Stanford forward Kiki Iriafen (44) drives past California forward Claudia Langarita, left, during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game in the quarterfinal round of the Pac-12 tournament Thursday, March 7, 2024, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Ian Maule)
By W.G. RAMIREZ | Associated Press
LAS VEGAS (AP) — Kiki Iriafen scored 28 points and grabbed 18 rebounds and No. 2 Stanford beat California 71-57 in a Pac-12 Tournament quarterfinal game on Thursday.
The Cardinal (27-4), who fell behind by nine in the first half, erased a 36-28 halftime deficit by scoring the first eight points of the third quarter.
Leading by just two after three quarters, Stanford scored the first nine points in the fourth quarter and used a 19-4 run to widen its lead to 17 and seize control.
Elena Bosgana added 16, Cameron Brink finished with 15 and Talana Lepolo chipped in 12 for the Cardinal.
California (17-14) was led by Marta Suarez with 14 points before fouling out.
Cal lost starting forward Ugonne Onyiah midway through the third quarter after getting tangled up with Brink and taking a hard shot to her face.
Stanford’s poor shooting in the first half allowed Cal to keep the Cardinal at bay. It didn’t help that Brink picked up her third foul midway through the second quarter.
Stanford shot just 32.3% from the floor in the first two quarters, but the Golden Bears hit 15 of 33 (45.5%) from the field, including 5 of 12 (41.7%) from 3-point range. The Cardinal struggled from long range, missing 12 of 15 from beyond the arc in the half.
BIG PICTURE
Cal: The Golden Bears, who were on pace to hold Stanford to 56 after limiting it to 28 first-half points, were 14-0 this season when holding opponents to 60 or fewer points.
Stanford: The Cardinal improved to 9-0 all-time against Cal in the Pac-12 Tournament.
UP NEXT
Cal: Will await word from the selection committee with hopes of getting an invite to the NCAA Tournament.
Stanford: Will play No. 13 Oregon State in a semifinal on Friday.
Originally published at Associated Press