Photo Credit: Sue Ogrocki/ Associated Press
Stanford shocked top-seeded Notre Dame 90-84 Friday night in the NCAA Women’s Regional Semifinal, advancing to the Elite Eight for the 18th time in school history.
The Irish were looking for their sixth straight trip to the Final Four, but the Cardinals, led by Erica McCall, never let up. McCall scored a career-high 27 points and teammate Karlie Samuelson was 5-6 from the 3-point line; overall, Stanford shot 55.9 percent. Notre Dame trailed by as many as 15 points, but cut the lead on multiple occasions in the second half. Each time Notre Dame made a run, Stanford answered with a 3-pointer.
Before Friday, the Irish had won the last 27 games that were decided in overtime or by single digits. The last time Notre Dame lost a game by single digits was when they lost to Connecticut in 2012, 63-54. Lindsay Allen led Notre Dame with 20 points and Brianna Turner exploded in the second half with 16 points and 10 rebounds.
This is the second year in a row that the two teams met in the Sweet Sixteen. Last year, the Irish beat Stanford 81-60. Stanford will play No. 7 seed Washington this Sunday.
