Brink scores 18, No. 4 Stanford sends Oregon down to 13th straight loss, 76-56
By JESSE SOWA
Associated Press
EUGENE, Ore. (AP) — Cameron Brink sees her role for Stanford as “leader, scorer, a little bit of everything.”
Brink had 18 points, 17 rebounds and three blocks as fourth-ranked Stanford pulled away from Oregon for a 76-56 win in the Pac-12 regular-season finale for both teams and possibly her final collegiate game in her home state.
Brink, from Beaverton, Oregon, had 25 points and a career-high 23 rebounds against Oregon State on Thursday as the Cardinal wrapped up their 27th Pac-12 title and the top seed in next week’s conference tournament in Las Vegas.
“Cam to me is the player of the year in the Pac-12,” Stanford coach Tara VanDerveer said. “We won the Pac-12. She’s our number one player and she leads the way for us and she did today, too.”
Kiki Iriafen added 16 points and eight rebounds and Hannah Jump 12 points for the Cardinal (26-4, 15-3).
Chance Gray had 18 points to lead the Ducks (11-20, 2-16), who have lost a program-record 13 in a row and finished last in the league.
Stanford could get at least one more game in the state of Oregon. An NCAA Tournament regional will be played in Portland.
But first the Cardinal has the Pac-12 tournament and then the opening two rounds of the tournament.
“We’ve just got some fine-tuning to do,” Brink said. “We’ll fix all that. But I think we’re going in real strong to Pac-12s. And that’s the last Pac-12 tournament ever too, so we’re just taking it all in and enjoying it.”
That fine-tuning, Brink said, includes making sure her team is running the correct offensive sets, moving the ball and communicating well on defense.
Saturday, Stanford got a bit of a test.
Stanford led 37-22 at halftime but consecutive 3-pointers by Ula Chamberlin and Gray to open the second half cut Stanford’s lead to nine.
Elena Bosgana’s 3-pointer later in the third extended Stanford’s lead to 14 but the Ducks continued to hang around with a 5-0 run, capped by Grace VanSlooten’s steal and transition basket. Stanford answered with an 8-2 run.
Stanford led 57-43 after three quarters and pulled away with the first seven points of the fourth quarter.
Stanford shot 32 of 69 for the game. Oregon was 18 of 57.
The Ducks’ last win came Jan. 14 at home against Arizona.
“I’m proud of our team. I’m proud of the way we finished,” Oregon coach Kelly Graves said. “Stanford is just a better team right now. They’re the champs, and they showed why today.”
Both teams started slowly but Stanford went on a 13-3 run to take control.
Stanford led by 17 on three occasions in the second quarter. Brink had 10 points and 10 rebounds in 14 first-half minutes for her 16th double-double of the season.
VanDerveer, in her 45th year as a collegiate head coach and 38th at Stanford, said her team’s place right now “couldn’t be much better.”
She considers the Pac-12 the most competitive conference in the country.
“You’re never where you want to be. You always want to get better,” VanDerveer said. “I’m really proud of this team and how well we’ve done. It’s not just on the court stuff. They’re very unselfish. I think this team is sometimes even too unselfish. But it starts with Cam (Brink), who is a great passer. She’s always looking for other people and she’s extremely competitive. The team is very close and they work hard together.”
BIG PICTURE
Stanford: The Cardinal ended the regular season with a road sweep of the Oregon schools and some momentum heading into next week’s Pac-12 tournament.
Oregon: The Ducks slipped from a team contending for a national title to one that finished last in the standings.
UP NEXT
Stanford: Plays at Pac-12 tournament in Las Vegas on Thursday.
Oregon: Plays at Pac-12 tournament in Las Vegas on Wednesday.
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