Stanford’s Brink scores first triple-double with 10 blocks – KGET 17

STANFORD, Calif. (AP) – Cameron Brink ran back down the floor and brushed her hands to show the scorer’s table that she definitely touched the ball on Chance Gray’s jumper.

It took a while, and then that 10th block got the Stanford star’s incredible stat line and gave her her first career triple-double — but Brink didn’t know her milestone until she asked after the final buzzer if it counted.

Brink recorded a remarkable triple-double of 16 points, 11 rebounds and a career high in blocked shots to lead No. 3 Stanford over Oregon 62-54 on Sunday for its 21st straight Pac-12 home win.

“I was aware, and then I really wanted that last one, I think I got it from the jumper, so I was walking down the court saying, ‘I got it.’ I think I just got off to a hot start, they started getting into the paint and blocking shots started early.”

The 6-foot-4 junior posted the first triple-double in Stanford program history with blocked shots.

“I’m really excited at this point,” Brink said, “I’m really excited about it. I like to block shots, that’s probably what I do best.”

Brink hit seven shots in the first half and got the last one when she converted Gray’s jumper from the top of the key with 3:16 left. It’s the first triple-double in NCAA Division-I women’s basketball with double-digit blocks since Tamari Key did it for Tennessee in an overtime win against Texas on Nov. 21, 2021.

Stanford (21-2, 9-1 Pac-12) took a 46-37 lead into the final 10 minutes, then pulled away with a quick 7-2 spurt.

Phillipina Kyei led Oregon (14-7, 5-5) with 12 points and 17 rebounds. Gray also scored 12 and Grace Vansluten 11 points.

With Brink’s imposing presence in the paint making every possession a challenge, cold-shooting Oregon missed 17 straight shots in the first half while starting 3 for 28 from the floor. The Ducks finished with just 25%.

Brink has blocked at least one shot in every game and now has 88, the most in school history through 23 games.

Hall of Fame coach Tara VanDerveer left Brink in the game after an early foul, trusting her star to play smart defense.

“Cam is just scratching the surface of how good it can be,” VanDerveer said. “On a scale of 1 to 10, obviously a triple-double is great, but she’s a 5 where she can be. She is making great strides. And I mean that as a compliment because she has so many good sides.”

The Cardinal pulled off a tough sweep of the Oregon schools after narrowly holding off Oregon State 63-60 on Friday night.

Oregon scored 79.9 points per game and its opponents averaged 63.5, and the Ducks shot 37.2% from 3-point range, but could never find an offensive rhythm.

The Ducks snapped their second shutout in two games by beating California 78-73 on Friday night in Berkeley, with all five starters scoring in double figures in the team’s lowest win of the season.

Oregon missed 13 of its first 15 shots and went the final 5:35 of the first quarter without a field goal.

THE BIG PICTURE

Oregon: Te-Hina Paopao’s second-chance 3 at 7:09 of the second quarter ended a field goal drought. Oregon shot 5 of 17 from deep. … The Ducks fell to 3-31 on Stanford’s home floor, and coach Kelly Graves is 6-12 against the Cardinal. … Oregon outscored the opposition 42.8-34.8 and forced 13.9 turnovers, and Stanford committed 10 to the Ducks’ five.

Stanford: On January 2, 2004, Brink broke the Stanford single-game blocks record, set by Kristen Newlin. … Stanford won its fifth straight. … Stanford’s previous five wins in the series were by 12 or fewer points.

NEXT

Oregon: Hosts Colorado on Friday night.

Stanford: At Washington State on Friday night.

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AP Women’s College Basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/womens-college-basketball and https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-womens-college-basketball-poll