NEWTON, Mass. (Interstat) — Stanford built a massive first-half lead and cruised to a 77-52 victory over Boston College in a women’s basketball game Thursday night at Silvio O. Conte Forum. The Cardinal raced ahead 20-9 after one quarter and extended its lead to 43-15 by halftime. Stanford led 66-24 after three quarters before the Eagles mounted a 28-11 fourth-quarter run against the Cardinal reserves. Stanford improved to 15-4 overall. Boston College fell to 4-16. Attendance was 633.

NEWTON, Mass. (Interstat) — The Stanford Cardinal delivered a dominant defensive performance for three quarters before weathering a frantic late rally to defeat the Boston College Eagles 77-52 in a nonconference women’s basketball game Thursday night at Silvio O. Conte Forum. The game was effectively decided in the first half, as Stanford’s size, athleticism, and defensive pressure overwhelmed the Eagles from the opening tip. The Cardinal opened the game on a 9-0 run, punctuated by an early layup from Nunu Agara, who won the opening jump ball and scored on Stanford’s first possession. Boston College struggled to find any offensive rhythm against Stanford’s active defense, which forced multiple shot-clock violations and contested nearly every attempt. Stanford led 20-9 after the first quarter and then held Boston College to just six points in the second period. The Cardinal’s interior presence was overwhelming, with Agara and Lara Somfai controlling the paint on both ends. A key sequence late in the half saw Stanford extend its lead with a 9-0 run, capped by a Courtney Ogden-assisted three-pointer from Chloe Clardy, to take a commanding 43-15 advantage into halftime. The third quarter offered more of the same, with Stanford maintaining its intensity to outscore Boston College 23-9. The Cardinal lead ballooned to as many as 42 points, reaching 66-24 by the end of the period. Ogden, the sophomore guard from Atlanta, orchestrated the offense with precision, finishing with 13 points and six assists. Hailee Swain added 15 points, while Agara and Somfai each contributed 10 points, with Somfai adding a block. The most significant phase of the game, however, was a cosmetic but energetic fourth-quarter surge by Boston College. With Stanford deep into its bench, the Eagles outscored the Cardinal 28-11 over the final 10 minutes. Boston College’s starting backcourt of Amirah Anderson and Kayla Rolph, who played limited minutes in the second half after the outcome was certain, fueled the run. Rolph scored 10 of her team-high 15 points in the final period, including two three-pointers, while Anderson added eight of her 14 points. Lily Carmody facilitated the rally, dishing out three of her assists in the quarter and finishing with 11 points. Despite the late push, the Eagles never drew closer than the final 25-point margin. The Cardinal’s defensive statistics for the first three quarters told the definitive story: Boston College was held to 24 points on a stifling defensive effort before the game’s final act. Stanford improved to 15-4 overall with the victory, bouncing back from a home loss to Duke in its previous outing. Boston College fell to 4-16, continuing a difficult season in the Atlantic Coast Conference. An announced crowd of 633 watched as Stanford efficiently dispatched its opponent, setting the stage for a quick turnaround. The Cardinal continue their road trip at Syracuse on Sunday. Boston College will look to regroup when it hosts California, also on Sunday. According to National Statistical’s ELO system, Stanford entered the game with a 94.2 percent probability to win, a projection borne out by the lopsided nature of the contest for the vast majority of the night. The Cardinal’s early defensive mastery and balanced scoring attack rendered the Eagles’ late scoring burst inconsequential to the final outcome.

NEWTON, Mass. (Interstat) — A surging Stanford squad looks to rebound from a rare conference loss when it visits struggling Boston College in an Atlantic Coast Conference women’s basketball matchup Thursday night. The Cardinal (14-4, 2-1 ACC) travel east after a 67-60 home defeat to Duke on Sunday snapped a two-game win streak. Stanford, which joined the ACC this season, has largely dominated its schedule, with its other three losses coming by a combined 11 points. Boston College (4-15, 0-4) seeks its first ACC victory amid a difficult season. The Eagles have lost seven straight games, with five of those defeats coming by 23 or more points. They are coming off a 78-56 loss at Virginia Tech. Stanford will lean on forward Nunu Agara, who is coming off a dominant 17-point, 10-rebound double-double against Duke. Over her last six games, Agara is averaging 16.7 points and 5.8 rebounds, including a 27-point outburst in a win over Wake Forest on Jan. 8. The Eagles counter with guard Amirah Anderson, their most consistent scorer during the skid. She leads the team with 14 points in the loss to Virginia Tech and had 15 points and six rebounds in a close defeat to Northeastern in December. Stanford’s size and defensive presence, anchored by Agara and Alexandra Eschmeyer (10 points, 6 rebounds, 4 blocks vs. Duke), will pose a significant challenge for a Boston College team averaging just 56.2 points per game during its losing streak. The game at Silvio O. Conte Forum tips off at 7 p.m. EST. Stanford continues its road trip at Syracuse on Sunday, while Boston College hosts California the same day. Historically, Stanford has faced Boston College only once before, a 96-49 Cardinal victory in 1991. Thursday’s contest marks their first meeting as conference foes.