TUCSON, Ariz. — Stanford posted an easy victory by dominating in the post.
Kayla Pedersen matched her season-high with 22 points and Candice Wiggins had 12 of her 19 points in the second half, leading the No. 7 Cardinal to an 89-64 over Arizona on Thursday night.
Jayne Appel added 16 points, JJ Hones 11 and Morgan Clyburn 10 as Stanford (15-3, 5-2 Pac-10) won its 10th straight against Arizona, which lost to a ranked team for the 22nd consecutive time and remained winless in the Pac-10.
“This is the best we have had. We had three post players really step up,” Stanford coach Tara VanDerveer said of Pedersen, Appel and Clyburn.
Ashley Whisonant led Arizona (6-11, 0-6) with 17 points, and Tasha Dickey had 14 and Amina Njonkou 13.
The Wildcats trimmed a 23-point deficit to 74-60 on a 3-pointer from Whisonant with 6:18 left before Appel and Pedersen had back-to-back baskets inside to seal the win.
Stanford made 10 of its first 13 field-goal attempts in the second half, culminating with a 3-pointer from Hones to give the Cardinal a 68-46 advantage.
“They are a very good team. They do a great job of executing and pretty much picked us apart,” Wildcats coach Joan Bonvicini said. “Pedersen is really good. She is smart. She took the shots that were good for her and her team.”
Wiggins scored her 10th point following the halftime break on a driving lay-in with 12:31 remaining to give Stanford a 65-44 cushion.
“She delivers every game,” VanDerveer said.
Pederson took care of Stanford inside by shooting 8-for-10 and grabbing nine rebounds.
Pederson, who scored 14 points in the first half, converted a three-point play for a 63-42 lead with 13:12 left.
Wiggins scored eight points in the first six minutes, including a pair of three-pointers, and then a breakaway lay-up to give Stanford a 53-39 edge.
“I try to let the defense give me confidence. Getting easy shots opens up the three-pointers,” Wiggins said. “I’m confident that I can shoot, and I know with Jayne and Kayla there they are going to get rebounds in case you miss.”
No. 9 California 64, Arizona State 51: At Tempe, Ariz., Devanei Hampton scored a career-high 28 points, 17 in the first half, and No. 9 California beat Arizona State.
Ashley Walker added 13 points, seven in a row over a 2:19 span of the second half to lift the Bears out of trouble en route to their eighth consecutive win. The school record is 10 straight victories.
California (16-2, 7-0 Pac-10) is off to its best start since going 17-2 in the 1983-84 season. The loss snapped a five-game winning streak for the unranked Sun Devils (11-6, 5-1), who rallied from 23 down in the first half to cut the lead to four in the second.
Oregon 64, Washington St. 45: At Eugene, Ore., reserve forward Nicole Canepa scored 12 points to help Oregon beat Washington State and keep the Cougars winless in the Pacific-10 Conference.
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