Guru’s WBB March Madness — I: Gamecocks’ Season Throttled in the End

By Mike Siroky

Stanford won by one from wire-to-wire.

The Cardinal took away the rebound advantage and the inside presence of Aliyah Boston for the majority of the game, even though SC had the last two shots under the rim.

Stanford used its better game plan and experience against a SC team with four sophomore starters. 

SC still won rebounds, completing the season statistical sweep, but not until the end. and so lost the game.

The poise of Stanford showed throughout, they never lost confidence and still almost lost.

Zia Cooke made her sophomore season finale end with 25 points, 5-of-8 3s. She had as many in the Regional finale.

But Stanford already has the tournament record 55 2s with a game to go.

No one was better this game than Hailey Jones, 11-of-14 for 24 points despite missing the entire second quarter. 

Whatever the SC game plan was, it did not work. Stanford teammate, 6-0 junior guard Lexie Hull, scored seven above her average with 18, doubling with 13 rebounds. 

Yes ,it took only two double-figure scorers to dismiss South Carolina by winning the war closest to the basket. SC reserve  forward Leticia Amihere was limited to her average of six after doubling that in the tournament. Victaria Saxton was the  more limited, forward, zero points  as Stanford obviously had a better defensive plan. Destinee Henderson scored above her average at 18

As has happened so often which Hall of Fame coach got a game to work in the matchup of  No. 1 seeds, East vs. West, in the National Semifinals won the game.

The Gamecocks coasted the entire way and the Cardinal coasted in the second hald in the Regional Championships. 

Each coach brought in multiple years of recent success.

Dawn Staley had a team without a senior, geared for a long national run but nothing is promised despite the cheerleading for Boston by the ESPN broadcasters. 

Only UConn has a lock on Final Fours. 

It seems more likely Cooke will lead her team back, even if Boston gets the praise. Cooke led SC in scoring in the final two games, but today is back in the southland with the rest of her team.

It must be noted that as soon as the game ended, the SC radio network cut away to a regular season campus baseball game. 

No emotional home connection on death in the national tournament. 

That’s an inequity you cannot blame on the NCAA. 

That would not happen in the men’s game. 

Maybe SC can tactfully clean up its own presentation before trying to run the national tournament.

Cooke said of the game:  “It meant a lot mainly because I know how hard we work. We have to come back harder.

“I definitely thought it was in our hands.

“It is going to stick with us because we were right there. I’ve learned a lot. This season was not normal.

“I was not surprised. It was what we do. It’s a lotta games. We have to do the little things. The turnovers; I missed some box outs.

“I plan on saying something to all my teammates.”

Staley will do the same

“At the point of 13 seconds we went all out,” she said. “We got a pretty decent two looks at it. We got to give God the glory in victory and defeats.

“The margin of error is that small.”

When Boston was foul forced to sit, they were outscored by 14. 

You forget she is a sophomore, still a teenager. She was sobbing uncontrollably when it ended.

“It’s tough. It is real personal (to Boston),” Staley said. “One or two moments like that. They schemed for her. They had a game plan for Aliyah Boston. She had 16 rebounds. With her in there, we had a chance to attempt to win the game.”

“Zia is built for the biggest stage. She created great looks,” Staley said.

“We never  flinched even when they got out to six[MS1] . Hailey Jones threw up a prayer.

“We were inches from playing for a National Championship. I am super proud of our players . Every time we’ve got a setback, we have gotten better. 

“We’ll continue to get better. I told our team hopefully we can be on the other side of his emotion.”

In her first Final Four, Staley finished tied for third in the championship won by UConn.  They get that trophy again. They won it all in 2017. This is her third. 

Every Cardinal has multiple minutes in at least 20 games of the 28-2 season. 

Tara Vanderveer started her basketball life playing at Indiana as a Boston recruit with IU’s first All-America,  

Debbie Oing. The original IU coach, Bea Gorton, just passed this year.  

