SAN ANTONIO, Texas — The NCAA Women’s Tournament has not gone on without controversy. As both tournaments got underway, the NCAA came under fire for the differing standards in training equipment. On Saturday, March 20, Stanford coach Tara VanDerveer called out the NCAA for the difference in COVID testing.
“Seeing men’s health valued at a higher level than that of women, as evidenced by different testing protocols at both tournaments, is disheartening,” VanDerveer said in a statement.
On Tuesday, Stanford (27-2) retook the court to take on Oklahoma State (19-9). Early on, OK State held their own with the top seed from the Alamo Region. They trailed by just 1 when the 1st quarter ended, but that changed when the 2nd quarter started. After the game was tied at 21, Stanford went on a 21 to 6 run to take over, eventually winning 73-62.
After the game, coach VanDerveer said her team still expects more of themselves.
“After the game I asked our team, and we are very excited to go to the Sweet 16. And I asked dour team ‘was that our A-game, B-game, or C-game?’ and it was our C-game,” said coach VanDerveer.
Elite shooting from deep propels Stanford to victory
Offensively, Stanford’s shooters were a hand full all game. At one point, they had hit 12 of 16 attempts from behind-the-arc. They finished with 13 of 25 from deep (52%) as OK State struggled to defend the three-point line. During their second-quarter surge, they hit 5 three-pointers in a dominant offensive effort.
Individually, they were led by Haley Jones. She finished with 17 points on an efficient 7 of 13 shooting performance. Senior Anna Wilson also provided an all-around performance with 11 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals, and a block. After the game, she echoed her coach’s sentiments about not having their A-game.
“This wasn’t our team’s best game. Statistically, it wasn’t, and obviously if you were watching the game, it wasn’t our best game but obviously we know that. I think for me and the whole team we know that we have so much more to give and we are excited for the next opportunity to go out and play,” said Wilson.
As the tournament moves on, Stanford continues to be the favorite as the top overall seed. They await the winner of Wednesday’s Missouri State and Wright State matchup.
