When No. 4 Stanford (24-4, 13-3 Pac-12) was not getting bullied inside the paint, turning the ball over or outrun, the game was close. The Cardinal even won the fourth quarter by 10 points and tied the second. The 74-66 loss to No. 3 Oregon (26-2, 15-1 Pac-12) came for other reasons.

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Without much in terms of offensive help, Williams dropped 24 points and pushed Stanford’s record to 1-0 in such games with a 63-60 victory. Williams played all but 11 seconds of the game, while none of her teammates topped 30 minutes.

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The toughest stretch of No. 4 Stanford women's basketball (23-3, 12-2 Pac-12) season begins today. The final four regular season games will all come against ranked opponents, including the date tonight with No. 15 Oregon State (19-7, 7-7 Pac-12).

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And on Tuesday, No. 25 Stanford (1-3, 0-0 Pac-12) grew into its offense over the course of the game. Despite not getting a hit until the fourth inning, the Cardinal eventually tacked on a couple of runs and even staged a brief comeback.

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Stanford scored two runs on as many errors and salvaged a Sunday win out of a lost series against Fullerton. The Titans out-hit the Cardinal 5-4 and struck out three fewer times but could not find the sweep.

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Once again, No. 8 Stanford (23-3, 12-2 Pac-12) rebuffed Colorado (15-10, 4-10 Pac-12) of an upset victory.

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After Cal State Fullerton (2-0, 0-0 Big West) won its fourth straight game at No. 17 Stanford (0-2, 0-0 Pac-12), the Titans huddled briefly and cheered their dominant 6-1 victory.

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Head coach David Esquer ’87 knew coming into Friday night’s opener that the relative inexperience of this Cardinal team would present a challenge. Five unearned runs, 13 strikeouts later and a 7-1 loss later, Esquer’s prediction rang true.

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No. 17 Stanford (0-0, 0-0 Pac-12) welcomes its nemesis Cal State Fullerton (0-0, 0-0 Big West) to Sunken Diamond for a three-game opening set beginning Friday.

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With the help of Athletes Guide, nine Stanford football players hosted their first free football clinic on Sunday, Jan. 26 at Hillview Middle School for the community and were paid for their time. For nearly two hours, kids of all ages played football with their heroes under beautiful blue skies and the incessant drum of clean rap music.

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Normally, Senior Day is celebrated in Maples Pavilion after the game to prevent the emotions of a goodbye from impeding the focus on winning. On Sunday, however, a dominant first quarter turned the whole afternoon into a celebration as there was no doubt about the end result.

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Maples was rocking after a heat check 3-pointer from Kiana Williams late in the third quarter provided No. 6 Stanford women’s basketball (20-3, 9-2 Pac-12) its first lead in 15 minutes. Before the ensuing Bruins’ timeout, the junior guard was 8-of-12 from the field, but finished on a 1-for-10 skid as it all collapsed in what would become the Cardinal's second loss in conference play.

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In a long, arduous conference season, consistency is rare, but improvement is even more difficult to come by. Nevertheless, No. 6 Stanford (20-2, 9-1 Pac-12) defied the odds and held its opponent below 50 points for the third straight game, while not permitting a single 3-pointer. In doing so, the Cardinal secure a 71-49 victory over Washington State (10-12, 3-7 Pac-12) for the second time this season and 67th consecutive time in program history.

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The mark of a good team, at times, is winning when you are not at your best. Despite shooting 32.8% from the field as a team and turning over the ball as many times in the second quarter (five) as all of last game, No. 6 Stanford (19-2, 8-1 Pac-12) picked up the road win 58-41. ?

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Success comes at a cost. For Estella Moschkau, the cost comes with fives, one after the other.

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Sunday was for honoring legends. Pregame, as the 1990 national champions were recognized pregame to a roaring Maples Pavilion crowd, I found out that Kobe Bryant had passed away.

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As Jump caught fire, so did No. 6 Stanford (18-2, 7-1 Pac-12), and the 16-0 across the end of the third and into the fourth effectively put the game out of reach. A season ago, a hot-shooting Utah (10-9, 3-5 Pac-12) defeated Stanford at home, but the Cardinal enacted their revenge with a 82-49 triumph.

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On Friday night, two massive hustle plays defined No. 6 Stanford’s (17-2, 6-1 Pac-12) 76-68 overtime win.

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The Daily has established a mailbag to field questions from the Cardinal faithful. Beat writers from each sport, plugged into their sources on campus, will be tapped to answer any and all questions to the best of their abilities. Questions can be sent through Twitter, Facebook or email (sports ‘at’ 3g.uoqoo.cn).

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After the most difficult road trip of the season, a weekend in Maples Pavilion will provide a nice respite for No. 6 Stanford (16-2, 5-1 Pac-12). The Cardinal will host Colorado (13-4, 2-4 Pac-12) and Utah (9-8, 2-4 Pac-12).

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On Sunday, the Cardinal (16-2, 5-1 Pac-12) may have found itself with the best player, at least down the stretch. Junior guard Kiana Williams did just enough to escape No. 8 Oregon State (16-2, 4-2 Pac-12) with a 61-58 victory.

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No. 3 Stanford (15-1, 4-0 Pac-12) traveled to Eugene and were thoroughly exposed by No. 6 Oregon (13-2, 3-1 Pac-12). During the game, Sabrina Ionescu became the Ducks all-time leading scorer.

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No. 3 Stanford (15-1, 4-0 Pac-12) will meet No. 6 Oregon (13-2, 3-1 Pac-12) in a raucous Matthew Knight Arena tonight.

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Sophomore forward Sophia Smith has declared for the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) Draft, she announced on Wednesday. The Portland Thorns, who traded up to secure the first overall selection, are expected to draft Smith with that pick.

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