Vanderveer coached at Ohio State. She came West and dominated the left coast in a legendary career. She has the most wins of any women’s coach ever.

She has two National Championships. 

This is her 13^th Final Four. She knows the joy and pain of this level. 

She stepped aside for the 1996 season to coach the Olympic Gold Medal team. 

Imagine if Staley had taken this year and last year off for the Olympic commitment. off. She last won a national title 29 years ago.

One assistant, Kate Paye, not only attended and graduated from Stanford, but was born in the university’s hospital. The way Stanford works is both Paye and Vanderveer’s costs are underwritten by corporate sponsors

 Another, Kate Steding, was Vanderveer’s first Stanford recruit and led the1990 National Champions

Stanford is the national No. 2 in limiting opponent field goal percentage (32.6). SC hit 36 percent. SC is 32^nd (36.7), Stanford is No, 13 in national scoring (78.9); SC is two points behind, so those averages were way off

Stanford is No. 4 in scoring margin (25) South Carolina is eighth (17.6). South Carolina has never been outrebounded all season and is third (14.8) in rebound margin  They won those by four. 

Stanford is 13^th  (10.5)

“I have total faith in every one of many players,” Vanderveer said.

“We had to get on the boards. We can’t let them run us. They have an inside game and an outside game. We can’t wait until the second half. We have to play the complete game.”

So that part worked.

“This is a low-maintenance team,” she said. Any one can score at any time. Any player can step up at any time. Any one can do a solo. I trust each one of them.”

She coached Staley in the Olympics.

“She was a tremendous leader. Whatever Dawn decided to go into, she was going to be at the top of her career. l cheer for her every game except when they play us.”

Stanford is supremely confident.

Hull is the player she chose to represent the team.

“We had to play 40 minutes, come out ready and come out aggressive,” she said. “They are a very good team.

“I definitely think we learned about ourselves.

“We know we have it in us.”

“It’s win or go home. People are going to punch back. We need to work hard and bring it.”

Staley said: “For all the coaches doing this, like Tara, they’re doing it the right way. I show my appreciation for them.

“What I remember (in 2017) was we weren’t playing our best basketball. I asked our team why we aren’t playing the best. We all huddled together, got it down and won.

“This one feels a lot different, but it felt like a Final Four. I look around and only see three other teams. This is the pinnacle of our game. We practice, we play for, we cry for this.

“Losing is not in our DNA. The light comes on and Ding! Ding! Ding! they’re ready to go. We have to play fast and generate more possessions.

“Let the chips fall where they may. Defensively, we think we have some concepts in the things they like to do. For us, we have to bring it to them.”

The team that started a smidge faster won.

That has been the story of the tournament, with the3s.

Haiey scored nine in the first quarter but acquired two fouls and so played one quarter. After showing her intentions. The depth of Stanford let them not miss a beat.

Boston was deadly contained, only three points until late in the third with a multiplicity of fouls

the Gamecocks hit 5 -f-7 to start then Stanford’s defense locked in and SC was 3-of-22 for the rest of the half and trailed 31-25. 

There was no way of knowing that was  large margin in this tight contest. SC cut it in half in the third,

A Cooke 3 opened the SC scoring in the third. Jumpers by 6-4 freshman Cameron Brink and Jones kept SC at Bay. Brink had tweaked a knew in the Regional final bvut played on.

Cooke hit another 3 to cut it to four then Beal hit a two

Boston picked up her second foul. With more tall players, Stanford was working to get her in foul trouble and it would happen. Five Stanford points were not offset by another Cooke 3.

Working well inside, the Cardinal were not afraid to drive. 

Amihere finally found a field goal at 41-37

SC could not take control. It took another Cooke 3 and then one by Henderson to tie it at 43. That lasted 20 seconds. Stanford was still leading rebounds, the latest in a game that had happened to SC all season.

Beal called a time out while laying on the floor, to preserve possession. Almost as important, it left SC with two timeouts. She also got a scarped left elbow

Two Hull free throws kept Stanford ahead by two entering the final quarter of the season.

