March 29, 2022

From Sweet to Elite to sweet … revenge

 

Tara and the team celebrate with a line dance after the Texas win. (Young Kwak/AP)


Texas had dealt Stanford one of its only three losses this season, 61-56 on Nov. 14, taking away some of the joy that followed the home game when the Cardinal players received their 2021 national championship rings.

Stanford got revenge in the Elite Eight by defeating the Longhorns 59-50 in Spokane on March 27 to advance to the Final Four in Minneapolis April 1 and 3.

Maryland game gets tight

This victory followed a 72-66 Sweet 16 win over Maryland on March 25. That  game had appeared headed for a blowout with Stanford enjoying a 26-point lead with less than two minutes to go in the third quarter. 

The players huddle after the Maryland victory. (Stanford Athletics)


This big lead resulted from Stanford's shooting a sizzling 71.4 percent in the first quarter, while holding Maryland to 18.8 percent.

Next came a so-so 33.3 percent in the second quarter and a respectable 50 percent in the third. In the fourth, however, Stanford shot 20 percent while Maryland shot 43.5 percent.

Thus the game turned into a nail biter as Maryland outscored Stanford 30-13 in the last quarter, but it wasn’t quite enough to overcome the previous quarters, giving the Cardinal a victory.

Haley gets things started

Junior guard Haley Jones gave her team a good start by nailing two 3’s in the first three minutes. She finished the game with 17 points and 10 rebounds.

Senior guard Lexie Hull led Stanford with 19 points, while sophomore forward Cameron Brink had 15points and five of the team’s 10 blocks.

Cameron’s production was limited not only by foul trouble (she fouled out in the fourth quarter, as did senior guard Lacie Hull) but also by a shot to the ribs in the second quarter, briefly sending her to the locker room. Therefore, she played only 19 minutes.

Stanford has advantage on the glass

Stanford out-rebounded Maryland 50-32 and had more assists, 15-8. On the other hand, the Cardinal committed 18 turnovers to the Terrapins’ seven. Free throws also were an issue, only 14 of 21.

Maryland also had lost to Stanford 86-68 on Nov. 27 in the Bahamas.

Besides Haley with two, others contributing to the team’s six 3’s were Cameron, Lexie, Lacie and junior guard Hannah Jump with one each.

Since Spokane is the Hulls’ hometown, their Stanford-backing family and friends comprised a sizable contingent of the crowd of 7,142.

Crowd gets bigger for Texas game

The crowd was even larger, 7,739, on March 27 when Stanford downed Texas 59-50.

In this tight contest, the lead changed six times, and the score was tied six times, including 14-14 after the first quarter. Stanford then outscored Texas in the next three quarters.

Haley shoots over a Texas player as Cameron awaits possible rebound. (Young Kwak/AP)


Lexie led the team with 20 points. Haley was close behind with 18 points and 12 rebounds for another double-double.  Cameron rounded out the trio of double-digit scorers with 10 points and six of the team’s 11 blocks.

Free throws make a difference

In a game that saw 24 fouls by Texas and 22 by Stanford, the free-throw line was a huge difference maker. The Cardinal made 18 free throws, the Longhorns 11, a seven-point difference and very close to the margin of victory.

Stingy defense by Texas limited Stanford to just three 3’s: two by Lexie and one by Cameron. It also led to 20 Cardinal turnovers while Texas had 10.

Although Lacie didn’t score, she played all 40 minutes and contributed five rebounds, four assists and two blocks.

The Hulls had the honor of cutting down the nets in Spokane. (Young Kwak/AP)


Hulls cut down the nets

In honor of the Hull twins’ playing in their hometown, head coach Tara VanDerveer asked them to complete the traditional post-game ritual of cutting down the nets.

The team also celebrated with the Electric Slide line dance. According to ESPN, Tara had “proposed a group dance if the team advanced to the Final Four.

“After an individual session with Jones as VanDerveer’s lead teacher among a group that also included  (fifth-year guard) Jordan Hamilton and (freshman forward) Kiki Iriafen, the whole team went through practice after watching film Saturday.”

Also after the game, Haley was named the regional’s most outstanding player. She, Cameron and Lexie were named to the all-tournament team.

Win streak rises to 24 games

This win extended Stanford’s win streak to 24 games, longest in the country. It ended Texas’ second-longest streak at 14 games.

Next up is a trip to Minneapolis for the Final Four to face a No. 2 seed, UConn, at 6:30 p.m. April 1. ESPN will air the game.

In the meantime, the players returned to campus for the start of spring quarter on March 28.