Stanford cruises into Elite Eight

SAN ANTONIO — Missouri State had waited two years to get another crack at the Sweet 16 and Stanford, only to watch the Cardinal turn their rematch into a romp.

Hannah Jump scored 17 points off the bench and top seed Stanford strolled past the No. 5 Lady Bears 89-62 to earn a spot in the Elite Eight of the women’s NCAA Tournament for the 21st time.

Stanford led by 23 at halftime and by as much as 38 in the fourth quarter as the Cardinal kept up their postseason barrage of 3-pointers by making 15.

The Cardinal (28-2) have made at least 13 from long range in each of their three tournament games. Jump led the way Sunday with five.

“We try to ride the hot hand,” said Kiana Williams, Stanford’s career leader in 3-pointers who made four and scored 16 points. “It’s hard to guard us because you can’t just focus on one person.”

The tournament’s overall No. 1 seed advanced to Tuesday’s Alamo Region final against the winner of Sunday’s later game between No. 2 Louisville and No. 6 Oregon.

A win there would send Stanford to its 14th Final Four. Cardinal coach Tara VanDerveer has won two national championships, but none since 1992.

“I still don’t think we’re playing our best basketball yet,” guard Anna Wilson said. “We’re playing really well. We’re clicking and in a lot of different ways than usual. But I think that each player has a lot more to give to the team . ... I think that with the trajectory we’re going in, it will be good timing. We don’t want to peak too early.”

Elle Ruffridge scored 18 points to lead Missouri State (23-3), a team with a history of punching above its status as a mid-major from the Missouri Valley Conference. The Lady Bears have two Final Four appearances of their own, but the last came two decades ago behind record scorer Jackie Stiles.

This Lady Bears team had a veteran lineup eager to improve upon its nine-point loss to Stanford two years ago. And Missouri State was hungry to push for even bigger things after the coronavirus pandemic canceled the 2020 tournament and abruptly ended a 26-4 season.