Stanford won its first national championship in nearly 30 years, holding off Arizona to win 54-53 in the title game.
Aari McDonald’s couldn’t get a last-second heave to fall, bailing out the Cardinal after they ran out the shot clock on their own final possession.
It was that kind of game for Stanford, who finished with 21 turnovers but managed to string together just enough defensive stops to keep Arizona from ever pulling ahead in the final minutes.
Haley Jones came up in the clutch again for Stanford, with her final basket once again proving to be the difference maker. In the semifinals, it was Jones’ last-minute jumper which put the Cardinal ahead for good against South Carolina. Jones was named Most Outstanding Player for her performance over the weekend, finishing with 17 points on 8-for-14 shooting in the championship game.
HALEY JONES TOUGH AND-1.(via @StanfordWBB)pic.twitter.com/cF206MHbDy— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) April 5, 2021
HALEY JONES TOUGH AND-1.(via @StanfordWBB)pic.twitter.com/cF206MHbDy
For Tara VanDerveer, it was her third national championship, but her first since 1992. She’s now won three national championships to go along with being the winningest coach in women’s basketball history.