No. 4 Stanford rips California for win in 11th straight game
STANFORD >> Tara VanDerveer presented flowers to each of her three Stanford seniors and told them sorry their parents or family members couldn’t be at Maples Pavilion for senior day as is usual custom.
Kiana Williams scored 12 points in her final home game and defensive stopper fifth-year senior Anna Wilson added three steals playing for the final time on The Farm, and the fourth-ranked Cardinal used a big second half to beat California 72-33 on Sunday to close out the regular season.
Hannah Jump added 14 points with four 3-pointers for Stanford (22-2, 19-2 Pac-12), which won its 11th straight game since a rare two-game skid in January.
Hall of Famer VanDerveer took advantage of a chance to use her entire bench to prepare for the upcoming Pac-12 Tournament. as Stanford closed the game with a 9- 0 run over the final 3:35.
Freshman leading scorer Dalayah Daniels had 11 points and
seven rebounds for Cal (115, 1-12), coming off its lone win of the season against Arizona State last Sunday. UCONN WOULD GET TOP SEED >> UConn, Stanford, Texas A& M and South Carolina would be the top seeds if the women’s NCAA Tournament began Sunday.
The NCAA selection committee revealed the teams in line for the top 16 seeds, although none of Sunday’s games were factored into the reveal.
“It was a little easier now that we had one under our belts,” NCAA women’s basketball committee chair Nina King said. “We approached it knowing what we needed to look for. What did teams do to help themselves or hurt themselves relative to last top 16 reveal? We had something to work off this time.”
The NCAA also announced the four region names: Alamo, Hemisfair, Mercado and River Walk. Those were chosen to honor the San Antonio region, which is hosting the entire tournament.
NBA
RAPTORS VIRUS ISSUES WORSEN >> The Toronto Raptors’ issues with the coronavirus have worsened, prompting the NBA to call off their game scheduled for Sunday night against the Chicago Bulls.
The league said the Raptors are dealing with positive test results, without disclosing how many, and that combined with ongoing contact-tracing issues meant they would not have the league-required eight players available to play.
Toronto played Friday without head coach Nick Nurse, several other assistants and staffers and starting forward Pascal Siakam because of virus-related issues. Assistant coach Sergio Scariolo coached the team to a win over Houston and had been in line to coach again Sunday.
The Raptors-Bulls game is the 30th to be postponed so far this season because of COVID-19 testing or contact tracing.
Golf
MORIKAWA WINS WORKDAY >> PGA champion Collin Morikawa shook off an early mistake and played a steady hand on a Concession golf course known for calamity, closing with a 3-under 69 for a threeshot victory in the Workday Championship.
Morikawa picked up a few short-game tips from major champions — Mark O’Meara on his putting, Concession member Paul Azinger on the chipping — and he says it carried him to another big win.
Morikawa won by three over Brooks Koepka (70), Viktor Hovland (67) and Billy Horschel (70).
KORDA TAKES LPGA WIN >>
Nelly Korda seized control with three early birdies and finished with 12 straight pars for a 3-under 69 to win the Gainbridge LPGA, giving the Korda family two victories to start the season.
Her older sister, Jessica, won the season- opening Tournament of Champions last month in Orlando.
GRACE WINS IN PUERTO RICO
>> Branden Grace closed eagle-birdie to win the Puerto Rico Open, an emotional triumph following his father’s January death after a month-long fight with the coronavirus.
Grace holed out from a greenside bunker for eagle on the par- 4 17th and birdied the par-5 18th for a one- stroke victory over Jhonattan Vegas at windy Grand Reserve.
SUTHERLAND WINS ON CHAMPIONS TOUR >> Kevin Sutherland chipped in for the only birdie of the final round on No. 16 and had a tap-in for another on the next hole, shooting a 4-under 69 to overtake Mike Weir in the Colorguard Classic.