Stanford survives against Arizona, wins first national championship since 1992
One of the most storied programs in women’s college basketball history is back at the top after a 29-year wait.
And just barely.
The Stanford Cardinal the No. 1 overall seed in this year’s NCAA tournament has won the national championship, outlasting fellow Pac-12 Conference member and No. 3 seed Arizona 54-53
at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas, on Sunday.
Arizona had a chance to win in the final seconds, but star senior guard Aari McDonald couldn’t convert on a contested jumper.
This is Stanford’s third national title and first since 1992, tying Baylor for the third most in women’s basketball history. Only Connecticut (11) and Tennessee (eight) have more. This was the first time two Pac-12 teams met in the national championship game and the seventh time in NCAA history two teams from the same conference have done so.
Stanford (31-2) built a nine-point lead in the fourth quarter before Arizona (21-6) cut it to 51-50 on star guard Aari McDonald s 3-pointer.
After a timeout, Jones answered with a three-point play with 2:24 left. That would be Stanford s last basket of the game. McDonald got the Wildcats with 54-53 with 36.6 seconds left converting three of four free throws.
Stanford Cardinal players celebrate with the trophy after their win over the Arizona Wildcats in the championship game of the NCAA Women s Basketball Tournament at Alamodome on April 4, 2021, in San Antonio, Texas. Ben Solomon/NCAA Photos via Getty Images I just owe it all to my teammates, they have confidence in me when I don t have confidence in myself, said Jones, who was honored as the tournament s Most Outstanding Player. I saw they needed me to come up big and I did.
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A battle against two No. 1 seeds in the Final Four of an NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament is supposed to be a marquee matchup, and it certainly was Friday, as the Stanford Cardinal just outlasted South Carolina to win 66-65 and advance to the national title game.
Haley Jones had a career night, with 24 points, including the winning basket, to lead the Cardinal, while it was another balanced team effort overall to carry Stanford over the line and just edge South Carolina in an epic game.
South Carolina got out to a 5-0 lead, but good ball movement led to a trademark shot for Jones to get on the board at 5-2. But South Carolina were sharp to open the game and the Cardinal were a bit ponderous in their offensive sets.