TOP 25/SEC WOMEN
NO. 11 STANFORD 68, NO. 3 BAYLOR 63
STANFORD, Calif. -- Stanford's Shannon Coffee didn't give Kalani Brown much room to maneuver in the paint, a defensive effort that helped the Cardinal build a big lead on third-ranked Baylor.
Coffee's rare display of three-point shooting was just as critical, providing the spark Tara VanDerveer's team needed to close out their most significant victory of the season.
Alanna Smith had 21 points and 8 rebounds, Coffee made a key three-pointer late in the fourth quarter and No. 11 Stanford held on to beat previously undefeated Baylor 68-63 on Saturday.
Kiana Williams had 13 points and 5 assists, DiJonai Carrington scored 10 points, and the Cardinal (7-1) ended the Bears' 36-game winning streak in the regular season.
The 6-foot-5 Coffee set season highs with 9 points and 19 minutes.
"Shannon been someone that has been a role player for our team and a lot of times she's led the cheers on the bench," VanDerveer said. "Today people were cheering for her. She made some big shots. Her defense was really good. It was really exciting for her to have such a big game in a big game."
Coffee entered the day averaging fewer than five minutes per game, but she was pressed into extended duty to try to contain Brown and Baylor's inside game.
Brown had a season-low 5 points on 2-of-7 shooting, and Coffee also came through with her perimeter offense. Seven of Coffee's 12 career three-pointers have come against Baylor, including three Saturday. She set career highs with 14 points in 27 minutes against Baylor last year.
"When people make big shots like that it's emotional," Smith said. "Shannon's been putting in so much work and it's showing in the games."
NaLyssa Smith and Chloe Jackson had 15 points apiece for Baylor (8-1). The Bears have defeated two Top 25 teams on the road this season but couldn't overcome 15 turnovers against the Cardinal.
"We were not very good today," Baylor coach Kim Mulkey said. "I'm disappointed in several players that didn't show up. Unfortunately it was too deep a hole to overcome.
Stanford led comfortably through three quarters and was up 60-44 early in the fourth, then held off Baylor's best run of the game.
After NaLyssa Smith made back-to-back buckets to pull the Bears within 65-58 with 3:44 left, Coffee brought the Maples Pavilion crowd to its feet with a three-pointer as the shot clock expired. Officials reviewed the play and it was upheld.
Juicy Landrum's three-pointer made it 68-61, but she was later called for an offensive foul, and Baylor also committed a costly turnover down the stretch.
In other Top 25/SEC women's games Saturday, Dana Evans scored a career-high 21 points to lead No. 4 Louisville past Northern Kentucky 92-59. The Cardinals (11-0) never trailed and led by as many as 28 points in the first half. ... Kayla Jones scored a career-high 14 points and No. 10 North Carolina State routed Maine 84-46. Aislinn Konig and Elissa Cunane added 11 points apiece, and Kiara Leslie and Grace Hunter each scored 10 for the Wolfpack (11-0), who had an easy time extending the second-best start in program history. ... Maci Morris led a balanced attack with 14 points, and No. 18 Kentucky used a strong start to beat Middle Tennessee 72-55. KeKe McKinney added 13 points, Taylor Murray had 12 and reserve Blair Green, who was 3 for 3 from three-point range, scored 11 for the Wildcats (10-1). ... Natisha Hiedeman scored 18 points, Isabelle Spingola added 17 off the bench and No. 19 Marquette rolled past in-state rival Green Bay 80-54. Allazia Blockton, who became the all-time leading scorer for the Golden Eagles (8-2) in their last game, added 13 points and Erika Davenport scored 10. ... Ciarra Duffy scored 20 points and South Dakota beat No. 22 Missouri 74-61 for the Coyotes' first road win over a Top 25 team in program history. The Coyotes (10-1) won their eighth consecutive game, a streak that includes a November victory over then-No. 23 Iowa.
Sports on 12/16/2018