Dodson, defense key romp over Matadors

Tara VanDerveer wanted more rebounding, and her Stanford women’s basketball team gave it to her Saturday afternoon against overmatched Cal State Northridge.

The No. 6 Cardinal played their usual strong defense, holding the Matadors to 27 percent shooting and winning 69-43 at Maples Pavilion. The game was even more one-sided than the final score indicated.

CSUN (6-8) made just one of its first 14 shots. Before the Matadors hit their second basket, it was 21-4. The Cardinal led 41-12 at the half and 54-15 late in the third quarter. “This game showed me a lot of improvement from people,” VanDerveer said. “CSUN has a great program, but I thought we were the aggressor.”

The Matadors were picked in the Big West Conference

preseason coaches’ poll to finish first. They have a win over a Pac-12 team to their credit — 65-52 over Washington State — although they also have been drubbed by Cal and USC.

Cardinal forward Maya Dodson, brimming with newfound confidence as a sophomore, scored a career-high 16 points.

“She ran the floor hard, scoring on the block — it was great to see her to that,” VanDerveer said.

Dodson traced her improvement to “getting stronger, getting in better shape and learning to make more efficient moves than in high school.”

Saturday’s game served as

little more than a warm-up for Friday’s Pac-12 opener against USC.

VanDerveer started clearing her bench in the second quarter. Eleven players scored, including Alanna Smith with 14 points and Lacie Hull with 10. DiJonai Carrington grabbed 12 rebounds to lead her team’s 53-35 domination of the boards.

Hull’s twin, Lexie, missed her seventh straight game because of a stress reaction in her left foot. Backup point guard Anna Wilson was out after taking a hit in practice. VanDerveer hopes both return next week. She said she has no timetable for point guard Marta Sniezek, who hasn’t played yet this season after injuring

her thumb in practice.