NCAA basketball podcast with Michelle Richardson: Baylor gets big win over Kansas; Syracuse’s Girard leads with 19 in win; plus more

sports.yahoo.com photo: Baylor guard Mark Vital (11) gestures toward the bench during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game against Kansas in Lawrence, Kan., Saturday, Jan. 11, 2020.

Michelle Richardson on the NCAA basketball podcast:

#1 How shocked how surprised were you to find out that Baylor #4 (13-1) defeated Kansas #3 (12-3) on Saturday 67-55. The Bears Jerod Butler led in scoring with 22 points.

#2 The Syracuse Orange defeated the Virginia Cavaliers 63-55 Saturday in overtime. The Orange’s Joseph Girard III scored 19 points to lead Syracuse.

#3 #13 Louisville (13-3) got a close win over the Notre Dame Fighting Irish (10-6) by three points 67-64. For Louisville top scoring from Jordan Norwa with 20 points.

Michelle’s Final Thoughts

Michelle does the NCAA podcast each Sunday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

No. 15 Notre Dame crushes Stanford 45-24

Photo credit: @StanfordFball

By Jerry Feitelberg

STANFORD — On a cold, windy, rainy day, the Stanford Cardinal met the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in the final game of the 2019 season.

The 15-ranked Irish fell behind early in the game 17-7. The Cardinal dominated in all phases of the game for the first 26 minutes of the game. They led in time of possession. They led in yards passing and yards rushing. It appeared that Stanford quarterback Davis Mills would lead his squad to an upset. Everything changed late in the first half when the Irish blocked a Ryan Sanborn punt. Notre Dame scored, and from that point on until late in the fourth quarter, the dominated the Cardinal. They scored 31 unanswered points to lead 38-17. The Cardinal scored with just 1:54 left in the game. With 41 seconds left to play, the Irish stripped Davis Mills of the ball in the end zone. The Irish recovered for the score to win 45-24.

The Cardinal dominated play until late in the first half. Stanford scored a touchdown on their first drive of the game. They went on a 75-yard drive in 3 minutes and 34 seconds to go-ahead 7-0. The Notre Dame Fighting Irish responded with a touchdown of their own.  The Irish went 80 yards in five plays to tie the game 7-7. The essential play was a 16-yard pass from Ian Book to Micah Jones for the score.

Stanford went on a long 82-yard drive that consumed 8 minutes and 15 seconds, and all they could come up with was a field goal. They had first, and goal from the two-yard line but could not get the ball across the goal line. Ryan Sanborn made the field goal, and the Cardinal led 17-7. Things were looking good for Stanford until late in the first half. The Irish defense forced the Cardinal to kick, and Notre Dame’s Isaiah Foskey blocked Sanborn’s put. The ball was recovered on the one-yard line. The ball was moved back to the sixth when the Irish were called for a false start. Quarterback Ian Book connected with tight end Tommy Tremble for the score. The Irish now trailed by three 17-14 with 3:01 left to play in the half.

The momentum had shifted to Notre Dame. The Irish forced Stanford to punt again. They got the ball on their own 24-yard line. Notre Dame went 76-yards in just 21 seconds to score their third touchdown of the game and now led the Cardinal 21-17. The key play was a 41-yard throw from Book to Chase Claypool for the score.

In the second half, the Irish dominated. With the ball on the 7-yard line, they went on a 93-yard drive to up the lead to 28-17. The essential play was a 43-yard pass play from Book to Braden Lenzy. The score came on an 8-yard pass from Book to Claypoole for the score. That was the only score in the third quarter. Just before the quarter ended, Stanford forced the Irish to punt from deep in their territory. Michael Wilson fumbled the catch, and Notre Dame recovered. They cashed in to start the fourth quarter with a 42-yard field goal to go ahead 31-17.

The Irish continued to pour it on. The Irish put another 7 points on the board with a 10-play 72-yard drive to lead 38-17. The Cardinal finally scored when Cameron Scarlett scored on a 9-yard run with 1:54 left in the game. The Irish added another touchdown when they stripped Davis Mills of the ball in the end zone and recovered the fumble for the score. The Irish won 45-24.

