When it came right down to it, Nicole Powell was just too much.
Fourth-ranked Stanford, behind a career day from its sophomore forward, outlasted the Oregon women’s basketball team Sunday at Maples Pavilion, 91-76.
Powell, who played every position but center, posted 23 points in 39 minutes for the Cardinal (16-1 overall, 6-0 Pacific-10 Conference), but more importantly, set a Stanford single-game record with 21 rebounds. She also had seven assists, narrowly missing her fourth career triple-double.
In a game matched between two of the conference’s top squads, consistency was the key. Early on, the Ducks (10-7, 5-3) went on a 9-0 run that put them up 15-4. Stanford would answer back minutes later with an 11-4 run of their own.
Late in the second half, Stanford went on a 12-0 that put them up for good, 66-56.
“They made a couple runs in the second half that we weren’t able to respond to, and that was the difference in the game,” Oregon head coach Bev Smith told KSCR radio after the game.
For most of the game, the Ducks held up against the tough Stanford defense. In what would ultimately be a quick, up-tempo game, Oregon was able to stay afloat by going 9-of-23 from beyond the three-point arc. Senior Edniesha Curry was 5-of-7 from three-point land, and tied junior Shaquala Williams for the team lead in points with 19.
Down 46-40 at the half, the Ducks saw Stanford dominate early on. Free throws from senior Lindsey Yamasaki and freshman T’Nae Thiel put the Cardinal up by nine, but a pivotal lay in and free throw attempt by Curry gave Oregon much-needed momentum. Minutes later, on the strength of three-pointers by Williams and senior Jamie Craighead, the Ducks were tied with Stanford at 51.
Seniors Ndidi Unaka and Alyssa Fredrick helped put the Ducks up 56-54 with a little more than 14 minutes left in the half, but by then, Stanford’s dominance had begun to show through. From that point on, it was all Powell, who posted six points and six rebounds in the game’s final 10 minutes.
“One of the things we talked about as a basketball team coming into the game was we wanted to see what Stanford was made of,” Smith said. “See what Nicole Powell was made of and the rest of their players besides Yamasaki and (Kelley) Suminski. To give our team credit, we definitely took some different things away from them.”
In addition to Powell’s 23 points, Thiel had 19, senior Lauren St. Clair posted 17, and Yamasaki added 12. Oregon is now 4-7 when they allow three or more players to score in double figures.
After shooting well early on, the Ducks fell off sharply, ending the game 25-for-73 from the field, and 17-of-30 from the free throw line.
Sophomore Cathrine Kraayeveld led Oregon with 14 rebounds, a career high, as the Ducks nearly matched Stanford on the boards. The Cardinal ended the game with 48 rebounds, while Oregon collected 46.
The Ducks were able to keep close to the Cardinal for the first 33 minutes of the game. Fatigue played a factor toward the end, with several Oregon players visibly tired.
The Ducks have lost 15 straight games in Palo Alto, Calif., a streak that now spans three decades.
“Stanford is a team that plays hard for 40 minutes, runs hard for 40 minutes, and we’ve got to get where that’s our kind of basketball game,” Smith said. “If we have the effort we had against Stanford, we will be OK in our other Pac-10 games.”