Stanford women rip USF 85-58 to spoil Azzi’s homecoming

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Before the game, the emotions were readily apparent, thanks to Jennifer Azzi’s return to Maples Pavilion. Then the game tipped off, and cold, hard reality took over.

Stanford handed USF its worst loss of the season, 85-58 in the NCAA Tournament’s first round, and left Azzi, the Dons’ coach, gushing about the Cardinal.

“I think they’re going to go really far and really deep in the tournament,” Stanford’s first All-American and first national Player of the Year said. “They’re an incredible team.”

It was the 19th time in 30 Big Dances that the Stanford women opened the tournament at home. The crowd, which included a solid USF contingent, welcomed Azzi, but mostly it celebrated the Cardinal’s total domination at her team’s expense.

“Once the game got going, I didn’t care who was on the other bench,” Stanford coach Tara VanDerveer said.

Guard Lili Thompson returned to peak form at an opportune time for the Cardinal, scoring 17 points in 23 minutes.

Stanford’s Karlie Samuelson, who scored 11 points, drives past USF’s Claudia Price in second quarter. Stanford’s Karlie Samuelson, who scored 11 points, drives past USF’s Claudia Price in second quarter. Photo: Scott Strazzante, The Chronicle Buy photo Photo: Scott Strazzante, The Chronicle Image 1 of / 3 Caption Close Stanford women rip USF 85-58 to spoil Azzi’s homecoming 1 / 3 Back to Gallery

Stanford, seeded fourth in the Lexington, Ky., Regional, had too many weapons, too much height and too much skill for the 13th-seeded Dons. USF had punched a ticket to the NCAA Tournament with a surprising title run in the WCC tournament.

“They’ve got great size across the board,” Azzi said. “We’re not used to this level of physicality.”

The Cardinal (25-7) will play 12th-seeded South Dakota State at 6 p.m. Monday. The Jackrabbits beat fifth-seeded Miami 74-71 in the first game of the doubleheader.

Stanford gave every indication it intends to make it to Kentucky next weekend. The Cardinal shook off the disappointment of losing to Washington in the first round of the Pac-12 tournament in Seattle.

Thompson returned to the starting lineup after missing two games to attend her grandfather’s funeral and after coming off the bench in the Pac-12 tournament loss. She hit 6 of 10 shots, including two three-pointers.

Erica McCall enjoyed her 16th double-double of the season, scoring 14 points and grabbing 10 rebounds. “We’re peaking at the right moment,” she said.

Kaylee Johnson had 13 points and nine boards. Karlie Samuelson added 11 points. Freshman Marta Sniezek had nine assists. Stanford had a 49-22 advantage on the boards.

Rachel Howard scored 14 points to lead the Dons, who finished 21-12 in Azzi’s sixth season at the helm. Taylor Proctor, the team’s leading scorer with an 18.5-point average, was kept in check, mainly by Johnson. She had 13 points on 4-for-16 shooting in the final game of her USF career.

When Michaela Rakova, USF’s 6-foot-3 Slovakian forward, went to the bench after picking up her third foul in the second quarter, the Dons had nobody on the floor taller than 6-0. Meanwhile, the Cardinal were hitting the boards with McCall, Johnson and Alanna Smith, all of whom are 6-3.

In the earlier game, South Dakota State (27-6) had 19 points by freshman Madison Guebert, including five threes. Macy Miller added 18 points and Ellie Thompson 14 for the Jackrabbits, who advanced to the second round for only the second time. The Hurricanes (24-9) were led by Adrienne Motley with 19 points, Laura Cornelius with 18 and Emese Hoff with 17.

Tom FitzGerald is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: tfitzgerald@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @tomgfitzgerald