They powered past Michigan in overtime in the NCAA tournament's first round and had three seniors, including star Milena Flores, who weren't quite ready to wind up their Stanford basketball careers. But in the end, a tough matchup against top seed Georgia proved to be more than the Cardinal women could handle. Their season finished with an 83-64 second-round loss in Athens, Ga., on March 20.
The ninth-seeded Cardinal simply wasn't quick enough to keep up with the Lady Bulldogs. Georgia took control in the first half as Stanford struggled to make shots. Then the hometown favorites put the game away after Stanford closed the gap to 40-34 on a three-pointer by Flores with 16:04 remaining. Stanford didn't get any closer than nine the rest of the game.
The Cardinal made it as far as Georgia thanks to good free-throw shooting two nights earlier. Stanford hit nine of 10 penalty shots in overtime to defeat 25th-ranked Michigan 81-74. "Our clutch free-throw shooting made a big difference down the stretch," says Stanford coach Tara VanDerveer.
This year's performance in the tournament was an improvement over the last two seasons, when Stanford -- a two-time national champion and six-time participant in the Final Four -- bowed out in the first round. It came after a season in which Stanford performed well at home and struggled on the road, finishing 13-5 in the Pac-10.
The loss against Georgia meant the end of point guard Flores's days on Stanford's team. But she has left a mark in the record books. Flores finished with 644 career assists, the third-highest in school history. She is also the 10th Cardinal woman to be named to the Pac-10's first team more than once. Watch for Flores to continue her career as a pro.
