BOULDER, Colo. – Four players scored in double figures and No. 15 Stanford used three significant runs to take the lead, extend that advantage and ultimately put away Colorado on the Buffaloes' home floor Friday night, 80-49.
Brittany McPhee led the Cardinal (21-6, 11-4 Pac-12) with 16 points on 6-of-7 shooting and seven rebounds in 24 minutes off the bench. Lili Thompson had 15, Erica McCall added 13 points to go with her seven rebounds and Kaylee Johnson filled her line with 12 points, seven rebounds, four blocks and three steals. Stanford moved to 9-0 this season when four players score in double figures.
The Cardinal, which shot 49 percent from the floor and 50 percent from behind the arc, held Colorado (6-20, 1-14 Pac-12) to 33 percent, including 20 percent in the third quarter, and just 2-of-15 from 3-point range.
Jamee Swan had a game-high 25 points and made all but one of her 10 attempts from the field, but her Buff teammates combined to go just 10-of-47 (21.3 percent) and score 24.
TURNING POINT » Stanford led 37-29 at halftime and grabbed a stranglehold on the game with a 17-1 third-quarter run. Up six, 39-33, with 8:48 on the clock, the Cardinal started the spurt with a 3-pointer from Briana Roberson. Kaylee Johnson followed with a jumper in the lane and Karlie Samuelson knocked down one of her two triples to extend the spurt and Lili Thompson would end it with a pair of free throws eight minutes later. Colorado missed 12 consecutive shots before Brecca Thomas halted the run by nailing a 3-pointer with 24 seconds remaining in the quarter. Stanford led by 20, 57-37, heading into the fourth.
TAKING THE LEAD » Tied 13-13 when Kennedy Leonard sank her lone 3-pointer for CU with 30 seconds to go in the opening frame, Stanford took its first large lead with a 15-0 run over the next six minutes. Six Cardinal scored during the stretch, which gave Stanford a 28-13 lead midway through the second, and was capped with four straight from Erica McCall on a jumper and two free throws.
EXTENDING » Stanford's final large run came in the fourth, when it scored 21 points during a 4:37 stretch in the middle of the quarter and only allowed one Colorado free throw. Brittany McPhee had seven points during the run and when she made two at the line before subbing out with 2:43 left, the Cardinal was up 78-43.
POINTS OFF TURNOVERS » Stanford's lead was just eight at the break because Colorado scored 16 of its 29 first-half points off of 11 Cardinal turnovers. Only two of the Buffaloes' 20 second-half points came in the same fashion.
MORE DEFENSE » The Cardinal held its 21st opponent of the season under 40 percent from the floor and limited CU to just eight points in the third, the 27th time an opponent hasn't surpassed 10 in a single quarter this season. Stanford, seventh in the nation in blocks per game, tallied eight on Friday, its 11th game with at least seven this season.