On Friday, (1) Stanford women’s basketball fell to (2) UConn in the Final Four at the Target Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota by a final score of 63-58. UConn sophomore guard Paige Bueckers led the way for the Huskies with 14 points, 4 rebounds, and 5 assists while redshirt senior guard Evina Westbrook finished with 12 points and 6 rebounds. Stanford junior guard Haley Jones led all scorers with 20 points to go along with 11 rebounds and 3 assists while sophomore forward Cameron Brink had 15 points, 7 rebounds, 3 steals, and 2 blocks.
“I'm really proud of our team,” Stanford head coach Tara VanDerveer said after the game. “I thought we had a great season. I think the improvement of our players was really astronomical, and I think the leadership of our seniors was really special. Whether Lexie, Lacie, Anna, Alyssa, Jordan, they really had a great year.
“We did not play very well tonight, and we just -- I think we really struggled running our offense. I think there were some self-inflicted wounds, what we were doing out there, and it was disappointing. But I thought our defense really worked hard, except that we gave up a couple threes that we didn't need to give up, and we gave up some O-boards and some bad fouls.
“But I thought Haley really worked hard. She was in the game the whole time, making plays. Fran really came in and helped us make some great plays to keep us in the game, just even at the end, forcing some turnovers.
“But all in all, we just came up short, and we lost to a really good team. Connecticut played very well.”
Early on, both teams were really tense as UConn led 4-2 with 4:39 to go in the 1st quarter. Paige Bueckers and Christyn Williams each were on the board for the Huskies while Brink was on the board for the Cardinal. UConn was shooting 2-8 from the field while Stanford was shooting 1-9. It really did look like a case of Final Four jitters affecting both teams.
At the end of the 1st quarter, UConn led 12-9. Paige Bueckers and Azzi Fudd each had 4 points for the Huskies while Brink and Jones each had 4 points for the Cardinal. It was a tight game. Stanford senior guard Lexie Hull went out with a bloody nose at the end of the quarter. It was unclear how long she would be out.
Fortunately for Stanford, Hull would be back rather quickly and not miss much time as she was right back in there to start the 2nd quarter. With 2:11 to go in the 2nd quarter, UConn was up 25-21. Westbrook (9 points) and Bueckers (8 points) were leading UConn while Brink (8 points, 4 rebounds, & 1 block) and Jones (6 points & 6 rebounds) were leading Stanford. Stanford was outscoring UConn 18-4 in the paint, doing a great job inside.
At halftime, it was a 27-26 UConn lead. Westbrook (9 points) and Bueckers (8 points) were leading the Huskies while Brink and Jones each had 8 points for the Cardinal. It was now a 20-6 Stanford lead in the paint.
With 6:37 to go in the 3rd quarter, UConn led 32-31. Bueckers was up to 12 points for the Huskies while Jones was up to 10 points for the Cardinal. Ashten Prechtel just hit a huge 3-pointer for the Cardinal. This one was a battle.
With 4:15 to go in the 3rd, it was a 34-31 UConn lead. Neither team had done much from 3-point range as UConn was shooting 3-10 while Stanford was shooting 2-10.
At the end of the 3rd quarter, UConn led 39-37. Bueckers (12 points) led UConn while Jones (12 points & 10 rebounds) and Brink (12 points, 5 rebounds, 1 block, & 2 steals) led Stanford. Lacie Hull was making some big plays on defense for Stanford, doing her part to keep the game close.
With 4:40 to go, UConn built up an eight point 49-41 lead. Stanford was unable to get any shots to drop as UConn was outscoring them 10-4 in the 4th quarter. It was danger time for the Cardinal.
With 1:50 to go, UConn led 50-44. The game was now slipping away from Stanford. They just couldn’t make the shots they needed.
“I think that we -- yeah, I think definitely late in the shot clock -- I think the shot clock was winding down a lot for us, which doesn't usually happen, so that led to us settling for a lot of threes,” Haley Jones said. “But I think a lot of the threes that we took were in the flow, shots we usually take.
“When Lexie and Lacie and Anna or anybody is open on the perimeter, I want them to shoot it. If it wasn't falling, it wasn't falling, but those were the shots I want them to take.
