No. 4 Stanford storms past Cal in preparation for Pac-12 tournament

Stanford coach Tara VanDerveer presented flowers to each of her three seniors Sunday and said that she was sorry that their parents or family members couldn’t be at Maples Pavilion for Senior Day.

Then, there they all were — moms and dads, brothers and sisters, nieces and nephews, even a few aunts and uncles — brought in on the big screen via video call sharing their congratulations and love.

“This is our very first Zoom Senior Day,” VanDerveer said in a touching event given the COVID-19 protocols and restrictions.

Kiana Williams scored 12 points in her final home game and fifth-year senior Anna Wilson added three steals while playing for the final time on The Farm and the fourth-ranked Cardinal used a dominant second half to beat Cal 72-33 to close out the regular season.

“We’ll be in San Antonio soon,” Williams told her family in Texas, referencing the Final Four to be played in her hometown.

“Williams family, get ready!” added VanDerveer. “We’ll keep working hard.”

Williams, Wilson and Alyssa Jerome received postgame bouquets and took turns sharing remarks at midcourt as their teammates showered them with top memories.

Hannah Jump added 14 points for Stanford (22-2, 19-2 Pac-12), which won its 11th straight game since a two-game skid in January.

VanDerveer took advantage of a chance to use her entire bench to prepare for the upcoming Pac-12 tourney as Stanford closed the game with a 9-0 run over the final 3:35.

Freshman Dalayah Daniels had 11 points and seven rebounds for Cal (1-15, 1-12), which was coming off a win over Arizona State achieved a week earlier.

“We’ve got a lot of growth on this team and we’re going to keep fighting,” said Bears coach Charmin Smith, who played for VanDerveer at Stanford and later coached with her...