Qualifiers are no longer required. The Stanford Cardinal is the best team in university basketball. They confirmed it Sunday night with an exciting 54-53 victory over the Arizona Wildcats in the national championship to win their first title since 1992.
It was certainly not the most beautiful basketball game ever played, but it was an absolute battle that came down to the wire, and that’s all you can ask for. Arizona, who had the best defense in the tournament, forced Stanford into a whopping 21 turnovers, including a shot clock violation with 5.5 seconds left.
That stop gave Arizona the ball and the chance to win the game in final possession, but Stanford’s defense came up with their own heroic deeds. They knew Arizona would give the ball to star point guard Aari McDonald, and several defenders swarmed her on the catch screen. Over time, McDonald had to throw the ball just to the basket, and her 3-point effort did not go down.
Haley Jones secured the position for Stanford and finished with 17 points and eight rebounds en route to being named the tournament’s leading player, while Lexie Hull had a 10-point, 10-rebound double. Cameron Brink also added 10 points, six rebounds and three blocks.
On the Arizona side, McDonald scored 22 points, but he really had to work for it. She picked things up in the second half to help lead the return of the Wildcats, but is five-out-20 off the field. Shaina Pellington piled up with 15 points off the bench, but no one else passed in double figures.