There is a gear Stanford can switch to that only a couple other teams can match and even if the Cardinal only use it for a quarter, or a half, that can be enough to put a game away.

The Cardinal opened up a 26-point lead by dominating the first half but UCLA is a tough opponent to keep down and the Bruins made it a little interesting when they cut the deficit to 10.

Kiana Williams and Lexie Hull weren't going to let anything mess up their plans for a celebration, though. Williams scored 26 points and made 6-of-7 three-point attempts in a remarkable performance that left her one three-pointer shy of tying Candice Wiggins.

Hull found her shot and teamed up with Williams to provide the scoring that the Cardinal needed to hold back the Bruins. She also had six rebounds, two assists and one steal.

Tara VanDerveer and Stanford are very happy to be done with Michaela Onyenwere. She is a fabulous player and she scored 30 points in a variety of ways to keep the short-handed Bruins in the fight. Onyenwere has been one of the rare opponents in recent years to largely escape the lock-down efforts of Stanford's strategy to take away the other team's top player. Her all-around excellence and physicality overcame most of this efforts.

But one elite player will not be able to defeat the Cardinal team. The depth has been thoroughly discussed and in a way was reinforced by a win when the two best veteran scorers led the way. Cameron Brink had been the star of the first two games but because of a relapse with foul trouble she had a minimal impact on the game.

Haley Jones was benched most of the third quarter but made a positive impact on the game with 13 rebounds and a very efficient 10 points. She also had three steals and made some nice stops on the defensive end. Her decision making irks VanDerveer at times in large part because Jones has the ability to take over a game if she doesn't get in her own way.

The NCAA Tournament is now the only thing on the mind of the Cardinal and this time when they bubble up in a city they will do so with a much different outlook than the hotel living they experienced last year. Their goal is to win a national championship and already they've accomplished wonders to win the conference and 25 games despite all the obstacles put in their way.