Stanford bounces Ohio State, 84-66
associated press
BERKELEY, Calif. — When two of the nation’s best post players collided, Jayne Appel came up a whole lot bigger — and Stanford’s 6-foot-4 center is the largest reason her Cardinal are one victory away from a second straight trip to the Final Four.
Appel had 25 points and 11 rebounds while dominating her low-post showdown with Ohio State’s Jantel Lavender, leading Stanford on a remarkable late run to finish its 84-66 victory Saturday night in the Berkeley Regional semifinals.
Jillian Harmon had 16 points, six assists and four steals for the Cardinal (32-4), while Nnemkadi Ogwumike added 15 points.
Stanford went ahead 53-42 with a 10-2 run shortly before Lavender went to the bench with her fourth foul. Lavender missed more than six minutes before returning with 6:52 to play. Star Allen’s free throw cut Stanford’s lead to 66-62 with 5:39 left. Stanford then broke it open in the final four minutes, going back to its triangle offense to create chances down low. The Cardinal finished on a 14-2 run. Lavender had 15 points and seven rebounds for the Buckeyes (29-6), who fell just shy of their first regional final since 1993.
Iowa State 69, Michigan State 68
BERKELEY, Calif. — Alison Lacey hit a go-ahead 3-pointer off a scramble with 27.5 seconds left and fourth-seeded Iowa State scored the final eight points.
Michigan State went ahead 68-61 on Aisha Jefferson’s jumper with 1:26 left. Nicky Wieben started the comeback with her only basket of the game on a putback and the Cyclones (27-8) turned up the defensive pressure for a change. A steal by Kelsey Bolte in the backcourt led to Heather Ezell’s banked-in 3-pointer that cut the lead to 68-66 with a minute to go. Lykendra Johnson then turned it over in the backcourt again for Michigan State (22-11), setting up Lacey’s heroics.
Iowa State tried to get the ball inside but Amanda Nisleit missed and Allyssa DeHaan blocked Bolte’s follow attempt. The loose ball made it out to Lacey, who drained the 3-pointer to give her 29 points and the Cyclones the lead. Kalisha Keane missed a 3-pointer for the Spartans, who kept possession after a jump ball on the rebound. Following a timeout, Jefferson and Johnson missed shots from in close to give the Cyclones the win.
Boardman High graduate Courtney Schiffauer scored four points for Michigan State.