Game Notes: With the loss, Stanford drops to 4-8 for the year. It was the first losing season for head coach David Shaw. Notre Dame improved to 10-2.

Total yardage for Notre Dame was 455 yards. Ian Book was 17-for-30 good for 255 yards and four touchdowns. They rushed for 190 yards. Stanford produced 394 yards of total offense. Quarterback Davis Mills was 28-for 46 good for 276 yards and 2 touchdowns. The Cardinal rushed for 118 yards.

Attendance at Stanford Stadium was sparse due to the weather. The stadium was about half full with Stanford fans. There was a large contingent of rabid and noisy Notre Dame fans in the north end of the stadium. They went home very happy as their team will be playing in a bowl game again this year.

Stanford to host #15 Notre Dame on Saturday afternoon

Photo credit: admin.gostanford.com

By Ana Kieu

The Stanford Cardinal football team will host the Notre Dame Fighting Irish on Saturday at 1 p.m. in a battle for the Legends Trophy. The Legends Trophy is awarded to the winner. It is named in honor of the 1925 Rose Bowl meeting, which was said by sportswriters to contain more legends on one field than had ever played the game. The trophy was created by the Notre Dame Club of San Francisco Bay Area, appropriately from Northern California redwood with an Irish crystal bowl.

Stanford will take the field for the final time this decade, a decade which saw them post 98 wins (to date), tied for the eighth-most in college football. The Cardinal’s 98 wins are tied for the most in the Pac-12 Conference this decade. After winning just 47 games and making two bowl appearances in the previous 10 years (2000-09), Stanford went to three Rose Bowls, an Orange Bowl and a Fiesta Bowl, in addition to the Sun Bowl (2), Foster Farms Bowl (1) and Alamo Bowl (1) this decade.

Bradford M. Freeman Director of Football, David Shaw, is in his ninth season as the Stanford head coach. His 86 wins make him the winningest coach in program history. In the 15 seasons prior to Shaw taking over as head coach, Stanford won just 82 games.

Stanford is 17-0 at home under Shaw in nonconference games. The Cardinal has won its past 22 home nonconference games, with the last loss in 2007 against Notre Dame.

Twenty true freshmen have made their first career appearances so far this season: Bradley Archer, Branson Bragg, Aeneas DiCosmo, Stephen Herron, Elijah Higgins, Jake Hornibrook, Austin Jones, Brock Jones, Spencer Jorgensen, Kyu Blu Kelly, Zahran Manley, Jonathan McGill, Barrett Miller, Drake Nugent, Joshua Pakola, Nathaniel Peat, Walter Rouse, Ryan Sanborn, Tristan Sinclair and Nicolas Toomer. While 20 total true freshmen have played in 132 combined games, a staggering 12 have played in more than four games.

A total of 18 Cardinal have made their first career starts so far: Ryan Beecher, Branson Bragg, Henry Hattis, Stuart Head, Houston Heimuli, Elijah Higgins, Jake Hornibrook, Kyu Blu Kelly, Jonathan McGill, Barrett Miller, Davis Mills, J.J. Parson, Andrew Pryts, Curtis Robinson, Walter Rouse, Foster Sarell, Osiris St. Brown and Jack West. 38 different Cardinal have started at least one game for Stanford this season.

By the way, Stanford ranks fourth nationally and first in the Pac-12 with four blocked kicks this season.

Stanford faces a tough test in season finale against Notre Dame

Photo credit: gostanford.com

By Ana Kieu

According to Stanford assistant director of communications Mark Soltau, you could’ve heard a mouth guard hit the floor in the Cardinal locker room following Saturday’s 24-20 loss to the Cal Golden Bears in the 122nd Big Game.

Players sat in silence in front of their lockers with heads bowed or stared into space. Most showered quickly and left. That was how painful it was.

“We let down nine senior classes that have won this before and 10 including this one,” said senior inside linebacker Curtis Robinson. “It’s definitely not a good feeling.”

Another near-miss snapped a streak of nine consecutive victories against the Bears–the longest in series history–ending Stanford’s school record of 10 straight trips to the postseason.

