Stanford women win on buzzerbeater
Junior Kiana Williams hit a gametying 3pointer with 12.9 seconds left, then stole the ball from Mya Hollingshed and sank a long 3pointer at the buzzer to send eighthranked Stanford past host Colorado 6966 on Sunday.
Williams, whose 29 points and seven 3pointers were both career highs, looked stunned as teammates swarmed her and celebrated in a pile in front of their bench while the officials went to the monitors to confirm the basket was good.
“Just another shot for me, but thank God it went in,” Williams said. “Thank God both those shots went in.”
The Cardinal (233, 122 Pac12) won their fifth straight game. The Buffaloes (1510, 410) have lost five of their past six
With the Buffaloes ahead 6463, Colorado’s Aubrey Knight stole the ball from Lexie Hull and Hollingshed was fouled with 26 seconds left. She sank her first free throw and missed her second, but Quinessa CaylaoDo swooped in for the offensive rebound and she was fouled with 24.2 seconds left.
After CaylaoDo hit one of her two freethrow attempts to give Colorado a 6663 lead, Stanford missed a 3point attempt with 21 seconds to go and Colorado’s Emma Clarke missed two foul shots three seconds later.
Williams then worked her way free for the gametying 3 with 12.9 seconds left, and her steal and buzzerbeater gave the Cardinal the victory.
Nadia Fingall added 13 points for Stanford, which hit 14 3pointers.
Cal 88, Utah 74: Freshman Cailyn Crocker, making her first start, scored 26 points — including 20 in the second half — as the Bears (1015, 212 Pac12) defeated the host Utes (1213, 59).
Crocker, whose previous high was 15 points, was 8for10 from the floor and 8for9 from the foul line.
“It was definitely different,” Crocker told Pac12 Network of her first start. “I had never been in that position before.”
Cal built a 16point lead in the second quarter, but Utah moved ahead 6059 with 1:29 remaining in the third. From there, the Bears used a 100 run spanning the third and fourth quarters to regain control en route to their first win in Salt Lake City since 2014.
In addition to Crocker’s work, Alaysia Styles added 19 points, Jazlen Green had 17 and Jaelyn Brown 10 for Cal.
“As a team, we’re just so happy,” Crocker said. “We work hard day in and day out; we never give up in any game that we’ve been in, so to finally get another win is a good feeling for all of us.”