As time wound down in the first half against Washington State yesterday, Stanford’s senior guard Candice Wiggins took the ball down the baseline, avoided a defender and, once she crossed under the hoop, leaped and laid the ball in, drawing a foul in the process.

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Candice Wiggins, shown here at Maples Pavilion earlier this season, received the game ball from Stanford’s win over Washington State to honor her 2,416th career point. #gallery http://daily.stanford.edu/image/full/8691
AP Photo

Candice Wiggins, shown here at Maples Pavilion earlier this season, received the game ball from Stanford’s win over Washington State to honor her 2,416th career point.

With that basket, Wiggins broke Lisa Leslie’s Pacific-10 Conference career scoring record.

“I think it’s a great accomplishment,” said Stanford coach Tara VanDerveer. “We’re all really happy for her. It could not happen to a better person, a better basketball player, a better leader.”

The hype surrounding the occasion had been building for weeks, ever since Wiggins broke Kate Starbird’s Stanford career scoring record against Southern California in late January and supporters realized that Leslie’s mark was in reach.

“This feat has been looming for a while,” said Wiggins. “I’m very happy.”

But Wiggins paid it little mind along the way; instead, she was focused on securing the Cardinal’s eighth straight Pac-10 regular season title.

“Today was just about playing,” she said. “Sometimes you try to do too much, but you have to let the game come to you.”

Wiggins entered the weekend series against WSU and Washington needing 37 points to break Leslie’s record. She finished with 46, and now has 2,424 points for her career, 10 more than Leslie. She’ll be able to add to her total in the Pac-10 Tournament next weekend, and the NCAA Tournament later in the month.

Wiggins led all scorers in both games, but was quick to distribute credit for both the team’s success and her own personal accomplishment.

“Tara said this in the locker room, and it’s true: I couldn’t be the player I am without the teammates I have,” she said.

She pointed specifically to a sequence in the first half when sophomore center Jayne Appel received a pass in the key and, despite being left wide open for an easy layup, threw the ball back to Wiggins, who was left alone beyond the arc. Wiggins promptly knocked down one of her five three-pointers on the day.

“That’s the unselfish play that I’ve been around,” Wiggins said. “I love playing for Stanford — I’m so proud.”

That basket and her record-breaking layup were emblematic of a superb weekend for Stanford’s star, as Wiggins dominated not only from inside the lanes, but from the perimeter as well. Her performance earned her praise not just from her coach and teammates, but from her opponents as well.

“She’s a great player and a great team leader,” said WSU guard Katie Appleton. “I respect her a lot as a player.”

The Cougars’ coach, June Daugherty, concurred:

“She’s phenomenal. I’m so glad that we’ll hopefully never have to face her again, because she’s that special of a player.”

Wiggins received her rightful accolades from fans as well. After she nailed her free throw, the officials stopped time momentarily as the crowd of WSU supporters and Cardinal die-hards rose to their feet. The game ball was given to Wiggins, who promptly handed it over to the Stanford bench.

Wiggins would have been afforded a longer celebration — Stanford already had the game well in hand — but instead the ever-selfless senior headed right back to the court. There was a game to be won.