Repeat hopes B-ruined: Girls’s basketball provides up double-digit lead, loses to UCLA

High-seeded Stanford (28-5, 15-4 Pac-12) misplaced 69-65 to fifth-seeded UCLA (25-8, 11-7 Pac-12), surrendering a double-digit lead within the fourth quarter to overlook out on a spot in Sunday’s Pac-12 Championship recreation.

The Cardinal received a detailed contest by simply 5 factors at Maples Pavilion when the 2 groups final met. However within the early exchanges of this semi-final match-up, Stanford had the higher of issues. Junior ahead Cameron Brink asserted herself within the paint from the opening minute; after it appeared like she had nowhere to go, she powered by way of two defenders and completed. The Bruins then allowed freshman guard Talana Lepolo to shoot from behind the arc, and though she missed her first effort, she caught the subsequent one to provide Stanford the lead. Senior guard Haley Jones discovered sophomore ahead Kiki Iriafen — making her twenty fifth begin of the season — on the excessive publish, and she or he scored.

Against this, the Bruins had been battling their pictures, lacking 5 straight, one in all which was emphatically blocked by Brink. After a Jones bounce shot, UCLA lastly broke their rut with a 3-pointer. The Bruins’ protection started to enhance and Brink’s effort within the paint was ferociously swatted away by ahead Lina Sontag. Senior guard Hannah Leap missed her first shot of the night time and would stay scoreless over the course of the sport, going 0-4 on discipline aim makes an attempt. Nonetheless, senior ahead Fran Belibi secured the offensive board and put it again as much as rating.

UCLA scored a second-chance 3-pointer and Stanford hit a chilly spell, going 1-10 on their subsequent 11 discipline aim makes an attempt. However crucially, the Bruins couldn’t shut the hole and a collection of miscues — three journey calls and a shot clock violation — in addition to an enormous Jones block, lessened the affect of Stanford’s three-minute-plus drought. Jones lastly delivered on the opposite finish, sinking a jumper from the highest of the important thing to get Stanford again on observe. On the final play of the quarter, Brink was unable to get a shot off in time, however nonetheless, Stanford had amassed a 17-8 lead.

Stanford continued to attain early within the second quarter, however UCLA was nonetheless hanging on within the contest. Sophomore ahead Brooke Demetre scored a 3 off the bench however Bruins guard Kiki Rice responded together with her personal. UCLA then collected and-ones on successive performs, leading to a fast 5 factors. In the meantime, Stanford remained threatening on offense as Jones was swarmed by three defenders and fouled, illustrating the respect she instructions from opponents.

Stanford went on a 13-2 run and because the half approached, UCLA appeared to have run out of steam after taking part in two consecutive days of basketball earlier than this semi-final matchup. Brink entered double digits to guide all scorers however then picked up her second private and was pressured to take a seat. Even when the Bruins may drive openings — Rice faking from deep and driving inside — Belibi recovered tremendously and swatted the ball out of bounds. The Bruins scored a 3 to shut out the half, however Stanford was in management, main 35-22.

“We’re taking good care of the ball, we simply need to eradicate the errors,” stated head coach Tara VanDerveer. “We have now to play smarter [and] not enable open pictures.”

Offensively, Stanford was actually trying robust within the first half. Jones was already 1 level away from her whole tally within the quarter-final win in opposition to Oregon, and the staff dedicated simply 4 first-half turnovers. Within the second half although, Stanford allowed UCLA to get again into the sport and as soon as they started to sink pictures, the lead — and probability to play within the event closing on Sunday — began to slide away.

Within the third quarter, the sport grew to become extra backwards and forwards, which suited the Bruins as they sought to beat the deficit. Lepolo continued to search out herself unguarded and sunk one other three, however the Bruins’ shot choice was bettering they usually minimize the Cardinal result in 10. In the meantime, Brink continued to amass factors from the foul line.

With slightly below three minutes left within the quarter, Stanford’s lead rose to fifteen, however the Cardinal had been quickly pegged again by one other Bruins triple. Rice continued to trigger havoc, drawing a capturing foul in opposition to Jones on a quick break and changing each pictures from the road. UCLA confirmed spectacular protection within the closing 90 seconds of the quarter, blocking a Brink layup and securing their defensive rebounds. The quarter ended 50-40 in Stanford’s favor.

Within the fourth quarter, UCLA produced a remarkably improved offensive efficiency to stun Stanford and attain the Pac-12 event closing. Stanford’s opponents averaged 32% success in discipline aim capturing over the course of the season, however within the fourth quarter, the Bruins managed to go 54% from the sector.

The quarter began with a 9-2 Bruins run, culminating in a fastbreak triple which made it a one-possession recreation. Jones responded with a layup after flip away from her defender, however the hot-handed Rice scored on the subsequent possession. A 3 from the left nook then arced in and UCLA pulled inside 2 factors of Stanford. Brink then dedicated a turnover because the defending event champions started to really feel the stress. With the chance to tie the sport, the Bruins missed the shot and junior guard Agnes Emma-Nnopu sunk a 3-pointer in what appeared to be an enormous momentum shift.

A pair of fouls from the skilled duo of Jones and Leap jeopardized Stanford’s lead earlier than one other Rice jumper accomplished the comeback. UCLA grew its result in 3 factors earlier than Emma-Nnopu drove alongside the baseline and scored to arrange a tense closing minute. Demetre then got here up enormous with a block in opposition to Rice as Stanford appeared to regular the ship. From the inbound, the Bruins bought the shot off but it surely slammed in opposition to the backboard and was briefly corralled by Brink, however a unfastened ball ensued. Jones and VanDerveer had been adamant that Brink had possession of the ball and {that a} timeout needs to be referred to as, however the officers deemed it to be a bounce ball. This was an important resolution, as possession remained with the Bruins.

The Bruins held a slender lead, forcing Stanford to foul Rice, who widened the hole. Brink was fouled on Stanford’s subsequent possession and continued her excellent file from the road. Then, the sport was successfully sealed after one other journey to the road for UCLA; though Rice missed her second free throw, Bruins guard Gina Conti made an athletic play to safe the offensive rebound — UCLA’s thirteenth of the sport — and stop Stanford from having one other probability to attain.

A final second of drama got here when freshman guard Indya Nivar was chasing Rice with below 10 seconds left in a 2-point recreation. The foul was referred to as however VanDerveer was insistent that Rice had carried because the ball virtually bought away from her. The sport ended 69-65 as UCLA reached the Pac-12 event closing, the place they are going to face seven-seed Washington State.

“We actually simply didn’t do what we would have liked to do within the second half,” VanDerveer stated.

“The Pac-12 is the hardest convention within the nation, and we’re proud to have received the common season,” Jones mirrored. “Our season doesn’t finish right here.”

The Cardinal might be disenchanted to overlook out on the possibility to defend their title, significantly after No. 3 Utah misplaced within the first spherical and No. 20 Colorado misplaced within the second semi-final. Nonetheless, with the NCAA event proper across the nook, Stanford may have the chance to proper any wrongs and make a deep run at one other nationwide championship.