Final
  for this game

Pedersen leads No. 2 Stanford to victory.

Nov 30, 2009 - 12:40 AM STANFORD, Calif.(AP) -- Even with Jayne Appel not at full strength, Stanford was too much for Gonzaga.

Kayla Pedersen scored a career-high 30 points, surpassing the 1,000-point mark, and the No. 2 Cardinal beat Gonzaga 105-74 on Sunday. Nnemkadi Ogwumike added a career-high 29 points and matched her career best with 13 rebounds as the Cardinal (6-0) won their 32nd consecutive home game.

"It was a good day to get a career high," Stanford coach Tara VanDerveer said. "Gonzaga is really a top team. We were going to go inside and make a statement."

Appel also recorded a double-double with 15 points and 10 rebounds. She's one shy of 1,000 career rebounds.

She has been trying to shake a flu that ruined her Thanksgiving dinner and led to a poor statistical performance in a 60-41 win over Utah on Friday.

"I feel better than Friday but I don't think I'm 100 percent yet," Appel said. "I have been sleeping as much as possible and trying to push through it, give it as much as I could."

She still shot 50 percent from the field to help record the 35th double-double of her career. She's the Pac-10 active leader in points, rebounds and double-doubles.

Even with the 6-4 senior All-American center not quite right, the Cardinal has potent weapons in the 6-4 Pedersen and the 6-2 Ogwumike.

"They're not just big, they're skilled," Gonzaga coach Kelly Graves said. "They had it going in and out. That's a heck of a team. With Kayla at the 3, that's an impressive presence."

Janelle Bekkering scored 16 points for the Zags (4-2), who had their four-game winning streak end. Heather Bowman and Katelan Redmon each had 15 and Courtney Vandersloot added 10 points and 12 assists.

"This kind of game gets our feet wet against an opponent with such a national ranking," Vandersloot said. "They can score in different ways."

Stanford, which never lost the lead, held a 59-38 advantage at halftime. It was the first meeting between the schools.

"We have to play inspired or it will be hard for us to get where we want to go," Ogwumike said. "Coach tells us we have to play like non can stop us. With that collective attitude it's helpful. It's mental rather than physical for getting us on top of it."

Gonzaga, favored to repeat as the West Coast Conference champion, beat USC and Washington among its early-season win streak.

Stanford opened a 30-point lead with 11:31 left in the game on a Pedersen basket.

"We're glad no matter who has the big game," said Pedersen, who became the 30th Stanford player to each 1,000 career points. "A great pass is just as exciting as a 3-pointer. We get pumped up for each other."

Redmon played against Stanford two years ago as a freshman starter with the Huskies.

The Cardinal used an 18-5 run in the first seven minutes of the contest to pull ahead 24-9.

Stanford made its first eight shots, and was 17-of-18 from the foul line, to grab the early advantage. Ogwumike and Pedersen combined for 37 of the Cardinal's 59 first-half points.

Ogwumike nearly had her double-double in the first half with nine rebounds and 19 points.






  • 5
    roots
    #1 Cards Fan Added 5 roots

    Gonzaga 74, Stanford(2) 105  FinalNov 29 7:24 PM


  • NCAA WOMENS BB
    GONZAGA 74
    STANFORD (2) 105 FINAL

    Nov 29 6:46 PM


  • NCAA WOMENS BB
    GONZAGA 38
    STANFORD (2) 59 HALFTIME

    Nov 29 5:50 PM