USC Routed by Stanford

The Stanford women’s basketball team crushed USC, 103-69, and opened a two-game Pacific 10 Conference lead over the Trojans on Thursday night before 5,101 at Maples Pavilion in Palo Alto.

USC (14-5 overall, 8-2 Pac-10) contained Stanford’s Kate Starbird--a primary objective of Trojan Coach Fred Williams--but Stanford (10-0, 22-1) simply had too many weapons. Starbird, who was averaging 28 points a game, had 14.

Into the gap stepped 5-foot-6 senior guard Jamila Wideman, who had 24 points on 6-for-7 shooting from the field and 12-of-14 shooting from the line.

Olympia Scott had 17 points and eight rebounds in 24 minutes, and every Stanford starter finished in double figures.

USC’s Tina Thompson had a game-high 29 and Kristin Clark 19.

Williams saluted the victors, who had beaten his team by only one at USC on Jan. 12. USC’s five-game winning streak ended.

“As far as I’m concerned, they’re the best team in the nation,” he said.

It was the Cardinal’s 43rd consecutive home victory and its 36th straight Pac-10 victory.

The Trojans were determined to put the brakes on Starbird, who had scored 40, 29 and 44 against them in the last three meetings.

Said Williams: “We wanted to force her to work hard and force their other players to step up. Unfortunately for us, they did.”