The Sports Network
Honolulu, HI (Sports Network) - Baylor was nearly halfway there.
With three seconds on the clock, Brittney Griner's fadeaway from the left
baseline bounced off the front of the rim, and a few of the Stanford Cardinal
began to jump around in jubilation.
Chiney Ogwumike secured the rebound and a 71-69 win for the fourth-ranked
Cardinal over No. 1 Baylor in a rematch of last year's Final Four, ending the
Lady Bears' 42-game winning streak.
Baylor's 42-game run ranked fifth on the NCAA Division 1 women's basketball
all-time winning streak list, 48 behind Connecticut's staggering 90-game
stretch between 2008-11.
It was Baylor's first loss since falling to Texas A&M in the regional finals
of the 2011 NCAA Tournament.
Ogumike, who had 18 points, drove past Griner before her reverse layup over
the outstretched arms of the reigning player of the year went down and gave
the Cardinal (3-0) a 70-66 lead with 22 seconds left.
Destiny Williams' 3-pointer at the other end cut the deficit to one with 10
ticks to go. Toni Kokenis split a pair from the line and Baylor (2-1) snatched
the rebound before calling a timeout at midcourt to set up the final play.
Baylor downed Stanford, 59-47, in Denver en route to a national championship
back in April.
The Lady Bears, who became the first NCAA collegiate basketball team, male or
female, to finish with a perfect 40-0 mark last year, joined seven other
unbeaten NCAA women's champions.
Stanford led by as many as 14 in the opening half before taking a 31-29 edge
into the locker room.
The Lady Bears lost All-American guard Odyssey Sims early on in the contest
due to a strained hamstring.
Griner tallied 18 of her 22 points in the second half in defeat.
The Sports Network