“To lose the axe is a tough pill to swallow,” junior tight end Colby Parkinson said. “This one is going to hurt for a while.”

Stanford has battled through injuries all season and took another hit Saturday on the opening kickoff. Junior wide receiver Connor Wedington–one of the top playmakers in the Pac-12–returned it 37 yards, but was hurt on the play and didn’t return.

It has been that kind of season for Stanford, who has been short-handed most of the way due to a number of players getting hurt. The Cardinal has started 38 different players, with 18 seeing their first action, including eight true freshmen.

“I don’t want to blame the injuries,” said Robinson. “Football happens. You hope it doesn’t happen in the massive amount that we’ve had and it’s very unfortunate. But we have never at any point in the season made an excuse and we won’t for the rest of the season.”

LAST SHOT
Stanford (4-7, 3-6 Pac-12) concludes the 2019 campaign on Saturday at home against No. 15 Notre Dame (9-2), who beat Boston College on Saturday, 40-7. The Fighting Irish lead the overall series, 20-13, but the Cardinal has won three of the last four meetings and seven of the last 10, including five straight at home. The winner earns the Legends Trophy.

“It’s going to be a test of our character,” Robinson said. “It would be easy for anyone off the street to just quit because we don’t have a bowl game and we’re not having a great season. Anybody can do that.

“If we come out and we show that we prepared like we would for any other game, with the motivations of any other game, I think that will be a good sign for the program. And I don’t expect anything less from our team.”

Added Parkinson, “We have a group of guys that are strong and willing to fight. And that’s what we’re going to do next week.”

DEFENSIVE STANDOUTS
Senior defensive end Jovan Swann played an inspired game. He finished with five tackles, had a career-high three tackles for loss and a sack. Swann also blocked a field goal late in the second quarter, the first of his career, and the fourth blocked kick by the Cardinal this season.

Senior inside linebacker Andrew Pryts led the unit with a career-high 10 tackles, and the Cardinal produced nine tackles for loss.

BIG GAME DEBUTS
Fourteen true freshmen played against Cal: Wide receiver Elijah Higgins (first start); offensive tackle Walter Rouse; offensive guards Barrett Miller and Jake Hornibrook; cornerbacks Kyu Blu Kelly and Zahran Manley; inside linebacker Aeneas DiCosmo; safeties Brock Jones, Spencer Jorgensen and Jonathan McGill; running backs Austin Jones and Nathaniel Peat; tight end Bradley Archer; punter/kicker Ryan Sanborn.

“This game had all the emotion–much more than all the other games,” said Rouse, who made his 10th consecutive start at left tackle. “I really felt like the seniors and the coaches emphasized that and the importance of this game. I just can’t describe the feeling.”

Sanborn was a questionable participant until late in the week. He rallied to convert a career-long 48-yard field goal in the second quarter and calmly gave Stanford a 20-17 lead with 2:33 remaining in the game on a 44-yarder. Sanborn also punted three times, made both extra point attempts, and two of his four kickoffs went for touchbacks.

“That’s just what we’re here to do,” Sanborn said. “You have to be able to put it through the pipes whenever you’re out there.”

Sanborn said the loss stung.

“Obviously, it didn’t go the way we wanted,” Sanborn said. “I would have loved to have been able to send our seniors out on the right note. We just have to use it for fuel for the next 364 days.”

SCOUTING THE IRISH
Stanford and Notre Dame have faced one common opponent: USC. The Fighting Irish edged the Trojans, 30-27 in South Bend, Ind., while the Cardinal fell in Los Angeles, 45-20. The latter came in the second game of the season for Stanford and marked junior quarterback Davis Mills’ first collegiate start.

Last year’s game at Notre Dame was the first time in series history that both teams entered with a top-10 AP ranking. The eighth-ranked Fighting Irish defeated the No. 7 Cardinal, 38-17, its first loss to Notre Dame since 2014.

THEME GAME
Saturday is Fan Appreciation and Senior Day for Stanford. Seniors will be recognized on the field prior to the game.

