Stanford women advance to Pac-12 tournament final

LAS VEGAS - Alanna Smith had 21 points and 12 rebounds to help seventh-ranked Stanford beat Washington 72-61 on Saturday night in the Pac-12 tournament semifinals, ending the Huskies' improbable postseason run.

The second-seeded Cardinal (27-4) will face top-seed Oregon on Sunday night for the championship. Stanford has won 12 of the 17 tournament titles, last doing so two years ago.

Stanford (27-4) looked to be cruising to an easy win, but just as they had done in the first two games of the tournament, the Huskies rallied from a double-digit first-half deficit. Washington trailed by 17 with 5:03 left in the second quarter before going on a 15-3 run to get within 37-31 with 6 seconds left in the half. DiJonai Carrington helped Stanford steal the momentum back, making a shot from beyond half-court just before the buzzer to restore a nine-point lead.

Carrington then hit a more conventional 3-pointer to start the second half and Washington (11-21) could get no closer than eight the rest of the way.

Washington pulled off the only upsets of the tournament, becoming just the second 11-seed to advance to the semis by knocking off Utah and No. 11 Oregon State.

The Huskies, who won just two conference games in the regular season, needed a late 3-pointer to beat the Beavers.

They just didn't have enough left to top the Cardinal.

Amber Melgoza scored 32 points to lead the Huskies.

Honoring Chris

The Pac-12 recognized associate commissioner Chris Dawson, who is retiring at the end of the year. She has spent over 40 years with the conference. She was chair of the women's basketball selection committee and also was honored as the 2015 Administrator of the Year by the Women's Basketball Coaches Association. The conference gave Dawson a ball signed by all of the conference's coaches as well as a piece of art to “commemorate the glass ceiling she has broken to better women's sports and her commitment to the thousands of student-athletes she has influenced.”

Aussie connection

Australia national team coach Sandy Brondello, who also coaches the Phoenix Mercury in the WNBA, was in the crowd. She coached Smith at the world championships last fall when Australia won the silver medal. The Stanford senior had 10 points in the title game against the U.S.

Up next

Washington: heads into the offseason.

Stanford: faces Oregon on Sunday night for the conference tournament title.