AP

No. 2 Stanford beats UCLA 76-48, win streak hits 9 games

Feb 3, 2022, 7:22 AM | Updated: 10:09 pm

Stanford guard Lexie Hull, right, dribbles next to UCLA guard Camryn Brown (35) during the second h...

Stanford guard Lexie Hull, right, dribbles next to UCLA guard Camryn Brown (35) during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game Thursday, Feb. 3, 2022, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)

(AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Francesca Belibi tied a career-high with 20 points and had 13 rebounds, and Cameron Brink scored 17 points, leading No. 2 Stanford to a 76-48 win over UCLA on Thursday night.

Stanford (17-3, 8-0 Pac-12) has won nine consecutive games since its loss to top-ranked South Carolina in December.

“We know over the last two years that everything is really unpredictable and our team has the next woman up mentality regardless of who is out,” Belibi said. “My main goal was to make sure I’m rebounding and (the scoring) just kind of happened.”

The Cardinal, alone atop the Pac-12 standings, cruised to a 40-24 halftime lead, largely by shooting 50% (8 for 16) from beyond the arc. The Cardinal finished with 11 3-pointers in the game.

“I don’t think about streaks, I think about how we can keep improving,” Stanford coach Tara VanDerveer said. “We could be much more aggressive defensively and force more turnovers. We can run our offense better. But we have people that really play hard … I’m excited about how well we’re playing, but there’s obviously more we can do.”

Lexie Hull had a great start, scoring 11 of her 14 points in the first quarter, including three of her four 3-pointers in that stretch.

UCLA (9-7, 4-5) lost its third consecutive game after winning four in a row.

Stanford junior guard Haley Jones missed the game due to health and safety protocols, and Belibi got the start. Jones, who was the Final Four’s most outstanding player last year in leading Stanford to the national championship, is the team’s second-leading scorer at 12.6 points per game. Brink leads the team in scoring.

“This is a great team win for us,” VanDerveer said. “I thought Fran really stepped up big getting her double-double. We took care of the ball. We outrebounded (47-34) a team that rebounds really well. Cam (Brink) was really big, too, (shooting) 7 for 10. Thought we ran well. Lexie had her 3-point shot going. Total team effort. And Lexie did a really good job on the boards. Our rebounding was the key.”

UCLA guard Charisma Osborne scored a team-high 12 points.

OSBORNE RETURNS

Osborne will not be 100% the rest of the year, according to UCLA coach Cori Close, but she returned to the lineup after missing a game with a right knee injury and scored 12 points. She scored her 1,000th point a week ago against Arizona, but the milestone was overshadowed when she was carried off the court with that injury that, fortunately, wasn’t serious.

“Honestly, I’m just really happy to be back on the court with my team and just grateful I got the opportunity to play,” Osborne said.

GIVING RECOGNITION

Close was honored before the game with a plaque commemorating her being named the co-recipient of USA Basketball’s developmental coach of the year for leading the under-19 team to a FIBA World Cup victory.

BIG PICTURE

Stanford: The Cardinal did whatever it wanted offensively, and that was without Jones and starter Hanna Jump. Jump was just coming back from health and safety protocols and didn’t play. It’s a testament to how deep Stanford is, and even without one of its stars Stanford cruised on the road. Things look good for Stanford in its attempt to win back-to-back national championships.

UCLA: The Bruins are now under .500 in the Pac-12. They hope to get healthy and have seven remaining games to improve their seeding for the Pac-12 tournament.

UP NEXT

Stanford: Plays Sunday at USC.

UCLA: Hosts Cal on Sunday.

___

More AP women’s college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/womens-college-basketball and https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-womens-college-basketball-poll and https://twitter.com/AP_Top25

Copyright © The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

AP

Associated Press

Ex-Packer Guion gets 1 year for domestic violence assault

GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) — Former Green Bay Packers defensive tackle Letroy Guion was sentenced to one year in jail after pleading no contest in a domestic violence assault at his home last fall. Brown County Circuit Court Judge Thomas Walsh also ordered Guion on Tuesday to serve three years’ probation and complete a domestic […]

2 years ago

Joe Jarzynka...

Associated Press

Durant eager for Suns debut vs. Hornets after knee injury

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Kevin Durant has been through quite a bit during his 15-year NBA career — but joining a new team midway through the season is a new one for the 13-time All-Star. The 34-year-old Durant doesn’t seem all that worried. Durant makes his highly anticipated Phoenix Suns debut on Wednesday night against […]

2 years ago

FILE - Miami Dolphins head coach Brian Flores stands on the sideline during the second half of an N...

Associated Press

Judge: NFL coach can press discrimination claims in court

NEW YORK (AP) — NFL Coach Brian Flores can pursue some of his discrimination claims against the league and its teams in court rather than through arbitration, a judge ruled Wednesday. The written decision by Judge Valerie Caproni in Manhattan was issued months after lawyers for the league tried to get the lawsuit moved to […]

2 years ago

Chicago Blackhawks goaltender Alex Stalock cools off in the first period during an NHL hockey game ...

Associated Press

Kane trade reinforces hard reality of Blackhawks rebuild

CHICAGO (AP) — After days of speculation, the harsh reality of the Chicago Blackhawks’ situation was reinforced by one move in a flurry of transactions ahead of the NHL trade deadline. Showtime is over, at least in Chicago, and a seemingly bright future is, well, way off in the distance. The reverberations of Chicago’s decision […]

2 years ago

FILE -  Yves Jean-Bart, president of the Haitian Football Federation, wearing a protective face mas...

Associated Press

Disgraced ex-Haitian soccer president announces he’s back

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) — Haiti’s former soccer federation president whose lifetime ban from sport over sexual abuse allegations was overturned last month announced Wednesday that he is reclaiming his position. Yves Jean-Bart’s defiant announcement could lead to a standoff with FIFA, which already has appointed an emergency management committee to lead the Haitian Football Association […]

2 years ago

FILE - Green Bay Packers' Aaron Rodgers walks off the field after an NFL football game against the ...

Associated Press

Rodgers says decision on future will come ‘soon enough’

GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) — Aaron Rodgers says he will make a decision on his future “soon enough” as the four-time MVP quarterback ponders whether to play next season and if his future remains with the Green Bay Packers. Rodgers, 39, discussed his future while speaking on an episode of the “Aubrey Marcus Podcast” that […]

2 years ago

No. 2 Stanford beats UCLA 76-48, win streak hits 9 games