Stanford women race past Cal 59-47

BERKELEY - Amber Orrange keyed a decisive second-half run and finished with 19 points, and No. 18 Stanford used a dominant second half to hold off California 59-47 on Wednesday night in the first of two meetings between the rivals in a five-day span.

Lili Thompson added 18 points and seven rebounds for the Cardinal (20-7, 12-3 Pac-12), who have won three in a row since being swept at the Arizona schools earlier this month. Freshman Brittany McPhee gave Stanford nine points and six rebounds off the bench.

Mercedes Jefflo led Cal (19-7, 11-4) with 14 points, but the Golden Bears went the final 12:55 without a field goal. They shot 11.1 percent over the final 20 minutes.

Both teams are in a key stretch to end the season, with their only meetings against the Oregon schools to close out the conference slate next week - including dates with No. 7 Oregon State in Corvallis.

Orrange scored six consecutive points during a decisive 13-0 run midway through the second half that put the Cardinal ahead 52-44 with 6:58 to play. Cal was 0 for 13 during that stretch in the first edition of the Battle of the Bay.

After Brittany Boyd’s basket with 12:55 left, Cal went cold.

The teams also played twice in a short span two years ago, with Stanford winning by nine points on Cal’s home floor in Haas Pavilion before the No. 7 Bears snapped No. 5 Stanford’s 81-game conference winning streak with a 67-55 win at Maples Pavilion.

Jefflo scored seven points as Cal used a 19-2 run - including 15 unanswered points - to turn a 15-11 deficit into a 30-17 lead late in the first half on the way to a 32-23 lead at the break.