No. 2 Notre Dame Stunned By Stanford: Three-Point Play

Only one program — Connecticut — has ever advanced to the women’s Final Four at least six straight years. It remains ever thus after Stanford’s 90-84 victory versus No. 2 Notre Dame Friday night in Lexington, Ky., to advance to the Elite Eight. The defeat:

• Ended Notre Dame’s 26-game winning streak in its 33-2 campaign.

• Snapped the string of 27 consecutive Fighting Irish victories that were decided by single digits and/or in overtime, dating back to 2012.

• Concluded a string of five consecutive Final Four appearances by head coach Muffet McGraw’s program.

Stanford, which also had a streak of five consecutive Final Fours from 2008-12, is looking to advance to that round for the seventh time in nine years.

The Cardinal — the most recent team to defeat UConn (in November 2014) — utilized a 10-0 run in the first quarter to build an 18-12 lead and never looked back. Led by junior post Erica McCall’s 9-of-11 shooting from the field, the Cardinal converted 20 of 31 (64.5 percent), including 6 of 9 beyond the arc, in the first half while building a 50-39 cushion at the intermission. Stanford committed only three turnovers in the first half and also consistently beat the Irish on backdoor passes or give-and-go buckets after the defense — when Notre Dame opted to try to play some — became too far extended.

The second half saw the cushion build to 54-39, and every time Notre Dame was on the brink of building momentum or making a huge run, Stanford would answer with a three. When the Irish cut the deficits to 67-61, 78-74 and even 81-78, the Cardinal responded with a trey. The back-breaker occurred on the final one, when junior Karlie Samuelson caught a pass nearly 30 feet from the basket, released a desperation shot — more of a “chuck” just as the shot clock sounded — and saw the ball bank with 1:31 left for an 84-78 lead. Samuelson was 5 of 6 from three-point range and got loose far too often prior to the dagger.

Overall, Stanford finished with 55.9 percent shooting from the field (33 of 59), including 11 of 20 (55.0 percent) from three-point range. The previous best field goal shooting against the Irish this season was 52.4 percent.

“Normally you have to have the other team help you out when you’re trying to come back,” McGraw said. “They’ve got to miss some shots. We just couldn’t get them to miss.”

McCall finished with a career-high 27 points, leading the type of balanced attack that had been the hallmark of this Notre Dame team. Four other Cardinal players tallied double figures, while Notre Dame’s “Big Three” of Lindsay Allen (20 points), Brianna Turner (all 16 points came in the second half) and Madison Cable (12 points) combined for 48.

Notre Dame shot a fine 49.3 percent from the field (including 4 of 6 from three-point range), 12 of 13 from the foul line, had a 34-28 rebounding advantage (15-9 on offensive boards) and committed only eight turnovers. Yet Stanford’s efficiency, including only seven turnovers, combined with Notre Dame’s lack of execution and intensity on defense until near the end, was too much on this night.

Three-Point Play

1. Is The Best Still To Come?

Barring an early Jewell Loyd-like defection by Turner after next season, McGraw might have her two most talented Notre Dame teams in her three decades of coaching in the coming two years. When Loyd suddenly bolted last spring after her junior year, and starter Taya Reimer left the program in December, popular opinion held that the youth-laden Irish would be a “year away,” especially with Connecticut graduating the trio of Breanna Stewart, Morgan Tuck and Moriah Jefferson after this season.

The nucleus of Turner, Allen, Kathryn Westbeld and 2015-16 freshman standouts Arike Ogunbowale and Marina Mabrey alone will keep Notre Dame as a top-five program, at least in perception. The addition of two national players of the year — 6-2 Erin Boley and guard Jackie Young — plus 2015 MaxPreps National Player of the Year Ali Patberg (sidelined this season with a knee injury) could get them back to the Final Four, and beyond.

On paper, the next two Notre Dame teams might have the most individual talent in the McGraw era. How they jells and function as one to raise a second national title banner for the program will be more crucial. That brings us to …

2. Turner Time

Through her first two seasons, the 6-3 Turner, the 2014 Gatorade National Player of the Year, has been a soft-spoken figure. There have been enough strong personalities or stars on the team where she was comfortable in the background. That must change now that she will be a junior.

She was missing in action in the first half against Stanford while going 0 of 4 from the floor and seeing McCall have the game of her life. When the adrenaline and intensity kicked in after the intermission for Turner, she finished with 16 points and 10 rebounds. Great programs are led by marquee figures, and Turner has to embrace that leadership mantle next season and become the assertive presence that will make her a National Player of the Year candidate. Her game is strictly low post, which is where Notre Dame needs her, so don’t expect her to suddenly become a proficient mid-range shooter, where she is a non-threat. It would be like asking Shaquille O’Neal to play away from the basket. Fixing Turner’s right shoulder is also imperative, because without her, Notre Dame doesn’t have enough post presence to be a national title contender the next two years. Which brings us to …

3. Take Nothing For Granted

If there is a “problem” with having gone to five straight Final Fours, it’s that sometimes it almost seems like a birthright to the team’s followers. There has been a popular sentiment that once Stewart & Co., depart after this season, Notre Dame is next in line to win its elusive second title.

The Irish will be in the conversation, of course, but look for Baylor to be the favorite with its combination of size, backcourt play and overall depth in both. Connecticut will absolutely remain in the hunt, Stanford didn’t start a senior this year, and schools such as South Carolina, UCLA, Tennessee, Louisville, Maryland also have recruited extremely well.

There were more upsets in the women’s tourney this season, and there appears to be appreciably less disparity among teams two through 16 or so than in year’s past. Maybe the best is still to come talent wise for the Irish, but the path also will be more arduous.