In a game that did not deserve to have a loser, the decisive shot failed by mere inches.
Stanford defeated South Carolina 66-65 in Friday’s Final Four to advance to the women’s national championship game in a physical contest that lasted until the final seconds.
Losing by one with less than nine seconds remaining, South Carolina striker Aliyah Boston stole the ball to give Gamecocks a chance to take the lead. After Brea Beal’s layup attempt failed, Boston’s response at the buzzer was very strong, sealing Cardinal’s victory.
Stanford took the lead in his previous possession thanks to an offensive rebound from Haley Jones, who knocked out a medium-sized jumper 32 seconds from the end. It was an adequate finish in what was a standout performance for the second year, which led Stanford with 24 points out of 11 out of 14 shots.
The victory propels Stanford to his fifth national championship game in the program’s history. The cardinal most recently played in the 2010 game, losing to Connecticut. Stanford is 2-2 at all times in the national title game, with his last championship coming in 1992, which was the sixth season at school.
South Carolina started the game strong, running to a 15-6 lead at the end of the first quarter. The Cardinal rediscovered his balance from there and struggled to grab a 31-26 lead at halftime.
South Carolina playmaker Zia Cooke led the Gamecocks with 25 points out of 10 out of 23 shots, while Destanni Henderson had 18 points with five rebounds and three assists.
The Stanford greats set the tone for the game, with 12 blocked shots, including six from Cameron Brink. They kept South Carolina with 33% shots inside the paint, by ESPN Stats & Info. This was the seventh game in the national semifinals decided by one point, and the first since 2000.
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