As soon as the national semifinal game was over and congratulations exchanged with Baylor on their 59-47 victory, the Stanford players gathered as a team at center court for one last time.
Nneka Ogwumike spoke first, addressing her teammates with tears in their eyes. She was followed by Grace Mashore, then Lindy La Rocque. The seniors wanted one more moment on the court together.
Who could blame them? The other moments they'd shared in the memorable 2011-2012 season had been just too good.
This team made history with their 35-2 effort under Hall of Fame coach Tara VanDerveer. They extended the Maples Pavilion win streak to 79 games, the longest in the nation. They extended the program's win streak against conference opponents to 78 and won a school-record 32 in a row. They won a 12th straight conference title and a ninth tournament title.
They also ushered out the career of one of the great players in the history of the program. Nneka Ogwumike, athletic, graceful and gracious, the program's all-time scoring leader for a single season, moved up to second place in career scoring, behind only four-time All-American Candice Wiggins, '08. Ogwumike led the Cardinal to four Final Four appearances and was named All-American three times.
And in defeat on April 1, she was disappointed, but unbowed.
"Obviously, no one feels good after a loss, especially in the Final Four, but I just kind of look back and reflect on what it took for us to get here and I would have rather gone down with my team than up with any other team," she said.
This was not necessarily VanDerveer's most talented squad from top to bottom. The Cardinal were marked by a transcendent talent in Nneka, her very gifted sister Chiney and a group of hard-working players, such as junior Joslyn Tinkle, sophomore Toni Kokenis and freshman Amber Orrange, who all stepped up in big moments throughout the season.
The six freshmen who joined the program this year got a crash course in winning basketball and in dealing with adversity as two of them, guards Alex Green and Jasmine Camp, had their first seasons cut short by injuries.
But the Cardinal had fun, laughing and joking and declaring their allegiance to "Nerd City," the affectionate name for Stanford that spawned a music video garnering nearly 50,000 views on YouTube.
This team will be remembered as a tight-knit group, forging a sisterhood inspired by the actual Ogwumike siblings playing in their final season together.
"We worked so hard this season," Chiney Ogwumike said. "I think that is the only thing that is helping me bear my emotions. This group of girls—I don't think anybody worked harder in the country; it's just that we weren't able to piece it together completely tonight."
Tinkle said through tears in the locker room that she was proud of her team. "We kept fighting, we did not give up. And that's something we are proud of and something that we are always doing. We don't give up and we were going to fight to the end."
In the hours after the Baylor game, the Stanford women went back to their hotel and were greeted by several hundred fans and well-wishers. VanDerveer stood in front of them and thanked her players and all the people who have supported them.
"This has been a really special journey with a great group of young women," she said. "The outcome tonight was not exactly what we wanted. But our team worked really hard."
Nneka Ogwumike got in the final words after a heartfelt round of applause and cheering. "I wouldn't have traded these four years for any other place with any other community, any other team, any other coach."
Michelle Smith is a writer for ESPN.com.
