Stanford was on the mark from beyond the arc Friday afternoon to beat Utah 82-54. The Cardinal made 14-of-36 three-pointers and played their standard high level of defense to end the game as a competitive contest in the first half.

The most noteworthy news from the game is that Haley Jones did not play for an unspecified reason. Head coach Tara VanDerveer preempted any questions about Jones when she opened the press conference with a statement that Jones was "unavailable" and that's all she was going to share. Considering Jones could be seen jumping around in the bench area in celebration of her teammates' play, and that it is not a COVID-19 protocol issue, that seems to only leave a disciplinary reason.

That development was the lone substantial blemish during an otherwise routine dismantling of the Utes. Five Cardinal scored in doubles figures and no one played more than 25 minutes.

Ashten Prechtel benefitted from Cameron Brink's early foul trouble and scored a season high 14 points off the bench. "Big Red" has been pushed down the bench by Brink and the effectiveness of smaller lineups with Jones at the "four". However, the skill set that earned her recognition as the conference's best sixth woman last season is impressive when she plays with confidence and makes good decisions.

The game also featured a reassuring return of Lexie Hull not just to the court but to her normal impact on a game. Hull scored 14 points and had five rebounds and two assists. Her trademark hustle and defense were also very effective and it appeared to me to be her best game of the season.

The Cardinal only turned the ball over nine times but had 17 assists — indicative of a performance where the Cardinal didn't rely on superior skill alone to dominate an opponent, but also played with superior execution.