College Basketball: Stanford storms back to beat Arizona State

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TEMPE, Ariz. -- Stanford had overcome a halftime deficit three times this year.

So after falling behind Arizona State by 11 at intermission, the Cardinal women knew exactly what to do.

Led by star senior Candice Wiggins, who scored 13 of her 18 points in the second half, the seventh-ranked Cardinal rallied for a 60-56 victory over the Sun Devils on Sunday.

"We've been in this situation before," said Wiggins, whose 17.6-point average leads the team. "We really pulled together."

Jayne Appel had 16 points and Kayla Pedersen, a freshman from nearby Fountain Hills, Ariz., had 12 for Stanford (16-3, 6-2 Pac-10). The Cardinal have won four in a row after they were swept at UCLA and USC two weeks ago, and the victory moved the Cardinal into second place in the Pac-10, two games behind Cal. The Bay Area rivals meet Saturday in Palo Alto.

"I thought our team showed some heart," Stanford coach Tara VanDerveer said. "We showed some toughness, and we stayed together really well. I'm really proud of how we did on the road."

Briann January scored 20 points and Kayli Murphy had 12 rebounds for Arizona State (11-7, 5-2), which lost to No. 8 Cal on Thursday and was swept at home in a Pac-10 weekend series for the first time since January 2003.

"ASU tradition is to win at home," Murphy said. "We almost never lose at home. To do this, we almost shame our tradition."

Six of the Sun Devils' seven losses have come against ranked teams. Coach Charli Turner Thorne said her team needs to show more toughness, especially at the end of games.

"We were just not tough-minded enough to win this basketball game," said Turner Thorne, a Stanford alum who fell to 4-22 against her alma mater while at ASU.

VanDerveer said her team has plenty to work on in the next week.

The Cardinal will start with their shooting.

The Cardinal shot 16 percent (3-of-18) from beyond the arc and 60 percent (9-of-15) from the free-throw line. Both figures are well below Stanford's season averages -- 29.6 percent from beyond the arc and 69.2 percent from the free-throw line.

"I'm proud of our team for battling," VanDerveer said. "But in order to really take our game to the next level, we have to shoot a better percentage from the three and a better percentage from the free-throw line.

"We have to make that commitment."

No. 2 TENNESSEE 79, VANDERBILT 63, at Knoxville, Tenn. -- Candace Parker scored 19 points and grabbed 12 rebounds to help the Lady Vols beat the in-state rival Commodores.

No. 4 MARYLAND 99, GEORGIA TECH 95 (2OT), at College Park, Md. -- Crystal Langhorne had 31 points and 15 rebounds, and Marissa Coleman scored Maryland's first five points in the second overtime to carry the Terrapins to a victory.

Laura Harper scored 24 and grabbed a career-high 20 rebounds for Maryland. The Terrapins overcame 25 turnovers to earn their 12th win in a row in a game that had 23 lead changes and 18 ties.

No. 5 RUTGERS 70, LOUISVILLE 57, at Piscataway, N.J. -- Matee Ajavon scored 23 points to help the Scarlet Knights' earn their 10th victory in a row.

No. 6 BAYLOR 84, No. 11 OKLAHOMA 73, at Normon, Okla. -- Angela Tisdale scored a career-high 35 points and Rachel Allison had 17 to help the Bears beat the Sooners.

Former Modesto Christian star Courtney Paris had a season-high 28 points and 12 rebounds for her 76th double-double in a row for Oklahoma (11-4, 2-2), which had beaten Baylor in six consecutive games.

No. 9 LSU 84, MISSISSIPPI STATE 31, at Baton Rouge, La. -- Quianna Chaney scored 14 of her 16 points in the first half to help the Lady Tigers rout the Bulldogs. It was LSU's largest-ever margin of victory in Southeastern Conference play.