Lexie Hull scored 21 points, her third 20-plus game, and No. 3 Stanford held off Buffalo 88-69 Sunday
Lexie Hull scored 21 points, her third 20-plus game, and No. 3 Stanford beat Buffalo 88-69 on Sunday.
Ashten Prechtel added 17 points and had 10 rebounds for the Cardinal (5-0), who hosted the Bulls for the first time. Kiana Williams added 14 points and Haley Jones had 10.
Dyaisha Fair scored 24 points to lead the Bulls (4-2), who lost their second straight after opening with four wins.
Freshman Elea Gaba scored 16 points, her first double-figure contest. Theresa Onwuka had 13 points and 10 rebounds and Loren Christie added 12 points.
Buffalo was within nine points early in the fourth quarter before Stanford began to pull away.
Prechtel hit a basket with 2:31 left in the third quarter, culminating a 10-0 run that gave Stanford a 13-point edge at 58-48.
Buffalo narrowed the gap to six points a minute later but Prechtel completed a three-point play to give Stanford a 63-52 advantage into the fourth quarter.
The Cardinal never trailed in the game but was tied several times in the first half. Williams hit a running jumper in the final seconds of the second quarter to give Stanford a 19-17 halftime lead.
BIG PICTURE
Buffalo: Fair and Theresa Onwuka have each scored at least 30 points in a game. Buffalo is the only team in the nation with two different 30-plus scorers. Preseason Big 4 Player of the Year Summer Hemphill has yet to play as she rehabs from a leg injury.
Stanford: The Cardinal had been limiting teams to 26.5% shooting this season, fifth in the nation, and was tested by Buffalo’s sharpshooters. Lexie Hull, one of Stanford’s top defenders, was limited by foul trouble in the first half. With her in the game, the Bulls shooting percentage dropped in the second half.
UP NEXT
Buffalo: The Bulls open the Saint Joseph’s Hawk Class against Drexel on Saturday.
Stanford: The Cardinal opens the Victoria Invitational in Canada against Cal Baptist on Thursday.