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STANFORD — Stanford heads to Chicago this weekend poised for another showdown against an NCAA Tournament rival.
Top-seeded Notre Dame and No. 2 Stanford could meet for the fourth time in five years with the winner earning a bid to the women’s Final Four in Tampa, Florida.
First, Stanford (30-4) has to get past upstart Missouri State (25-9) on Saturday in the Sweet 16. Notre Dame (32-2) plays No. 4 Texas A&M (26-7) in the other regional semifinal.
The winners meet at 6 p.m. Monday in the Elite Eight. Stanford is trying to reach the Final Four for the eighth time in 12 years.
Over the past five years, storied coaches Tara VanDerveer and Notre Dame’s Muffet McGraw have matched wits in big-time NCAA Tournament games.
In 2015 in Oklahoma City, the Fighting Irish easily handled the Cardinal en route to the national championship game. The schools meet in 2016 in the Sweet 16 when Erica McCall scored 27 points and fourth-seeded Stanford shocked the top-seeded Irish 90-84 to end Notre Dame’s bid for a sixth consecutive Final Four appearance.
In 2017, the Cardinal rallied from 16 points down to defeat top-seeded Notre Dame 76-75 for its first Final Four trip since 2014.
Stanford reached its 12th consecutive Sweet 16 after fighting off Brigham Young 72-63 on Monday night at Maples Pavilion.
But it took some work after a slow start.
Stanford senior star Alanna Smith was stripped of the ball on the first possession, leading to an uncontested layup for BYU.
It was a sign that the Cardinal would be in for a physical struggle against the Cougars in the second-round game. But after a tight first half, Stanford exerted its will on No. 7 BYU in the third quarter, thanks to a 16-0 run that took up almost seven minutes.
“Stanford’s really physical, and they are physical on us coming off ball screens with using their body and pushing and hitting us, and I think after a period of time it sometimes wears you out more than running up and down the court,” BYU coach Jeff Judkins said. “It’s just getting hit constantly. It’s kind of like an offensive lineman that keeps hitting the guy and eventually the defensive line gets slower and gets tired.”
A physical edge will be important against Stanford’s next opponent. The only double-digit seed left in the tournament, No. 11 Missouri State advanced for the first time since 1991 by outrebounding 29 of its 34 opponents and placing in the top 25 in rebound margin and free throw attempts.
Stanford outrebounded BYU 43-40 despite the presence of 6-foot-7 Cougars center Sara Hamson.
Smith was held to four points in the first half but exploded for 19 points afterward to ensure her final game at Maples ended happily. Kiana Williams also fought through a rough outing (4 of 13 shooting) to make clutch plays during the decisive run.
“Even when things were not going Alanna’s way early, and she stayed with things,” VanDerveer said. “You know, it wasn’t (Kiana’s) best game, but she kept playing hard. So I’m really proud of our team and how hard they work.”
A second-team espnW All-American, Smith added 14 rebounds and three assists as Stanford improved to 15-1 at home. The lone loss was a 40-point blowout against Oregon — the Cardinal’s last defeat since going on an 11-game win streak.
“Had a couple of my teammates just talk to me and tell me, ‘Keep shooting,’” Smith said. “Like “we love that you’re taking those shots and we know that they are going to go in eventually,’”
The 6-4 Australian is the only player in men’s or women’s basketball with 600 points, 70 3-pointers and 70 blocks since Shane Battier of Duke in 2001.
“It’s been the best four years of my life,” Smith said of Stanford. “But you know, it’s not over yet. And while it’s sad that it was my last game in Maples, I have another one in Chicago, so I’m just trying to ride this wave and ride it as long as possible.”