NOTES
Senior wide receiver Donald Stewart grabbed his first career scoring pass from Mills on a 40-yard reception … Sophomore wide receiver Michael Wilson matched his career-high with six catches for 43 yards … Sophomore wide receiver Simi Fehoko made three catches for 55 yards, including a 43-yarder. He has five receptions of 40 or more yards this season … Junior wide receiver Osiris St. Brown had a career-best five catches … Fifth-year senior running back Cameron Scarlett rushed for his 23rd career touchdown, one shy of No. 8 on the career list at Stanford … Ex-Cardinal standout John Lynch, general manager of the San Francisco 49ers, was honored prior to the game as part of the program’s 125-year celebration of Stanford football … Shayne Skov, served as Stanford’s honorary captain. A fearless competitor at inside linebacker and an inspirational leader, Skov was named Associated Press All-America third team and All-Pac-12 first team in 2013. Skov ranks No. 6 on the school’s all-time list for career tackles with 353 and played with four NFL teams, including the 49ers.

QUOTE
“To me, it’s Rivalry Game 2. It’s a way for us to end the season strong.” — Curtis Robinson on playing Notre Dame.

That’s Amaury’s News and Commentary podcast with Barbara Mason: Final Four–Who’s going to win it all?; Stanford eliminated by Norte Dame women; plus more

Photo credit: @SInow

Barbara Mason is filling in for Amaury Pi Gonzalez:

#1 The Final Four is amongst us and taking a look at each game this coming Sunday. Taking a look at Auburn-Virginia, Auburn has been the surprise — do you see this game being a real contest?

#2 Texas Tech-Michigan State is the next game on Sunday. The Red Raiders gave it their all when they beat Gonzaga last Sunday and the Spartans are one the winningest and high-ranking teams in the Tournament.

#3 The Stanford Women (31-5) and Notre Dame (34-3) battled it out, but after giving it their all all season long, the Cardinal could not withstand and lost to the Fighting Irish 84-68.

#4 The Oakland A’s started the 2019 season with two loses in Tokyo to the Seattle Mariners. Since that trip, it looks like the A’s have shaken off the jet lag and have been on track winning taking three of four from the Angels since coming back to Oakland and a win over the Boston Red Sox on Monday night to open another four-game series.

#5 The San Jose Sharks’ troubles continue after they dropped their eighth loss in nine games to the Western Conference first place Calgary Flames on Sunday. The win secures the Flames for first place and what was worse was that it was done on the Sharks’ home ice.

Barbara Mason does That’s Amaury’s News and Commentary each Tuesday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

NCAAFB podcast with Michelle Richardson: TSU’s Christian Abercrombie in critical condition following head injury; Ohio State scores 2 TDs for late win; Cardinal get beat on home turf 38-17

Photo credit: @TreyShirley831

On the NCAAFB podcast with Michelle:

#1 Tennessee State linebacker Christian Abercrombie suffered a head injury against Vanderbilt is in the hospital in critical condition

#2 The Ohio State Buckeyes got two touchdowns late in the game against Penn State for a 27-26 win.

#3 No. 8 Notre Dame got a 38-17 win over No.7 Stanford Cardinal. Cardinal running back Bryce Love injured his ankle. The ankle gave Love the same problem in the 2017 season.

Michelle does the NCAAFB podcast each Sunday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

No. 8 Irish knock off No. 7 Cardinal 38-17

Photo credit: @CBSSportsCFB

By Daniel Dullum
Sports Radio Service
Saturday, September 29, 2018

Ian Book, in his second game as Notre Dame’s starting quarterback, engineered the No. 8-ranked Fighting Irish to their fifth win of the season without a loss Saturday. No. 7 Stanford was the victim in Notre Dame’s 38-17 win at South Bend, Ind.

The Irish held Stanford to 229 yards of total offense, doing the job defensively with five sacks of Stanford quarterback K.J. Costello, nine tackles for loss, an interception and breaking up eight Cardinal passes.

Notre Dame also held the Cardinal (4-1 overall, 2-0 Pac-12) to a second-half 46-yard field goal by Jet Toner and no points in the fourth quarter.