“But yeah, we were definitely out of sync offensively so that led to some shot selection that wasn't our best, and I'm sure we want to get back. But I think the shots that we missed are still shots I want my teammates to take, so I can't fault them for that. I mean, nine times out of ten I think they're going to make it. Tara would probably yell at me for not crashing the O-boards, but I'm like I think it's going in. So I think it's definitely a mix.”
“We really struggled on offense,” VanDerveer added. “When we looked good, we got the ball inside to Cam, and I think she maybe rushed a couple times, but she finished for us. And unfortunately we lost, but we didn't really get on the offensive boards the way we needed to.
“I think that some of it is just with different people, we kind of run different things, and we didn't really run anything really well. I thought Haley made some big plays for us, and we needed to get her at the basket more, and kind of down the stretch, she finished at the basket really well.
“A lot of times I think in NCAA play, it's really, I want to say guard play, people that are really used to and can handle. Again, I give so much credit to Lacie for what she did for us and Anna Wilson, who never really played point for us, to be able to step up and do what they did, but tonight we needed more.
“They were on the floor. You asked about the locker room. Those two are Niagara Falls. They gave their whole heart, and we came up short. But a lot of that is just, I think, the experience of running a team, and I think it caught up with us tonight.”
The game however would tighten up as Stanford would shave UConn’s lead to just two points (60-58) with 18.4 to go. UConn made some silly turnovers and Stanford took advantage. Now, it was just a matter of UConn missing free throw and Stanford finding a way to force overtime. However, UConn would make the free throws they needed to seal the deal, winning 63-58. UConn played better as a team and thus were more deserving of victory.
The big letdown for Stanford in this game was Lexie Hull not being her usual self. She had 4 points on 2-12 shooting from the field, 0-4 shooting from 3-point range, and 0-2 shooting from the foul line. She’s been fantastic all season and to have her not have her best outing really hurt this Stanford team. But it’s not as if this loss can all be pinned on Hull. Hannah Jump (5 points), Francesca Belibi (4 points), and Anna Wilson (1 point) were all quiet as well. When a player like Lexie Hull is having an off-night, others have to step up.
“You know, I mean, I don't think one game can define Lexie or Lacie or Anna Wilson, what they've done for this program,” VanDerveer said. “Did she miss some shots? Yes, she did. This was not her best game. But I wouldn't trade her for any player -- she plays so hard. She had -- both her nostrils were bleeding and she's still trying to be out there, I'm like, Lexie, you're bleeding. She's an absolute warrior.
“Honestly if our team can learn from these twins and Anna on how to practice and how to compete, we can be back here next year. They just are so competitive. They are so coachable.
“Did she miss some shots? Yes, she did. Did she have some turnovers? Yes, she did. But she battles, and I could not be happier coaching her. I wouldn't trade her for anybody.”
While this game did not go the way Stanford wanted and they’d obviously wish they were playing for a national championship on Sunday, they should still feel really proud of the season they had. Reaching the Final Four is never something to take lightly and is a big accomplishment in and of itself. Aside from the freshmen, all of these players have national championship rings and have already accomplished a lot in their Stanford careers. Some nights you just come up short and this game was one of those nights.
“Coming in, I don't think we're the best team there,” UConn head coach Geno Auriemma said. “I don't think we can win even if we play our A game. We need help -- we need Stanford to not play their best game. We need them to miss shots they normally make.
“Yeah, this was completely different. This one -- I've gone into other games at this time and lost and felt a sense of, like -- really it took me a long, long time to get over some of the losses in this particular game.
“This one I don't think it would have taken me a long time to get over it because we just gave it everything we had, and I knew that it might not be enough. But fortunately for us, Stanford didn't have their best stuff, and we made a couple big plays, and by some unknown miracle, we're playing Sunday night.”
Looking ahead to next season, Stanford has some talented players coming in: Two McDonald’s All-Americans in point guard Indya Nivar and center Lauren Betts plus another point guard in Talana Lepolo. Nivar and Betts should be able to make an immediate impact next season with Lepolo adding depth at the point guard spot. When you combine this incoming class with the returning players that they have coming back for sure (we’ll see what Lacie Hull decides), there’s no reason to think this Stanford team won’t be back in the Final Four next season with another chance to win a national championship.
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