Stanford certainly wanted a tough challenge with a week ahead that features games at fellow Pac-12 powers Oregon and Oregon State. Cal provided that push while seeking a much-improved performance against its rival.

Kiana Williams had 21 points, six rebounds and five assists, and No. 5 Stanford made it a weekend sweep of the Bears with a 79-65 victory Sunday night at Haas Pavilion in the second meeting over three nights between the Bay Area rivals.

Haley Jones also scored 21 and Lexie Hull added 15 to help Stanford win its fifth straight game since a loss at Texas on Dec. 22.

Now come perhaps the toughest back-to-back tests yet for Hall of Fame head coach Tara VanDerveer’s young team: a weekend trip to play the Oregon schools. A glimpse of Final Four-caliber teams? Perhaps.

“Or at least a regional,” VanDerveer quipped.

Pac-12 women’s standings Team Conf. Overall UCLA 5-0 16-0 Stanford 4-0 15-1 Oregon State 3-1 15-1 Oregon 3-1 13-2 Arizona St. 3-2 13-4 Washington 2-2 10-5 Wash. St. 2-2 9-7 Arizona 2-3 13-3 Colorado 2-3 13-3 Utah 1-4 8-8 Cal 0-4 8-7 USC 0-5 8-8

Read More

“I feel like we have control of our own destiny. What better situation to be in?” she added.

Stanford (15-1, 4-0 Pac-12) made 9 of 14 shots out of halftime to pull away as Cal began 2-for-10, and the Cardinal produced a 13-0 run in the fourth quarter.

“There is a flow to Stanford basketball when they are in their comfort zone. You saw it a little bit in the fourth quarter,” Cal head coach Charmin Smith said.

Cal scoring leader Jaelyn Brown, averaging 14.8 points, had 14 after being held to four on four shots in Friday’s 73-40 loss.

The Bears (8-7, 0-4), playing a difficult stretch with four straight games facing teams that were ranked in the top five this week, lost their fourth straight game and fifth in six following a seven-game winning streak.

Cal did respond with more energy on both ends after Stanford cruised Friday night fashion, holding the Bears to season lows in points and field-goal percentage at 27.3. The 33-point victory was Stanford’s largest margin in the rivalry since a 78-45 win Jan. 2, 2011.

“We’re just motivating each other each time out, and we weren’t happy how we came out on Friday,” Cal guard Cailyn Crocker said.

VanDerveer considered it only a “halftime” of sorts afterward Friday, considering the teams had to play again so soon. In the initial meeting, she became the first women’s coach with 500 regular-season victories in a single conference, having accomplished the feat in the Pac-12 — formerly the Pac-10.

Cal wanted to be disruptive defensively and scored 13 points off Stanford’s 11 first-half turnovers to trail 36-29 at halftime despite Stanford shooting 52% in the first two quarters.

“If we were playing perfect in January, I might as well just retire or something,” VanDerveer said.

Stanford has won nine of the past 11 against Cal, but Cal had won the previous two matchups at Haas.

VanDerveer again coached Smith, Cal’s first-year head coach who played for and coached with VanDerveer at Stanford. The women talked for several minutes before the game in front of the Stanford bench, then stayed afterward to address Cal supporters in a chat session.

VanDerveer is 50-5 against her former assistants and 48-9 against her former players.

“This is what we want for Bay Area basketball right here in Berkeley!” Smith told the crowd of 6,724 after the final buzzer. “This will be one of the best rivalries. We will get there. … Keep coming back and get to know them. They deserve your applause.”

Janie McCauley is an Associated Press writer.