Stanford Ends Texas’ NCAA Tournament Run in Elite Eight
For the second straight year Texas saw its NCAA Women’s Tournament run end in the Elite Eight as the Longhorns fell to the Stanford Cardinal, 59-50, in the Spokane Region final on Sunday.
Texas (29-7) fell to South Carolina in last year’s Elite Eight. The Longhorns beat Stanford in a previous meeting in November in the season’s first weekend, 61-56.
Stanford (32-3), the defending national champions, won its 24th straight game and will play the winner of the NC State-UConn game, to be played on Monday. Stanford joins South Carolina in the Final Four, which starts on Friday in Minneapolis.
Stanford forward Cameron Brink had a huge third quarter with 10 points, three rebounds and three blocked shots as Stanford built on a 45-40 lead. Brink finished with 10 points, six rebound and six blocked shots.
Stanford’s free-throw shooting — and Texas’ trouble at the line — was a bit part of the Cardinal’s win, too. Stanford went 18-of-22 from the line, led by Haley Jones.
The All-American and the Most Outstanding Player of last year’s tournament, had 18 points, 12 rebounds and went 11-of-12 from the line. Lexie Hull, who had 20 points, went 4-of-6 from the line.
Texas, meanwhile, shot just 11-of-20 from the line. Instead, Texas hit their season average for 3-pointers — five — by the third quarter, and Stanford had a horrible night from the arc, normally a source of strength. The Cardinal was just 3-of-17 from distance.
Joanne Allen-Taylor left the game with a team-leading 15 points, while Rori Harmon had 14 points and Audrey Warren added 11. Allen-Taylor and Warren were part of last season’s Elite Eight run.
You can find Matthew Postins on Twitter @PostinsPostcard.