Not helping the Cardinal was losing the services of Bryce Love in the fourth quarter due to an ankle injury. Love, who finished with 73 rushing yards on 17 carries, spent most of last season dealing with a chronic ankle sprain.

Book, meanwhile, completed 24 of 33 passes for 278 yards and four touchdowns. Dexter Williams paced the Irish running attack with 161 yards and one touchdown, and Miles Boykin caught 11 passes for 144 yards and a touchdown.

Love scored on a 39-yard touchdown run in the first quarter, which tied the game at 7-7. Stanford tied the game again in the second quarter at 14-14 when Costello tossed a 4-yard TD pass to JJ Arcega-Whiteside.

After that, it was all Notre Dame. The Irish went ahead to stay on a Book TD pass of 10 yards to Chase Claypool with :39 remaining in the first half.

Notre Dame made it a two-possession game when Book found Boykin for an 8-yard touchdown.

Costello completed 15 of 27 passes for 174 yards, one touchdown and one interception. Arcega-Whiteside and Trenton Irwin each caught five passes for the Cardinal.

Alijah Holder led a busy Cardinal defense with eight tackles and two assists, with Paulson Adebo finishing with seven tackles and one assist. Sean Barton, Malik Antoine and Joey Alfieri each had six tackles.

The Cardinal return home next Saturday to host the Utah Utes. Kickoff is at 7:30 p.m. PT.

Cardinal takes down Fighting Irish 38-20

November 25, 2017: Stanford Cardinal running back Bryce Love (20) tries to blow by the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, during a NCAA Football game between the Notre Dame Fighting Irish and the Stanford Cardinal at the Stanford Stadium in Stanford, California. Valerie Shoaps/CSM (Cal Sport Media via AP Images)

by Jerry Feitelberg

PALO ALTO, Calif. — The Stanford Cardinal played host to the University of Notre Dame  Fighting Irish Saturday night at Stanford Stadium. The Irish, ranked ninth in the nation before the start of the game, gave the Cardinal all they could handle for the first three-quarters of the game.

The Irish and the Cardinal went at it tooth-and-nail. The lead changed hands several times, and the outcome was in doubt until the fourth quarter. In the final stanza of the game, everything went wrong for Notre Dame. They committed two turnovers that led to 14 points for Stanford.

The Irish used a no-huddle offense to keep Stanford from substituting players on defense. That strategy did not work as the Stanford defense rose to the occasion and made three huge plays on defense that led the Cardinal to a 38-20 win over Notre Dame.

Also, the Washington Huskies beat the Washington State Cougars gave the Pac-12 North championship to Stanford. Stanford will now play the University of Southern California Trojans next Friday at Levi Stadium. If the Cardinal avenge the 42-24 loss to the Trojans in the second game of the season, the Cardinal will win the Pac-12 title and may not be playing in the Rose Bowl on New Year’s day as the Rose Bowl is part of the FBS playoff series. The winner will probably go to the Fiesta Bowl.

The first quarter so far has been a battle of defenses. Neither team could do anything for the first 11 minutes of the game. However, with third and seven, Irish quarterback Brandon Winbush hit a wide-open Kevin Stepherson for an 83-yard scoring strike. The extra point was good. It was the longest pass play for Notre Dame since the 2010 season. It was a three-play 86-yard scoring drive that took just 39 seconds. The Irish led 7-0.

The Cardinal tied the game at 7 when they went on a five-play, 72-yard drive to score with 43 seconds left in the quarter. The key plays were a 21-yard strike to J J Arcega Whiteside to the Irish 48. The referees called pass interference on the Irish, and that moved the ball to the Irish 29. Costello found Trent Irwin in the end zone for the score. The extra point was good to tie the score.

