Stanford rallies, edges Notre Dame 76-75 to reach Final Four
Stanford rallies, edges Notre Dame 76-75 to reach Final Four
Smith's layup with 23 seconds left capped Stanford's comeback from a 16-point deficit in the second half, McCall swatted a last-second shot and the Cardinal edged top-seeded Notre Dame 76-75 Sunday for its first Final Four trip since 2014.
Akire Ogunbowale caught the inbounds pass and drove to the basket, and McCall blocked the shot from behind.
Brittany McPhee scored 27 as the second-seeded Cardinal (32-5) won its eighth in a row overall.
Stanford coach Tara VanDerveer referencing the Bluegrass State's horse racing history in describing the win at Rupp Arena.
A day earlier, he was at the Bridgeport Regional to see another daughter, UConn star Katie Lou Samuelson, help the Huskies win their 110th straight game.
After driving for a basket with 51 seconds left, she added her biggest shot for the go-ahead score.
Stanford then denied Notre Dame's Lindsay Allen and Ogunbowale on successive attempts in the final 15 seconds to spark a wild celebration.