By: Joe Lami

The Stanford Cardinal took to the road for the first of Pac-12 play on Friday, as they defeated the Utah Utes 87-61.   The Cardinal remain undefeated in Pac-12 play, as they beat both teams from Oregon last week, before going on the Utah and Colorado road trip this week.  The win ups the Cardinal record to 14-1, giving them 13 straight wins.  Stanford’s rank remains at number four, however it is at number one in the RPI ranking system.

Chiney Ogwumike led the Cardinal in scoring with 30 points.  The Senior All-American added nine rebounds.  Amber Orrange was the only other Cardinal scorer to reach double digits, as she recorded 14.  All Stanford starters got on the board in scoring as Sara James and Mikaela Ruef added eight, and freshman, Lili Thompson had six. Bonnie Samuelson came off of the bench and hit her only attempt of the night, as she knocked one down from beyond the arc in the nine minutes that she played.

The Cardinal out-rebounded the Utes by a substantial margin, winning the battle 43-28.  A large part was due to Reuf, as she led the team in rebounds, as she had 14 total, with 12 of them coming of the defensive side of the ball.

Utah had three different players reach double digits, as Forward Emily Potter led the team with 16.  Right behind her was Michelle Plouffe with 14 points, and Danielle Rodriguez had 11 points.  The three players combined for a total 41 points, leaving 20 to the rest of the team.  Utah also struggled shooting from the field as they shot only 39% from the field.

Utah’s record falls to 7-7, as they remain winless in Pac-12.  The Utes look to gain their first Pac-12 win of the season as they host the number 19 California Golden Bears on Sunday.

Stanford continues their first road Pac-12 road trip of the season with a trip to Boulder Colorado, as they take on the Buffs on Sunday.