UConn entered the night fresh off a stunning 91-87 double-overtime victory over No. 1 seed North Carolina State in the Elite Eight. For the first time in the history of the women’s NCAA tournament, a game in the Elite Eight or later required double OT.
Friday night, the Huskies advanced to their 14th consecutive Final Four, a match that featured two of the most successful NCAA college basketball coaches.
“We did not play well today, and I believe we battled a little bit executing our offense,” Stanford head coach Tara VanDerveer remarked. “I believe there were some self-inflicted wounds, given what we were doing out there,” she remarked.
VanDerveer, 68, has more than 40 years of experience coaching at the university level. Her first two Stanford championships were earned in the early 1990s. Her third came against No. 3 seed Arizona last year, after a 29-year wait.
The Huskies, who were 29-5 entering Friday’s game, have started 11 different lines this season due to a combination of illness and injury. Despite this, they were seeded second in the NCAA tournament.
“I anticipated it would be a really tough, slow game,” said Paige Bueckers, who led UConn with 14 points. “Both teams are competing for a national title. Because this is a Final Four game, everyone is going to put everything on the line.”
