Stanford began the season as a favorite to win the NCAA women’s basketball championship.
The Cardinal had to prove its merits all the way to the final seconds of the season.
Stanford produced a game-ending defensive stop for the second game in a row and captured its first NCAA championship in nearly three decades by defeating upstart Arizona 54-53 in the title game Sunday at the Alamodome in San Antonio.
“It’s a great team. We did not play a great game (in the final),” Stanford coach Tara VanDerveer said. “But if we can win, not playing as well as we need to, I’m excited.”
Stanford bottled up Arizona’s Aari McDonald on the last possession and she was unable to make a winn…
Keep on reading: Stanford outlasts Arizona to win first NCAA title since 1992