The Cardinal forced the Irish to punt early in the second quarter. It was a 35-yard punt with no return, but the Cardinal had good field position as they started their drive from their 45-yard line. K.J. Costello led them on a six-play, 55-yard drive for the Cardinal’s second score of the game. The key plays were a 20-yard and a 26-yard pass to tight end Kaden Smith. The scoring play was a four-yard pass to Arcega-Whiteside for the score. The Cardinal led 14-7 with 11:35 left to play in the first half. The Irish went on a 15-play 69-yard drive that stalled at the Cardinal 21-yard line. Justin Yoon kicked a field goal for Notre Dame, and the Cardinal led 14-10 with 2:36 left in the half.

The Irish started the second half with a bang. On the first play from scrimmage, Winbrush hit Equanimeaous St.Brown with a 75-yard pass play for the score. The point after was good. The drive took all of 12 seconds, and the Irish went ahead 17-14. It was the first time in Notre Dame’s long history that they have had two passing scores of more than 75 yards in a game. The Cardinal took the ensuing kickoff from their 29-yard line and went on a nine-play, 64-yard drive that stalled at the Notre Dame seven-yard line. Jet Toner kicked a field goal to the score at seventeen The drive took four minutes and 19 seconds off the clock. The Irish pinned the Cardinal down at the one-yard. The Cardinal couldn’t move the ball and had to punt from their seven-yard line. Bailey’s kick went 53 yards, but the Irish ran it back 41 to the Cardinal 19. The Irish picked up two five-yard penalties and their drive stalled at the Cardinal 21. Justin Yoon kicked a 39-yard field goal for the Irish as they reclaimed the lead 20-17.

In the fourth quarter, the Cardinal went on a seven-play, 70-yard drive, lasting two minutes and 37 seconds. The Cardinal appeared to stall at the Irish 19.

With third and nine, coach David Shaw called a timeout. On the next play, Costello hit Kaden Smith in the end zone for the touchdown. The extra point was good, and the Cardinal had the lead with 13:46 left in the game.

On the first play for the Irish after the touchdown, Wimbush’s pass was intercepted by Curtis Robinson. Robinson grabbed the ball at the 35-yard line and took it back to the Irish 29.

It took Costello and company to put the ball into the end zone for another Cardinal touchdown. Costello found tight end Dalton Schultz in the end zone for the score. Toner made the extra point, and Stanford now led 31-20 with 12:21 left.

The Irish woes continued to mount as C.J. Sanders fumbled the kickoff at the Irish 18-yard line that was recovered by Stanford. Bryce Love made two great runs to get the ball down to the Irish three-yard line. Cameron Scarlett pushed the pigskin over the goal line for the touchdown. Toner’s extra point was good, and the Cardinal has a three-score advantage 38-20 with 10:11 left in the game.

With time running out, the Irish mounted a drive that would have narrowed the gap to 10 points. With the ball at the Cardinal 24, Winbush’s pass into the end zone was picked off by safety Frank Buncom for a touchback. It was the third turnover of the game for the Irish. The Irish could do no more, and the Cardinal wins by a final score of 38-20

Game notes and stats — K.J.Costello completed 14 of 22 passes good for four touchdowns, and he did not throw an interception. The Cardinal did not commit a turnover in the win. Bryce Love had 20 carries for 125 yards, averaging 6.3 yards per carry. Love became the third Cardinal back to exceed 1800 yards in a season. The other two backs were Toby Gearhart and Christian McCaffrey. Notre Dame’s quarterback, Brandon Winbush, was 11 for 28 in the passing department. He threw for two touchdowns, but also threw two interceptions.

Stanford will play USC for the Pac-12 crown next Friday at Levi Stadium. 47,352 people watched the Cardinal improve to 9-3 for the year.

Notre Dame also ended the season at 9-3.

Stanford vs Notre Dame Preview

by Jerry Feitelberg

The Stanford Cardinal (3-1) Travels to South Bend, Indiana on Saturday October 4th to play the Fighting Irish of Notre Dame.(4-0).The Irish are led by quarterback Everett Golson who is returning to play after not playing last year due to academic cheating. Golson said the cheating incident forced him to “grow up” and he was “humiliated” by his mistake. As a starter, Golson has a record of 14-1 and one of those wins came at the expense of Stanford when the Irish beat them 20-13. Notre Dame is ranked ninth in the nation while the Cardinal comes in ranked at fourteenth. Golson is a very mobile and resourceful quarterback and the Cardinal defense will be tested.

