... at the very end, as Amber drove to the basket through two Bruin defenders and lifted in a layup that put the Cardinal ahead 51-49 with 8.3 seconds left to play.
The Bruins missed a jumper and a putback at the other end of the court, and Stanford notched its seventh-straight Pac-12 Tournament championship.
The evening began very well for the Cardinal with an 11-0 run in the first eight minutes of the game. The lead dwindled as the Cardinal succumbed to the Bruins' inside strength, and the Bruins took the lead just before the end of the first half.
The Cardinal fell behind by as much as seven points in the second half.The score was tied for the fifth time with 36 seconds left to play. Then Amber took possession, drove to the basket and saved the day.
The Bruins did what no one else has come close to doing all season — shut down Chiney. She couldn't break through the Bruins' strong double- and triple-teams and finished with only three points (her prior low this season was 18) and no assists.
But the Bruins couldn't stop Amber, who scored a career-high total of 20 points, or Bonnie, who sank three of five from beyond the arc, nor did they cope well with the Cardinal defense, which held them to just under 28% shooting.
Amber was voted onto the all-tournament team along with UCLA’s Alyssia Brewer and Markel Walker, Washington’s Jazmine Davis and Colorado’s Chucky Jeffery. Chiney was named the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player in recognition of her tournament-record double-doubles in the prior two rounds of play.
Here are game reports and commentary:
- Stanford Takes Down No. 14 UCLA For Pac-12 Title, 51-49 from the Associated Press
- What. A. Finish. by Sarah Kezele (Pac-12)
- Orrange's career day helps Stanford edge UCLA for Pac-12 championship by Jayda Evans (Seattle Times)
- Stanford women edge UCLA in Pac-12 final by Tom FitzGerald (San Francisco Chronicle)
- Stanford women rally to Pac-12 title by Elliott Almond (Mercury News)
- Orrange enjoys a fruitful finish in Pac-12 championship game from Palo Alto Online
- Orrange comes through for Cardinal by Michelle Smith (espnW)
The press conference video with Tara, Amber and Chiney,
A game highlights video from the Pac-12,
A game highlights video from Stanford Athletics,
A gallery of photos by Elaine Thompson (Associated Press),
A gallery of photos by Dave Cortesi, mostly of the pregame team sendoff and the postgame celebration.
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