Jump’s 21 points leads No. 2 Stanford past Gonzaga

STANFORD, Calif. (AP) — Hannah Jump scored 21 points, including five 3-pointers, and No. 2 Stanford clamped down defensively to beat Gonzaga 66-50 on Sunday.

Jump, a junior taking on a bigger role this season for the defending national champions, scored 13 of her 21 points in the second half as Stanford led most of the day in a non-conference game that was scheduled at the last minute.

Gonzaga agreed to the game after Stanford’s regularly scheduled game Sunday against Oregon State was postponed due to COVID-19 issues within the Beavers’ program. The two teams played on Nov. 21 in Washington and Stanford won that one 66-62.

Cameron Brink had 14 points and 16 rebounds for Stanford (11-3) and Haley Jones added 15 points and seven rebounds.

Yvonne Ejim led Gonzaga (10-4) with 14 points.

Gonzaga ended the first half on a 7-0 run to pull within nine at the break, 33-24. But Stanford, after a rugged first half offensively, began finding open players cutting to the basket and forced turnovers that led to easy transition baskets and commanded a 52-37 lead by the end of the third quarter.

The Cardinal shot just 31.7% from the field (13 for 41) in the first half, including 4 for 18 from beyond the arc. But Stanford offset its cold shooting by hitting the offensive boards for 14 second-chance points over the first two quarters.

BIG PICTURE

Gonzaga: The Bulldogs learned the importance of taking care of the basketball and not wasting possessions against an opponent that provides little margin for error.

Stanford: In a mostly empty arena, the Cardinal showed mental toughness and kept its edge in a non-conference game that could have provided the ingredients for a letdown.

UP NEXT

Gonzaga: Plays at Pacific on Thursday, just the Zags second conference game because of postponements due to COVID-19 protocol.

Stanford: Plays Friday at Colorado, which beat the Cardinal in overtime last season in Boulder.

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