Stanford’s offense will have to improve its game if they want to beat the Irish. The Cardinal struggled to beat Washington last week They turned the ball over three times against the Huskies and they cannot

continue to hand the ball over if they expect to win as the Irish defense is probably the best defense the Cardinal will face so far this year. The Irish have allowed just ten points per game and they rank 17th nationally in takeaways with nine. Six interceptions and three fumble recoveries so far.

Stanford’s defense must stop Golson. The Irish do not have strong running game and if the defense comes through, The oddsmakers have made Stanford a slight favorite. Should be a close game with two stout defenses on the field. Can Kevin Hogan make the plays? Will the passing game be good? Will the Cardinal stop the giveaways? These questions will be answered in South Bend as the rivalry continues between Stanford and the Fighting Irish of Notre Dame.

Cardinal Season Comes to an End, Losses to Connecticut in National Semi-Finals

Photo Credit: USA Today Sports

By: Joe Lami

The Stanford Cardinal played their final game of the 2013-2014 season on Sunday night after they were defeated by Connecticut 75-56 in Nashville.  The Cardinal were seeking their third National Championship in school history and their first one since 1992, however they fell short in their sixth trip to the final four in the past seven years.  Sunday also marks the third time in four years that the Cardinal have fallen in the National Semi-Final.

The Cardinal controlled much of the first half.  The Huskies got on the board first with buckets from Bria Hartley and Moriah Jefferson to go up 4-0.  Chiney Ogwumike got on the board first for the Cardinal with a jumper of her own.  Connecticut would get the lead back up to four, until Stanford went on a 7-0 run to give them their first lead of the evening with 16:09 remaining in the half.  The Cardinal held the lead for 12 minutes until Stephanie Dolson tied it up at 22 with four minutes remaining.  The 12 minutes marked the longest stretch of time this season that Connecticut had trailed.  Stanford pushed their largest lead to six, marking the second highest lead a team had on Connecticut all season.  The Huskies continued their run, extending it to 14-0 before Stanford was able to answer with a bucket of their own.  UConn went into the half with a 28-24 lead.

Stanford fell apart in the second half, as Connecticut started the second half with a 5:46 16-3 run.  The three points came from a rare three-pointer from Ogwumike.  The run would be give enough of a lead for UConn to ride out the win.  The Cardinal wouldn’t be able to fight their way back.

Amber Orrange led the way for the Cardinal with 16 points, she also added five assists in the losing effort.  Ogwumike wrapped up her Stanford career with her 25^th double double of the season, as the expected 1^st overall pick in the upcoming WNBA Draft finished the game with 15 points and ten rebounds.  Lili Thompson wrapped up the double figure Cardinal scorers with 12 points, eight of which came in the first half.

The Huskies saw all five of their starters get into double figures.  Player of the Year nominee, Brianna Stewart led the way with 18 points.  Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis contributed 15 points, all of which came in the second half.  Hartley shot four of 12 from the field to finish with 14 points.  Both Jefferson and Dolson finished the game with ten points each to cap off the double digits scorers.  Kiah Stokes also came off of the bench to add nine points in 22 minutes played, as the Huskies used only six players in 39-minutes of the game.  In the last minute, substitutes Saniya Chong, Tierney Lawlor, Briana Pulido and Brianna Banks replaced the starting five.

Connecticut remains undefeated at 39-0 and advance to their school’s ninth National Championship.  Next up for the Huskies is another undefeated team in Notre Dame (37-0), who beat Maryland 81-67 in the other National Semi-Final game.  Tuesday will mark the first time ever, where two undefeated teams will battle it out for the National Title.  Connecticut also joins their men’s team in the National Championship, as the men’s team will be going up against Kentucky for the men’s title.  Both Connecticut team’s won the title in 2004, and have a chance to do it again just ten years later.  They remain the only school to accomplish the feat.

Stanford finishes their season with a record of 30-4 and some uncertainty in next season, as it will be the first one since 2008 where an Ogwumike will not be on the team.