As usually happens when she can do it, Staley tried going through Boston

Instead, Amihere drove into her third foul. Then she tied it at 52 with a drive and  free throw. Boston was not being heard from, with a third foul, nor was Saxton evident. Those are minus points.

Cooke was still active, with another 3.

From 8:1iu until 6:14,the jitters arrived and no one scored. SC missed three shots and the four-point deficit held

Boston got a fourth fall. Another minute passed with no points. Cooke hit a layup at 5:18 and was suddenly done soring. The foul and lockdown on Cooke showed Vanderveer’s defensive scheme was working.

Boston was all but done for the season, banished to the bench on defense, back in as soon as possible on offense.

Hull was 8-of-8 from the line. A Henderson 3 made the deficit one at 2:16. Cooke turned over the next possession.

Jones’ 22nd  point came on a back door drive where Boston wasn’t.

Slowly the game had turned back to Stanford’s defe.se. Blood in the water

Beal had a shot blocked  blocked by Brink.

Hall drove for her 18^th points, one-on-three

The lead was a deadly six. Cooke scored 25 points inside.

All in, SC went to Boston. Stanford had an 11-point advantage when she sat down. The Cardinal used its tallest lineup.

The clock was on the Pac 12 champ.

The Cardinal launched a 3 for some reason. Downcourt, Henderson made it a one-point game with a 3. She immediately fouled on the other end.

Stanford began to dance in place when they scored on a breakout on an easy layup after a court-length pass after a missed call when Stanford looked to have kicked the ball. Missed calls happen and the NCAA had obviously agreed to not let a call decide an elimination  game. Both coaches knew it, play on.

Henderson took a rebound after. Her  made  free throw put it at 65-62, 1:15left. Vanderveer called time out.

The audience knew it was going to Jones. Both benches stood. Beal had the ball. It was blocked, 65-64, 

Henderson hit a 3 with 39 seconds left. SC amazingly led The 3 was confirmed  the first SC lead since 15-13. Henderson had scored the last nine SC points

In front of their own basket, the ball pinballed around. Jones threw up ab answered prayer.  She scored 11-of-13 from the floor. A one-point lead.

Staley frenetically scribbled  up a play with 32 seconds left.

Henderson threw it away. Boston could not afford to come to the pass.

Cardinal time out

SC slapped away the steal, Boston to Beal. She drove too deep. Boston grabbed the ball facing the basket but another great look failed at the buzzer. Stanford had escaped. Boston was in tears, 

 5-off-14 from the field, fouls eliminating eight minutes. 

Cooke , Beal and Henderson never missed a minute. 

One wonders what steady influence the only senior could have added has she not injured herself out of the tournament.

The experience of Stanford was one of the critical differences. The four-sophomore SC lineup had never been in one NCAA game before this final journey

Of her game-winning shot, Jones said, “We just knew there was no time. I grabbed it and shot. It went in.

"I just saw the ball bouncing around and most of my teammates were hitting some bodies to open it up. I just let it fly and I said, 'Please, Jesus, go in,' and it did. And then we just had to go on to the next play, there's no time to get hyped about, we had to get back on defense."

“They had great shots at the end.

“Me and Aliyah, we are great friends we text every day. I went out,  gave her a hug.

The coaches hugged. Staley hugged Beal, then Boston, then Vanderveer.

It was over in the fifth loss of the season. Maybe it was the road uniforms, SC was the better seed in all games until this one .

It is always frustratingly sad to be sent home, with games still to play.

It seemed as if fate made it happened to 62 teams, after all the Covid considerations, the 21 days in isolated hotel rooms, frantic play.

We have the predicted National Championship representing, Stanford the No. 1 of all No. 1s.  

South Carolina headed home and back to campus, just college kids again, not national TV performers. 

Not the winner after all of this, starkly just another of the 62 losers 

Stanford has only to beat a conference opponent they have dominated, one that was not even in the conference tournament finals. 

At least they know each other.