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.