Stanford’s “Funky Four” seniors are gearing up for one last postseason run. They kept their momentum going Monday with a 71-66 win against Pac-12 rival UCLA.
The senior quartet has won a national championship and made two Final Four appearances in their first three seasons with the Cardinal. Their only year without a deep tournament run came in 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic wiped out the postseason.
They’ve won 116 games with the Cardinal, including Monday’s regular-season home finale against No. 17 UCLA. Their latest win earned them a standing ovation from the Stanford faithful in attendance at Maples Pavilion.
“They call themselves the Funky Four, I call them the Final Four or the Fabulous Four,” Tara VanDerveer said after the win. “Let’s keep it rolling.”m
🎥 𝗜𝗡𝗦𝗧𝗔𝗡𝗧 𝗖𝗟𝗔𝗦𝗦𝗜𝗖 🎥Cameron Brink’s 25 points carry No. 3 @StanfordWBB past No. 17 UCLA in electric matchup. 🌲 pic.twitter.com/PXE12w706E— Pac-12 Conference (@pac12) February 21, 2023
🎥 𝗜𝗡𝗦𝗧𝗔𝗡𝗧 𝗖𝗟𝗔𝗦𝗦𝗜𝗖 🎥Cameron Brink’s 25 points carry No. 3 @StanfordWBB past No. 17 UCLA in electric matchup. 🌲 pic.twitter.com/PXE12w706E
Haley Jones led the senior class for No. 3 Stanford (26-3) with 18 points. Hannah Jump, Francesca Belibi and Ashten Prechtel round out the group.
“We’re trying to win a Pac-12 championship and this game was necessary to do that,” Jones said. “We had to be the aggressor.”
Junior forward Cameron Brink did her part, leading the team with 25 points. She went 15-for-15 from the free throw line, the most free throws without a miss by a Stanford player since at least 1999, according to ESPN.
Stanford has two games remaining in the regular season, against No. 21 Colorado on Thursday and against No. 8 Utah on Saturday, before moving into the postseason.