Three weeks ago, the NCAA women’s basketball tournament in San Antonio started with 64 teams. Sixty-two games later, the sport’s most prestigious event is down to two teams, Stanford and Arizona.
Here are some key storylines to follow as these Pac-12 Conference teams square off for the top prize at the Alamodome:

Like brother, like sister?
In December 2002, Chancy Campbell rushed for 169 yards and three touchdowns as Judson edged Midland High 33-32 to win the UIL Class 5A (now 6A) Division I state football championship at the Alamodome.

The Rockets prevailed when quarterback Dustin Quinney connected with wide receiver Andre Williams on a 76-yard TD pass with 7 seconds left, the exclamation point on a wild finish that saw three lead changes in the game’s final 70 seconds and two TDs only 15 seconds apart. The contest is considered one of the best state title games in Texas history.

A little more than 18 years later, in the same venue, Campbell’s younger sister has the opportunity to capture the ultimate prize in her sport.

Kiana Williams, a senior guard from Wagner, leads Stanford (30-2) vs. Arizona (21-5) in the NCAA Division I women’s basketball championship game at 5 p.m. Sunday at the Alamodome. Williams, an All-American, is averaging a team-high 14.3 points on the season and during the tournament became the Cardinal’s career leader in 3-pointers.

“We’re on the edge of a dream come true for Kiana Williams,” Stanford coach Tara VanDerveer said. “Kiana has been just a phenomenal player to coach. She’s incredibly unselfish, hard-working, plays at both ends of the floor, very talented, skilled player, and a team leader in how she just wills our team to winning. She has so many fans here that are cheering her on. I think it’s really special for her.”

Will the third time be the charm?
Arizona hasn’t lost must this season, but the team it will face in Sunday’s title game is responsible for nearly half of its five setbacks. Stanford defeated the Wildcats twice during Pac-12 Conference play, 81-54 on Jan. 1 and 62-48 on Feb. 22.

In the first matchup, the Cardinal led Arizona 44-20 at halftime of a showdown of undefeated clubs. Haley Jones led Stanford with 18 points and 10 rebounds. Lexie Hull added 13 points, Francesca Belibi tallied 12 points and eight rebounds and Cameron Brink contributed 11 points, nine rebounds and five blocks. Aari McDonald led Arizona with 12 points.

In the February encounter, Stanford led 31-25 at the intermission and held on for a 14-point triumph. Hull led the Cardinal with 16 points and nine rebounds, Williams chipped in 15 points, Jones registered 13 points and eight rebounds and Brink totaled 10 points, seven rebounds and two blocks. McDonald led Arizona with 20.

The Wildcats have found their groove since the last meeting, and defense has been a key part of the surge. Arizona hasn’t allowed a team to score 60 points during the tournament, limiting Stony Point to 44, BYU to 46, Texas A&M and Connecticut to 59, and Indiana to 53.

Familiarity could be crucial for Arizona in its trilogy with Stanford.

“Yeah, it does help because we have played them,” Arizona coach Adia Barnes said. “They’ve beat us twice this year. They have to beat us a third time. I mean, Stanford is so good. They have so much depth. They’re young, extremely talented, very hard to play against. It’s going to be a tough game. But at this time of the year, everything is tough. Now we’ve got to go out and do it on the court, which is the hard part.”

Key matchup
Aari McDonald vs. Stanford guards
The 5-foot-6 McDonald has been on a scoring tear during the tournament, averaging more than 25 points overall and 30 over the past three contests.

Whether she can continue her hot shooting touch will be essential to the Wildcats’ bid to claim their first national championship.

In Arizona’s two losses earlier this season vs. Stanford, McDonald averaged 16 points and connected on 11 of 42 shots (26.2 percent). The Cardinal will likely use several players to try and contain McDonald.

It will be a tough chore.

“I don’t think we’ve had to play against a guard as good as she is, and she proved it tonight,” Connecticut coach Geno Auriemma said of McDonald after his team’s 69-59 loss on Friday. “She just dominated the entire game start to finish. We pride ourselves on being pretty good at certain things. We had no answer for her.”

By the numbers
12: Blocks for Stanford during its 66-65 win vs. South Carolina. Cameron Brink had six blocked shots, Ashten Prechtel tallied two and Haley Jones, Lexie Hull, Francesca Belibi, Alyssa Jerome had one apiece.

25.4: Points that Arizona senior guard Aari McDonald is averaging during the NCAA tournament. She had 26 points in Friday’s 69-59 win vs. Connecticut in the national semifinals, the Wildcats’ first win against the No. 1 team in the Associated Press rankings, and has averaged 30 points in her last three games McDonald has scored in double figures in 92 straight games, the longest active streak in the nation.

Quotable quotes
“I’ve been an underdog all my life. Too small to do this, too this to do that, too inexperienced to do this. We prove it wrong every time. I don’t care. It just motivates me and my team.” — Arizona coach Adia Barnes

“Everybody growing up, you wish to go to the national championship, play on the biggest stage in front of the biggest crowd against the best team. It’s surreal. I’m so blessed to be able to be here with this team. I love each and every player. I have such a great connection with each of them and the coaching staff. I think this is such a special year; we’ve been through so much together. Now putting ourselves on this stage, it just means so much to us. We’re not going to take a second for granted.” — Stanford guard Haley Jones

“Man, it’s crazy. I can’t even describe to you the adversity that myself, my teammates and my coaches went through. Just like looking back, reflecting, it’s amazing how resilient we are. We never gave up. We kept faith. We kept working our tails off. We trust each other, would do anything for each other. You definitely see how that came, how we’re sticking to that. It’s been a crazy three, four years here. Just seeing that is definitely momentum.” — Arizona guard Aari McDonald on Wildcats’ quick rise

terrence@terrencesports.com
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