The No. 7 Stanford women’s basketball team did exactly what it had to the weekend after its shocking losses at UCLA and USC. The team scored in all different ways, and from different sources than usual suspects sophomore Jayne Appel and senior Candice Wiggins. Also, the outside shooting started to look a bit better. Most importantly, the Cardinal came away with two victories, keeping its Pac-10 destiny in its own hands.

Appel and Wiggins were the headliners, as usual, against Oregon State and Oregon. But it was very comforting to see other double-digit scorers in those games. Senior guard Cissy Pierce’s 10 points against the Beavers came in increased minutes because of the lopsided win, but Pierce is a streaky shooter and that night could get her going for the next few weeks.

Against Oregon, it was junior Jillian Harmon and freshman Jeannette Pohlen doing the damage. When Harmon is on, she adds great variety to the Stanford offense. She can hit jumpers from anywhere inside the arc and causes mismatches with her size and agility. Pohlen’s presence is important given the Cardinal’s three-point shooting woes this season — hopefully, her 3-for-6 effort against Oregon is a sign that she can become a dependable option from behind the arc.

All of this adds up to encouraging signs that Stanford can live up to its preseason billing and repeat as Pac-10 champions. With just two losses, the Cardinal can still bring undefeated (in the Pac-10) California back down in the standings as the season progresses. Stanford knows that it may have exhausted its margin for error this season, and, as a result, the players seem focused and ready to make up for it.