Stanford subregional: BYU and Stanford to face each other after winning in the first round
STANFORD, Calif. — BYU and Stanford are set to face off in the second round of the NCAA tournament Monday night at 8 p.m. PT in Maples Pavilion (TV: ESPN2). The teams have only faced each other four times and are tied in the series at 2-2.
#7 BYU 73, #10 Auburn 64
The stakes were high for the BYU Cougars (26-6) and the Auburn Tigers (22-10) as the two teams battled for their postseason life in the first round of the NCAA tournament. BYU ran away from the Tigers for a 73-64 victory.
With the win, the Cougars join fellow West Coast Conference member Gonzaga in the second round. The two victories mark the first time two WCC teams advanced past the first round of the NCAA tournament.
“This was a great win for our team,” BYU head coach Jeff Judkins said. “Auburn is a very, very good team.”
At the outset it seemed as if the teams were evenly matched. The first ten minutes was a slow back and forth with BYU leading 13-11 after one quarter.
In the second period, the teams scored 15 points each and the Cougars went into the break with a slim 28-26 lead.
Led by senior guard Caitlyn Alldredge and freshman guard Shaylee Gonzales, BYU outscored Auburn in the third quarter 23-13.
The Tigers gave the Cougars a scare in the fourth. Auburn fought back from a 12-point deficit at the end of the third quarter. With under three minutes to go, the Tigers went on a run to get within five of the Cougars.
However, a costly turnover at 1:31 shut down Auburn’s momentum and the Cougars capitalized on the mistake. BYU closed out the game on a 6-3 run.
“I was getting a little nervous, but I thought we handled the pressure until right at the end there,” Judkins said.
“BYU is a very good team. We knew that,” Tigers head coach Terri Williams-Flournoy commented during the postgame presser. “We knew they had some very good scorers, some very good guards that could score. But we continued to fight. Not the way we wanted it to end, but I’m proud of what our girls have done this year.”
Leaders
BYU
- Brenna Chase 19 points, 7 assists, 4 rebounds
- Shaylee Gonzales 17 points, 9 rebounds
- Caitlyn Alldredge 14 points
- Sara Hamson 4 points, 8 rebounds, 4 blocks
Auburn
- Janiah McKay 19 points, 5 rebounds, 6 assists
- Daisa Alexander 14 points, 4 rebounds
- Crystal Primm 11 points
- Unique Thompson 10 points, 19 rebounds
#2 Stanford 79, #15 UC Davis 54
The depth of host team Stanford (29-4) was too much for UC Davis (25-7) to handle in the second game of the day. With a balanced effort from starters and reserves, the Cardinal overpowered the Aggies 79-54 to advance to the second round of the NCAAs.
Stanford began the contest at breakneck speed, quickly outscoring UC Davis 15-0 with points from four different players. After the first period, the Cardinal led 29-9. Junior guard Kiana Williams scored 11 points in the first quarter.
The Aggies performed much better in the second quarter, only getting outscored 20-17. However, because they entered the period with a 20-point deficit, their efforts did not help them make a significant dent into their double-digit disadvantage.
At the break, Stanford led 49-26. Williams remained the leading scorer at that point with 16 while junior guard DiJonai Carrington was also in double figures with 10 points.
Overall, the second half was a more evenly matched affair. But again, the Aggies could not build enough momentum to get them out of the hole they fell into in the first half. The Cardinal led by at least 22 points the entire second half.
They “just kept making big shots, kept making the plays,” UC Davis head coach Jen Gross said about Stanford’s tenacity.
Cardinal head coach Tara VanDerveer praised UC Davis’ game plan.
“They, I think, had us really well scouted, but I thought our team came out with a lot of energy and made some big plays early,” VanDerveer said. “We’re really excited to be moving on to the second round.”
Leaders
Stanford
- Alanna Smith 21 points, 7 rebounds
- Kiana Williams 19 points
- DiJonai Carrington 12 points, 7 rebounds
UC Davis
- Morgan Bertsch 25 points, 10 rebounds
- Sage Stobbart 12 points, 6 rebounds
- Nina Bessolo 11 points
