On Friday, #2 Stanford women’s basketball defeated #13 Maryland 72-66 to advance to the Elite Eight of the NCAA tournament in Spokane, Washington. Stanford came in as the top seed in the Spokane region while Maryland came in as the number four seed. Stanford senior guard Lexie Hull (19 points & 9 rebounds), junior guard Haley Jones (17 points, 10 rebounds & 6 assists), and sophomore forward Cameron Brink (15 points, 8 rebounds, 5 blocks & 1 steal) led the way for the Cardinal while Maryland sophomore guard/forward Angel Reese (25 points & 9 rebounds) was the top performer for the Terrapins.
“I thought we had three good quarters and glad the game is only four quarters,” Stanford head coach Tara VanDerveer said after the game. “Congratulations to Maryland. I think Brenda and her team are a tough match-up for us. They gave us a heck of a game. Excited that we were able to survive and advance. We have a lot of work to do between now and Sunday.”
Stanford got off to a solid start in this game, leading 14-8 with 3:21 to go in the 1st quarter. Jones was on fire for the Cardinal with 8 points on 3-4 shooting from the field and 2-2 shooting from 3-point range. She was in a groove early.
Stanford would finish the 1st quarter strong to lead 22-10. Brink was now up to 8 points of her own to go along with 4 rebounds, 1 block, and 1 steal. Stanford was shooting 10-14 (71.4%) from the field while Maryland was shooting an icy 3-16 (18.8%).
“I think we had a great scouting report by Coach Katy,” Jones said of the strong start. “I think part of why we're so good every year is because of the attention to detail we have with our scout. We were communicating, we were closing in on their shooters, we weren't giving them the first option. I think they usually get quick shots on offense, and we made them look for second and third shots and we were getting on the boards, not giving them a lot of second-chance opportunities.”
With 4:44 to go until halftime, Stanford had a 10 point lead, up 27-17. Brink was really coming alive with 13 points and 7 rebounds to go along with her block and steal. The Terps did not have an answer for her.
After Lexie Hull got a layup and her sister Lacie Hull followed with a 3-pointer, Stanford was now up 32-19 with 3:14 to go until halftime. Maryland had 0 field goals in the last 3:14. They were really in trouble.
At halftime, Stanford led 39-23. Brink (13 points, 7 rebounds, 1 block & 1 steal), and Jones (10 points, 3 rebounds & 3 assists), were leading the way for Stanford. As for Maryland, Reese was doing her part with 9 points, 4 rebounds, and 2 blocks.
Stanford started the 3rd quarter strong, leading 50-30 with 4:21 to go in the quarter. Brink was now up to 15 points for Stanford as Maryland was in a lot of trouble. They needed to act fast or this would become an even bigger blowout.
At the end of the 3rd quarter, Stanford led 59-36. Lexie Hull (14 points), Haley Jones (14 points), and Cameron Brink (15 points & 7 rebounds) were all in double figures. It was simply dominating stuff by the Cardinal during the first three quarters. The fact that they had seen this Maryland team earlier in the season seemed to be making a difference.
“I think playing any team twice you kinda go in knowing more than you did last time,” Lexie Hull said. “The time we played them in November both of our teams had people out. Coming in tonight we knew it was a different battle and it was going to take more from us. I think playing them earlier kind of helped us prepare. We had already scouted them once so scouting them again was easier because it was more of a review.”
In the 4th quarter, things got a little hairy for Stanford, though ultimately they would prevail. Early on in the quarter it appeared to be business as usual as Stanford led 64-46 with 6:22 to go. Jones was up to 16 points after a tough bucket inside. Stanford was shooting 26-52 (50.0%) from the field. Maryland hadn’t been able to slow them down. It was after this point that things started to get a little too close for comfort.
With 2:07 to go, Maryland whittled Stanford’s lead down to ten points (67-57). Stanford was getting a bit complacent with their lead and the Terps were making them pay. Still, it looked like Stanford was likely to hang on.
In the end, Stanford did hang on to win 72-66 and in truth it wasn’t really that close considering Maryland made a 3-pointer to beat the buzzer to make the game look closer than it really was. Still, thanks to some missed free throws in the last couple of minutes, Maryland was able to make the game a lot more interesting than Stanford would have wanted. The 4th quarter wasn’t pretty for Stanford as they failed to score a field goal in the final 6:51 and also got outscored 30-13.
“Maryland is a great team, so credit to them,” Jones said of Maryland’s 4th quarter. “We knew they're not a team that's going to give up. I think they got hot and we weren't hitting shots on the other end, we weren't getting the stops we were getting in the first half.
“I think we have a lot to work on going into Sunday's game just with closing out games. They're a great team. They're one of the top teams in the Big Ten, top teams in the country all year. So we knew they were going to make a run but seeing us be able to hold them off and not turn on each other, stay as one cohesive unit I think says a lot about who we are as a team.”
At this point, all that Stanford can do is just be thankful they won and that they live to fight another day. All that matters is that you win and move on to the next round. No matter how pretty or ugly it is, a win is a win at this stage.
“You know, you really can't print my thoughts, but Maryland is a great team,” VanDerveer said. “They have nothing to lose. They're just going to come down. You saw Angel hit a three. I mean, the game was over at that point, but she has made one all year. They're a great team.
“Brenda does a great job. You have to keep playing. If you ever watch the NBA, games are not over when you have a 20-point lead, and I really try to tell our team that. We were in foul trouble. We had key people on the bench. I think -- I told our team this: I was disappointed with the fourth quarter. I think our whole team was.
“Every disappointment is a blessing. We can live with it and move on. We're playing. I'm not going to psychoanalyze the fourth quarter. I might look at some things, but our team, they're very bright women. They're not going to need me to go over every single little thing, but they know what they have to do coming out on Sunday, and I have confidence they will do it.”
On that note, Stanford’s Elite Eight game will be on Sunday against Texas, another rematch from earlier in the season. Tip-off time is set for 6:00 PM PT on ESPN and Varsity Network radio.
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