UW women’s Pac-12 tournament run comes to end

Published 1:30 am Saturday, March 9, 2019

Associated Press

LAS VEGAS — Alanna Smith had 21 points and 12 rebounds to help seventh-ranked Stanford beat Washington 72-61 on Saturday night in the Pac-12 tournament semifinals, ending the Huskies’ improbable postseason run.

The second-seeded Cardinal (27-4) will face top-seed Oregon on Sunday night for the championship. Stanford has won 12 of the 17 tournament titles, last doing so two years ago.

Stanford (27-4) looked to be cruising to an easy win, but just as they had done in the first two games of the tournament, the Huskies rallied from a double-digit first-half deficit. Washington trailed by 17 with 5:03 left in the second quarter before going on a 15-3 run to get within 37-31 with 6 seconds left in the half. DiJonai Carrington helped Stanford steal the momentum back, making a shot from beyond half-court just before the buzzer to restore a nine-point lead.

Carrington then hit a more conventional 3-pointer to start the second half and Washington (11-21) could get no closer than eight the rest of the way.

Washington pulled off the only upsets of the tournament, becoming just the second 11-seed to advance to the semis by knocking off Utah and No. 11 Oregon State. The Huskies, who won just two conference games in the regular season, needed a late 3-pointer to beat the Beavers. They just didn’t have enough left in the tank to top the Cardinal.

Amber Melgoza scored 32 points to lead the Huskies.