Williams bucket for the Hurricanes, Stanford reeled off a 13-0 run over nearly four minutes to go up 12 with 5:52 on the clock. Miami wouldn’t get within nine points the rest of the way as the Cardinal kept alive its chance of securing a first-round bye in the ACC Tournament.
With a win over Georgia Tech on Sunday and road losses by Virginia at No. 8 North Carolina and Virginia Tech at Clemson, Stanford would be the No. 9 seed and play Thursday at 10:30 a.m. PT. The Cardinal has won four of its last five and is 13-0 against unranked opponents in Maples Pavilion this season.
Bosgana had eight of Stanford’s 13 points in the game-defining run, including a couple of 3-pointers. Clardy made a second-chance triple off a Mary Ashley Stevenson offensive rebound and Demetre knocked down a jumper after a Haley Cavinder turnover.
Stanford shot 53.2 percent on the night, its best percentage since November, and had 22 assists on its 33 made baskets against just 11 turnovers. In the second half, the Cardinal had 12 assists and four turnovers, while forcing Miami into 11 miscues.
The Cardinal was also 14-of-27 from beyond the arc, tied for its second-most 3-pointers in a game this season, and again more than it has made in any game since early November.
After allowing 21 and 23 points to Miami in the first and second quarters, Stanford gave up just 25 in the entire second half.
Stanford closes out its regular season on Sunday at 1 p.m. when it hosts Georgia Tech on The CW. After the game, seniors Elena Bosgana, Brooke Demetre and Jzaniya Harriel will be honored in an on-court ceremony.