Associated Press
Arizona Daily Wildcat
March 2, 1998

Stanford crushes Arizona women

STANFORD, Calif. (AP) - Kristin Folkl got her flowers. She also got 31 points and 15 rebounds as her senior class played its last regular-season home game at Stanford.

And then she got Arizona coach Joan Bonvicini all upset.

Folkl dominated inside as No. 5 Stanford avenged its only Pac-10 loss with a 108-90 defeat Saturday of No. 7 Arizona to clinch at least a share of the conference title.

After accepting going-away flowers as one of the five Stanford seniors, Folkl left open the possibility she'll delay going pro and use a redshirt option to return next season for the Cardinal.

"It just means I have a nice flower arrangement in my dorm for the next few days," she said when asked about the meaning of the flower ceremony.

Bonvicini said she hopes Folkl, who has split her time at Stanford between volleyball and basketball, will go pro.

"Nothing personal, but I hope Folkl leaves after this year. She's awesome," the Arizona coach said.

"Stanford's biggest advantage is Kristin Folkl, because she catches the ball every time on the block and puts it in, it seems. Very few teams match up with a player like Folkl."

Stanford (19-5, 15-1 Pac-10) used a 13-3 run at the start of the second half to break open the game and extend its winning streak to 59 games at Maples Pavilion. The Cardinal have not lost at Maples since 1994.

The 108 points were the most scored by Stanford and the most allowed by Arizona this season. The Wildcats have allowed more than 75 points just three times.

Olympia Scott added 17 points for Stanford, while Vanessa Nygaard had 14 points and 10 assists.

Monika Crank had 17 points for Arizona (19-6, 12-4), which had its five-game winning streak snapped. The Wildcats have a 1-17 record at Stanford, with that lone win coming in 1986.

Adia Barnes and Felecity Willis added 15 points each for the Wildcats.