#7 Huskies Falter Down the Stretch vs. #10 Stanford

Following their memorable run to the Final Four last season, the Husky women's basketball team is on track to make another splash in the tournament this year as their 20-2 (8-1 PAC-12) record proves their strength as one of the best in the country. 

Sunday night presented an opportunity to bolster the resume with the #10 Stanford Cardinal (18-3, 8-1 PAC-12) in town for a pivotal conference matchup. Hec Ed filled up for this top-ten showdown with fans amassing outside well before tipoff.

STARTERS

Washington

G- #10 Kelsey Plum (SR)

G- #5 Natalie Romeo (JR)

G- #2 Aarion McDonald (FR)

F- #0 Chantel Osahor (SR)

C- #13 Katie Collier (SR)

Stanford

G- #10 Briana Roberson (SR)

G- #12 Brittany McPhee (JR)

G- #44 Karlie Samuelson (SR)

F- #5 Kaylee Johnson (JR)

F- #24 Erica McCall (SR)


The Dawgs grabbed a 9 point lead after the first quarter with Kelsey Plum leading the way with 8. They were 6/11 from beyond the arc, Stanford was 0-6.

Plum started to take over as the nation's scoring leader reached 26 points by the break, nearly outscoring Stanford by herself. She was a perfect 6/6 from downtown and a tidy 10/13 from the field which helped Washington take a 45-33 lead into the locker room.

When play resumed, Stanford battled back with Erica McCall starting to find a groove for the Cardinal getting open looks ahead of the Husky defense. Meanwhile, Kelsey Plum moved up a spot to third all-time in the collegiate scoring list.

Stanford cut the UDub lead to 3 with 3 minutes remaining in the 3rd quarter in addition to forcing a 4th personal foul by Plum. The Dawgs led by 5 heading into the final frame.

Briana Roberson forced a tie at 55 apiece early in the 4th on her third triple. Moments later, Mount Rainier HS (Burien) alum Brittany McPhee gave the Cardinal their first lead since the 9:47 mark of the 1st on a driving layup.

Despite a cold shooting night, Chantel Osahor hauled in some critical rebounds down the stretch to propel the Huskies back into the lead in the late stages of the ballgame. 

Trailing by a pair at the 1:45 mark, Stanford emerged from a called timeout with a Roberson jumper followed by a steal and a McPhee bucket to give Stanford a 2 point lead with a minute to go.

Another defensive stop for the Cardinal set up a McPhee jumper that didn't not fall, but was good enough to draw a foul. She split the pair and the Huskies trailed by 3 with 30 ticks left on the clock.

Plum, who had 42 points was double-teamed at the perimeter and opted for a quick two to cut the lead to a single point. On the ensuing inbound, Karlie Samuelson was fouled and knocked down the pair to give the Cardinal a three point cushion. On the other end, Plum attempted a game-tying three but missed the target and the Erica McCall rebound forced a foul that put the final nail in the coffin as the senior split the pair to push Stanford up by 4 in the final seconds. 

The record crowd at Alaska Airlines Arena left stunned after 3 and a half quarters of solid play by the home team only to fold in the waning moments. With the win, Stanford vaults past Washington to 2nd place in the PAC-12 standings behind Oregon State.


Sponsored Content

Sponsored Content