Apr 2, 2021; San Antonio, Texas, USA; Stanford Cardinal players celebrate after defeating the South Carolina Gamecocks in the national semifinals of the women's Final Four of the 2021 NCAA Tournament to advance to the Final Four at Alamodome. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports
NCAABy Matt Clapp on

The Stanford Cardinal took down the South Carolina Gamecocks in 66-65 on Friday night in the women’s Final Four. The battle of No. 1 seeds featured a chaotic finish.

Stanford had a 64-59 lead with just over a minute remaining, but South Carolina scored six straight points to take a 65-64 lead. But with 32 seconds remaining, Haley Jones — who scored a team-high 24 points — hit a jumper off an offensive rebound loose ball to give Stanford the lead back.

And the final sequence was particularly bonkers. South Carolina’s Aliyah Boston stole a Stanford inbounds pass, and passed the ball to Brea Beal. With roughly two seconds remaining, Beal missed a close-range shot, and Boston crashed the boards with a follow-up tip shot that didn’t fall.

Heartbreak for South Carolina, and a great win for Stanford.

Stanford advances to the national championship game for the first time since 2010, and will try to win their first title since 1992. They will face the winner of Friday night’s Connecticut-Arizona game in the national championship game.

About Matt Clapp

Matt is an editor at The Comeback. He attended Colorado State University, wishes he was Saved by the Bell's Zack Morris, and idolizes Larry David. And loves pizza and dogs because obviously.

He can be followed on Twitter at @Matt2Clapp (also @TheBlogfines for Cubs/MLB tweets and @DaBearNecess for Bears/NFL tweets), and can be reached by email at mclapp@thecomeback.com.

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