MidValleySports.Com

Stanford's Chiney Ogwumike and UCLA's Jasmine Dixon battle underneath

By Tony Solorzano

(Los Angeles) – An early halftime lead couldn’t stand the pressure of a second-half surge from freshman Toni Kokenis as the No. 2 ranked Stanford Cardinal defeated ninth-ranked UCLA, 64-55, to win the Pacific Life PAC-10 Women’s Basketball Tournament and claim the PAC-10 title Saturday afternoon at Staples Center.

The Cardinal (29-2) overcame a 30-21 deficit at the end of the first thanks to Kokenis’ 10 second-half points in the final five minutes of the game. Longtime Cardinal Head Coach Tara VanDerveer recognized the young player’s impact on the victory.

“”Toni stepped up really big for us, I had confidence she would come out with our team,” VanDerveer said after the game. “This was a great game for Toni and for other players on our team.”

In the first half, the Cardinal took control of the game early, going on a 14-7 run in the first nine minutes of the half, but the Bruins responded by closing out the half with a 19-7 run of their own to head into the locker room up 30-21.

As the second half began, the Bruins matched the Cardinal point-for-point through the first five minutes of the second half. However, both Ogwumike sisters, Nnemkadi and Chiney, helped chip away at the lead with key rebounds by Chiney and baskets by both. The Bruins’ Doreena Campbell and Darxia Morris tried to keep the Bruins ahead but on three straight possessions, the Bruins were called for traveling, forcing the turnovers.

The Cardinal tied the game and re-took the lead on a jump shot and two free throws by Nnemkadi, and then Kokenis erupted for her 10 straight in a span of 2:22 hitting two three-pointers and two field goals to put the Cardinal up for good.

Despite the loss, Bruins Head Coach Nikki Caldwell had nothing but positives to say about her team.

“I think this group did an amazing job, pretty much, for about 32, 33 minutes of the game and then there was the run and you knew it was coming,” Caldwell said. “This group is tough and they are resilient, but we couldn’t go deep in our bench tonight and I think that hurt us a little bit.”