STANFORD, Calif. – With Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson at Madison Square Garden for NBA All-Star Weekend, Stanford's 'Splash Sisters' held it down from deep for their professional counterparts and lit up Maples Pavilion in the No. 19 Cardinal's 68-50 win over UCLA on Sunday evening.
Bonnie Samuelson made a career-high eight 3-pointers and led the Cardinal (19-7, 11-3 Pac-12) with 24 points while younger sister Karlie chipped in 14 on a modest 4-of-8 mark from behind the arc. The duo combined to score 38 of Stanford's 68 points on 13-of-23 shooting, including converting 12-of-20 of their 3-point attempts.
"There was something in the Samuelson water tonight," head coach Tara VanDerveer said. "Bonnie and Karlie really came out to play."
Samuelson's eight 3-pointers set a career high and are tied with Candice Wiggins (2007) and Lindsey Yamasaki (1999) for the third-most in Stanford single-game history. Yamasaki (2001) and Molly Goodenbour (1993) own the record of nine. She also shot her way up the career charts and with 215 in her four years trails only Candice Wiggins (295) and Jeanette Pohlen (268) on The Farm.
Stanford was up just one, 17-16, when Bonnie kicked off her magical night. The senior drained three triples on three straight Cardinal possessions in the span of 90 seconds to give her team a 26-19 lead with 5:34 left in the opening half.
Lili Thompson would make two free throws and hit a jumper for Stanford's next four points to cap off the 13-3 run and give the Cardinal its first double-digit edge of the night, 30-19.
In the second half, Stanford continued to find a Samuelson with positive results. Bonnie made the first three of the period before Karlie knocked down her third of the game off a feed from Amber Orrange to put Stanford up 17 with 9:53 left.
Bonnie would make two more before passing up a chance at her ninth to set up none other than Karlie for the sophomore's fourth of the game, this time from the corner.
Karlie got Stanford going early when her first-half triple from the corner with 10:57 on the clock ignited a 9-0 Stanford run which gave the Cardinal its first lead, 16-14, on a pair of free throws from Briana Roberson.
UCLA (10-15, 6-8 Pac-12) started the game 7-of-12 from the floor, but ended the half 4-of-18. Stanford started 4-of-16 and closed the opening frame by converting 7-of-8.
All of Stanford's 12 makes from deep came from the hand of a Samuelson, as the Cardinal went 12-of-27 (.444) from downtown. The 12 3-pointers tied a season high from Nov. 29 at Hawaii and marked the seventh time this season the team has made 10 or more in a single game.
Lili Thompson came off the bench to score 12 points, grab five rebounds and hand out a season-high seven assists. Each of her seven assists set up an open Samuelson for three. Kaylee Johnson grabbed 11 rebounds, her 14th game this season in double digits. She is the third-most prolific freshman rebounder in Stanford history with 268 boards and trails only Kayla Pedersen (329) and Chiney Ogwumike (281) among first-year players on The Farm.
Bonnie corralled six rebounds herself and tied a career high with three blocks. Karlie's 14-point effort was the sophomore's second-best this season, behind only her career-high 23 at New Mexico on Nov. 24 when she hit six from behind the arc.
Stanford won't have too much time to enjoy this one. It heads across the bay to play California in Haas Pavilion on Wednesday night at 7 p.m. The Cardinal, Golden Bears and Arizona State all own identical 11-3 conference records.