SAN DIEGO — Stanford was simply too big and too good for UCSB.
A year removed from making it to the national championship game, the No. 2 seeded Cardinal got off to quick start in the NCAA tournament with a 74-39 win over the No. 15 seed on Saturday.
Pacific-10 Conference Player of the Year Jayne Appel had 15 points and 11 rebounds, and freshman Nnemkadi Ogwumike had 13 points and 11 rebounds as Stanford (30-4) extended its winning streak to 17 games.
Stanford last won the NCAA title in 1992. For what it’s worth, that tournament run began 17 years earlier to the day with an 82-73 win over the Gauchos on Stanford’s home court.
The Cardinal will face San Diego State on Monday night, with the winner advancing to the regionals at Berkeley. For Stanford, that would mean a trip across San Francisco Bay.
Stanford made five 3-point shots in the first 11:30, including two apiece by Kayla Pedersen and Jeanette Pohlen, to race to a 20-11 lead. The Cardinal, the Pac-10 regular-season and tournament champion, finished the first half with a 16-0 run to lead 42-14.
Whitney Warren had 10 points for the Gauchos (22-10).
Lauren Pedersen, who came in leading the Gauchos at 13 points a game, was held scoreless, going 0-for-8 from the floor.
Stanford outrebounded UC Santa Barbara 57-31.
It was the eighth time Stanford reached the 30-win mark, and the first in consecutive seasons.
