Stanford stymies UCLA women’s offense in a 64-38 loss, holding them to 29 percent from the field and controlling the basketball

To beat the Nikki Caldwell-led Bruins, the opposing team needs to break its suffocating full-court pressure.

That’s what Louisiana State did earlier this season.

To dominate the Bruins, a team will not only have to break the press, but also execute on both ends with precision and efficiency.

Backed by a fiery effort from the Ogwumike sisters, Jeanette Pohlen and Kayla Pedersen, Stanford once again asserted their Pac-10 dominance in a 64-38 humbling of the Bruins in Maples Pavilion.

The Cardinal has won its first five conference games by an average of more than 30 points a game, and Thursday night in a battle of the conference’s elite, Stanford once again established itself as the Pac-10’s best.

Starting on the defensive end, the No. 4 Cardinal (15-2, 6-0, Pac-10) forced the No. 8 Bruins (15-2, 5-1) into shooting a woeful 29 percent from the field.

UCLA’s single-game low in points in a half was 24 against Montana State, but last night, the Bruins were held to just 15 by halftime.

The Bruins allowed 18 points off their 17 turnovers, a statistical category in which UCLA has been accustomed to domination. Tara VanDerveer’s squad played with an edge that ensured those categories would swing in its favor.

“I’m looking forward to playing them in Pauley,” senior guard Darxia Morris said. “I’m really hurt from the loss because we didn’t play our A-game. I just want to get them back.”

The Ogwumike sisters ““ Nnemkadi and Chiney ““ along with Pedersen dominated the paint. Pohlen wasn’t raining 3-pointers like she did when Stanford upset UConn, yet she did shoot 9-of-10 from the line.

“Stanford is such a disciplined team, they did what they needed to do on offensive boards,” Caldwell said. “This is something that our team has got to understand.”

Forcing the Bruins to run back on defense, Stanford was able to grab 13 offensive rebounds for 12 second-chance points. They won the rebound battle handily 44-27 ““ when the Cardinal wasn’t putting the ball back in the hoop, they were able to get to the line, converting 20-of-24 free throw attempts.

“When you are missing a lot of your shots, we are not able to disrupt you 94 feet as much because we are in our transition defense,” Caldwell said. “That had a lot to do with our inability to press more than we would like to.”

The 26-point win is Stanford’s smallest margin of victory since Pac-10 play began. The Bruins had dominated the Trojans, who now sit third in the conference, yet still find themselves looking up at Stanford.

“This team will bounce back,” Caldwell said.

Cal fended off USC for an 11-point victory on Thursday, and will look to carry its momentum into tomorrow’s matchup against the visiting Bruins.

“We will learn from mistakes and we won’t take (Cal) lightly,” senior guard Doreena Campbell said.