Good to the last stop
Stanford survives on defense, misses by South Carolina
Top-seeded Stanford is one win away from claiming its first national title in 29 years, as Haley Jones knocked down a baseline jumper with 32 seconds to play to secure a 66-65 win against fellow No. 1 seed South Carolina in a Final Four matchup on Friday in the Alamodome.
The Cardinal survived a tense finish, as a 3-pointer by the Gamecocks’ Destanni Henderson with 39.1 seconds remaining gave South Carolina the lead for the first time since the opening quarter.
After Jones connected to put Stanford back in front, South Carolina committed a turnover with 15 seconds remaining. The Gamecocks defense swarmed in an attempt to foul or create a steal, forcing a turnover at midcourt with about 5 seconds remaining. Brea
Beal drove and attempted a layup that clanged off the iron, and Aliyah Boston's putback attempt was off the mark at the buzzer.
“It's a credit to the maturity, our leadership, and the fact that we really wanted to play and have a great season,” Stanford coach Tara Vanderveer said. “It's awesome. It was a battle. It was a really tough game.”
Jones finished with 24 points on 11-of-14 shooting, while Lexie Hull added 18 points with 13 rebounds. Kiana Williams, a Wagner grad, finished with 8 points.
Stanford advances to face Connecticut or Arizona in the NCAA Tournament final at 5 p.m. Sunday in the Alamodome, with the Cardinal looking to win the national championship for the first time since 1992.
In 29 years since its last title, Stanford has reached 11 Final Fours and two national title games.
“It's surreal. I don't think it's really hit me yet,” Jones said. “It means so much. Stanford is a historically great program, we still are now, and we plan to be for years to come. … To be able to bring us back to this national championship stage is just an honor.”
A victory Sunday would make Stanford the fourth program to claim three or more national championships, joining Baylor (three), Tennessee (eight) and Connecticut (11).
South Carolina finishes the year 26-5, having reached the Final Four for the third time in the past six tournaments. Zia Cooke led the Gamecocks on Friday with 25 points. Henderson added 18, while Boston posted a doubledouble with 11 points and 16 rebounds.
South Carolina built an 11-2 lead out of the gate, leaning on a defense that shut out Texas during the fourth quarter of Tuesday's Elite Eight matchup. Stanford opened Friday's game 1-for-6 shooting and committed five firstquarter turnovers.
But the Gamecocks' offense began to stall about midway through the opening quarter, beginning a stretch of more than five minutes without a point and more than nine minutes without a field goal. After hitting five of its first seven shots, South Carolina was limited to just 3-for-22 shooting during the rest of the half.
The drought allowed Stanford to mount an 11-0 run, poking ahead for the first time at 17-15 early in the second quarter. The Cardinal also scored the final five points of the half to take a 31-25 lead at the break.
Stanford built its largest lead of the game with a nine-point margin early in the third quarter, but South Carolina used a 7-0 burst and later an 8-2 run to draw even at 43.
The Gamecocks shot 71.4 percent during the third quarter, hitting 4 of 7 from beyond the arc. Cooke led the charge for South Carolina, scoring 11 points in the quarter on 4-of-5 shooting and 3 for 3 from 3-point range, but Jones matched with 11 points in the third quarter for the Cardinal to help Stanford carry a 52-49 lead into the fourth.
South Carolina kept within six points through the final period, setting up the tense finish.
Stanford hit 5 of 8 from beyond the arc, setting a new record for 3-pointers in a tournament with 55. Connecticut held the previous record after making 54 in 2015.