Brink, Wilson lead No. 2 Stanford over Washington
Brink, Wilson lead No. 2 Stanford over Washington
Stanford guard Haley Jones (30) blocks a shot from Washington center Nancy Mulkey (32) in the first half of an NCAA college basketball game Saturday, Feb. 26, 2022, in Stanford, Calif. (AP Photo/Scot Tucker)
Stanford guard Lexie Hull (12) and guard Lacie Hull (24) fight for possession with Washington center Darcy Rees (53) in the first half of an NCAA college basketball game Saturday, Feb. 26, 2022, in Stanford, Calif. (AP Photo/Scot Tucker)
Washington forward Lauren Schwartz (2) scores over Stanford guard Jana Van Gytenbeek (4) in the first half of an NCAA college basketball game Saturday, Feb. 26, 2022, in Stanford, Calif. (AP Photo/Scot Tucker)
Stanford forward Cameron Brink (22) blocks a shot attempt by Washington forward Lauren Schwartz (2) in the first half of an NCAA college basketball game Saturday, Feb. 26, 2022, in Stanford, Calif. (AP Photo/Scot Tucker)
Stanford guard Haley Jones (30) blocks a shot from Washington center Nancy Mulkey (32) in the first half of an NCAA college basketball game Saturday, Feb. 26, 2022, in Stanford, Calif. (AP Photo/Scot Tucker)
Stanford guard Haley Jones (30) blocks a shot from Washington center Nancy Mulkey (32) in the first half of an NCAA college basketball game Saturday, Feb. 26, 2022, in Stanford, Calif. (AP Photo/Scot Tucker)
Stanford guard Lexie Hull (12) and guard Lacie Hull (24) fight for possession with Washington center Darcy Rees (53) in the first half of an NCAA college basketball game Saturday, Feb. 26, 2022, in Stanford, Calif. (AP Photo/Scot Tucker)
Stanford guard Lexie Hull (12) and guard Lacie Hull (24) fight for possession with Washington center Darcy Rees (53) in the first half of an NCAA college basketball game Saturday, Feb. 26, 2022, in Stanford, Calif. (AP Photo/Scot Tucker)
Washington forward Lauren Schwartz (2) scores over Stanford guard Jana Van Gytenbeek (4) in the first half of an NCAA college basketball game Saturday, Feb. 26, 2022, in Stanford, Calif. (AP Photo/Scot Tucker)
Washington forward Lauren Schwartz (2) scores over Stanford guard Jana Van Gytenbeek (4) in the first half of an NCAA college basketball game Saturday, Feb. 26, 2022, in Stanford, Calif. (AP Photo/Scot Tucker)
Stanford forward Cameron Brink (22) blocks a shot attempt by Washington forward Lauren Schwartz (2) in the first half of an NCAA college basketball game Saturday, Feb. 26, 2022, in Stanford, Calif. (AP Photo/Scot Tucker)
Stanford forward Cameron Brink (22) blocks a shot attempt by Washington forward Lauren Schwartz (2) in the first half of an NCAA college basketball game Saturday, Feb. 26, 2022, in Stanford, Calif. (AP Photo/Scot Tucker)
STANFORD, Calif. (AP) — Anna Wilson stole an inbound pass and scored the go-ahead basket with 1:05 to play, and No. 2 Stanford avoided a major upset in beating Washington 63-56 on Saturday.
“Fantastic steal,” Stanford coach Tara VanDerveer said. “To me she’s the Defensive Player of the Year. It’s usually her defending and forcing bad shots. That was a big steal and she made the layup.”
Cameron Brink had 17 points and 11 rebounds for Stanford (25-3, 16-0 Pac-12), including two critical boards on the defensive end the final 40 seconds. Lexie Hull added 15 points.
Wilson made three of four free throws in the final 34 seconds to make it a two-possession game when the Huskies (7-15, 2-12) called timeout with 22 seconds remaining.
Lauren Schwartz scored 16 points to lead Washington, which entered on a two-game winning streak after losing its first 11 in conference play. T.T. Watkins had 10 points.
“I’m proud of the way we kept battling,” Washington coach Tina Langley said. “This is about getting better every day and we’re committed to that.”
Stanford has won 17 straight overall and 31 in a row against Pac-12 opponents, which includes the postseason.
Stanford never led by more than five points until the final 3.5 seconds.
“We were not good at getting the ball into the basket,” VanDerveer said. “Thank goodness we did some other things.”
Schwartz hit a driving layup to open the fourth quarter, giving Washington a 48-47 advantage. The Huskies maintained the lead until Wilson’s basket.
Schwartz scored 12 points on 5-of-9 shooting in the first half, helping the Huskies take a 34-32 into halftime.
BIG PICTURE
Washington: The Huskies have held the lead at halftime in 10 games this season, winning four of them. They held onto the lead for 13:49 of the first half. The last time Washington defeated a Top 5 opponent was at Maryland in March of 2016. ... Schwartz, who followed Langley from Rice, recorded her third straight double-digit scoring game, a season best.
Stanford: The Cardinal trailed at halftime for the second time at home this season and the first time to a team outside the Top 25. Overall, they are 6-1 when trailing at the half. ... Stanford is 42-2 when Hannah Jump makes a 3-pointer.
UP NEXT
Washington: Opens the Pac-12 tournament as No. 12 seed, plays No. 5 Colorado on Wednesday.
Stanford: Has a first-round bye as No. 1 seed, plays Thursday against either No. 8 Oregon State or No. 9 Arizona State.
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More AP women’s college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/womens-college-basketball and https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-womens-college-basketball-poll and https://twitter.com/AP_Top25