Stanford, Gonzaga meet again but in NCAA Tournament (Mar 15, 2018)
Stanford's road to a return trip to the NCAA Women's Final Four begins with a familiar foe.
The Cardinal (22-10), seeded fourth in the Lexington Region, will host No. 13 Gonzaga in Saturday's first round at Maples Pavilion in Stanford, Calif.
The Bulldogs beat Stanford 68-63 early last season by shooting 50 percent and limiting the Cardinal to 37 percent from the field in a game where Stanford also shot 3 of 18 from 3-point range.
"They came in here last year and beat us," Stanford coach Tara VanDerveer told the (San Jose) Mercury News. "So, we know that we have our hands full."
Stanford's 31st consecutive trip to the tournament was in doubt as the Cardinal struggled to a 6-6 start this season after a loss to Tennessee on Dec. 21. and fell out of the Top 25 in December for the first time since 2001.
"Early on, it really challenged our team," VanDerveer said. "And instead of breaking us, it made us stronger, more resilient, more determined. People had to get tougher."
But the Cardinal bounced back, winning 13 of its first 15 Pac-12 games and finishing in second place in the conference.
Perhaps the biggest key for the team was the return of senior guard Brittany McPhee, who missed nine games with a foot injury prior to the start of conference play.
McPhee, an All-Pac-12 selection, averaged career highs in points (17.0), rebounds (5.0) and assists (2.4).
She and the Cardinal's other senior, forward Kaylee Johnson, will be the players VanDerveer depends on most.
"Honestly, tournament time, it's the seniors," VanDerveer said. "Those two seniors will lead the way. Obviously, our freshmen and other underclassmen will need to contribute, but we're in really good hands with our leadership with those two."
The Zags (27-5) had hoped for a higher seed, but they didn't let their disappointment show after the bracket was revealed.
"We're just happy to be in the NCAA Tournament," coach Lisa Fortier told the (Spokane, Wash.) Spokesman-Review.
"Fortier has led the Zags to West Coast Conference regular-season and tournament titles the past two years.
The Bulldogs finished No. 34 in the RPI but was brought down by its WCC competition: Eight of the 10 teams were 130th or lower.
"You get what you get, and we have to make the most of it," Fortier said.
Jill Barta, the WCC player of the year, scored 32 points to help the Zags to a 79-71 win over San Diego in the conference title game. She also scored 26 points in Gonzaga's win at Stanford last season.
She was excited for the Bay Area trip.
"I think it's a great matchup, and it's in California -- who can complain about that." Barta said.
Barta and Gonzaga are looking to get past the opening round after sustaining a 75-62 loss to Oklahoma last season as a 11th-seed in Seattle. In that game Barta finished with 13 points on 5-of-14 shooting.
Missouri and Florida Gulf Coast play in the other first-round game at Maples Pavilion on Saturday.
The winners will meet on Monday.
