STANFORD, Calif. - On its road trip to Northern California this week, Oregon brought enough gas money to reach Berkeley, then ran out of fuel on the second leg of the excursion.
The Ducks were like an old RV sputtering into Maples Pavilion on fumes Saturday. And No. 7 Stanford was ready for the start of the Indy 500.
The outcome, then, was somewhat predictable — an 83-49 win for the Cardinal. Oregon drained its tanks Thursday in a narrow loss at No. 9 California, and didn't have the legs to keep up with Stanford less than 48 hours later.
"There's a difference if we lose by 30 and we play hard out there," UO point guard Micaela Cocks said. "You know that inside, you can feel it. That didn't happen today, and that's why we're so disappointed."
Stanford (14-3, 4-2 Pac-10) scored on its first seven possessions, needing just one shot on six of them. Superstar Candice Wiggins scored eight straight for the Cardinal at one point to make it 24-6, and a three-point play by Jillian Harmon gave Stanford its biggest first-half lead at 33-12.
Wiggins finished with 20 points on a variety of jumpers and breakaway layins. With Jayne Appel in foul trouble, Harmon made her first six shots and grabbed nine rebounds to lead the Cardinal up front. She had five of Stanford's 15 offensive rebounds and finished with 15 points.
"We mentally gave as much as we could Thursday night," UO coach Bev Smith said. "But this is the Pac-10. You have to be ready to play Thursday and Saturday."
The Ducks (8-8, 2-3) had their leading scorer, Taylor Lilley, held without a field-goal attempt for the first time in her career. Ellie Manou led the Ducks with 10 points, flashing her potential with a couple of nice baskets in the post, while Cocks and Victoria Kenyon had seven apiece.
Oregon matched its season high with 27 turnovers and shot 36.7 percent, while Stanford hit at a 51.5 percent clip.
"You have to score every time down with Stanford, or every second time down, or at least even every third time, to beat them," Smith said. "That wasn't in us today."
It was clear from the start Saturday would be one-sided. The Ducks said their warmup was flat, and when they tried to employ a zone defense — which UCLA and USC used in upsetting Stanford a week ago — the Cardinal quickly broke it with penetration and offensive rebounds.
Oregon went back to the zone in the second half, and Stanford was content to shoot over the top of it, making 6-of-18 three-pointers. The Ducks, on the other hand, made just two three-pointers.
"We have to find ways to get (Lilley) shots," Cocks said. "I let her down, and I feel bad. We didn't set screens for her. She's got to get more shots up, when it comes down to it."
The only real positive Saturday was extensive time for Oregon's bench players. Tatianna Thomas made her most valuable contribution yet with four points, five rebounds and three steals in 13 minutes, while Nia Jackson played 12 minutes. Nicole Canepa played 19 minutes and, like Manou, hit a couple of baskets in the low post that could indicate she's ready for more playing time after recovering from a lower leg injury.
One key to playing better in Saturday games could be getting more help from the reserves on Thursdays. That didn't happen this week, but there were signs Saturday it might come down the road.
"Tatianna came in and she provided a lot of energy today," Manou said. "She made the most of her opportunity, which is what you've got to do. She did a great job, and Nia as well."