Pac-10 women’s tournament: Behind Appel, Stanford leads California, 35-19, at halftime

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Stanford Coach Tara VanDerveer would rather Jayne Appel, the Cardinal star senior center who is struggling with a sprained right ankle, not play.

She would rather let Appel heal before the NCAA Tournament, where the Cardinal will likely be a No. 1-seeded team.

But oh well. VanDerveer is playing Appel anyway, and her presence alone is the key reason Stanford is leading California, 35-19, at halftime in the semifinal round of the State Farm Pac-10 women’s tournament today at the Galen Center.

Appel had just four points and one rebound in the first half, but California’s inside players have had to account for her, leaving Pac-10 player of the year forward Nnemkadi Ogwumike, who has a game-high 14 points on six-of-eight shooting from the floor, with some openings in the paint.

Stanford, the top-seeded team in the tournament, shot 15 of 29 from the floor in the first half; California, the fourth-seeded team, shot eight of 32.

The winner of this game will play the winner of the USC-UCLA game, which is coming up next.

-- Baxter Holmes