The championship game featured the top two seeds from the Pac-12, Stanford and Cal. Stanford the second best team in the nation, was looking for its 28th straight win in a row. The California Golden Bears on the other hand were looking to avenge two regular season losses at the hands of the Stanford Cardinal.
Stanford jumped out to an early 13-point lead on the backs of Ogwumike sisters, who ended the tournament breaking a few Pac-12 Tournament records. The Golden Bears clawed their way back into the game on the strong play of freshman Brittany Boyd; an exciting player in her own right, and was one assist shy of a triple double in Cal’s previous game against Washington State. The Cardinal however were able to withstand Cal’s run and ended the first half with a 6-point lead.
The second half wasn’t even close. Both Nnemkadi and Chiney Ogwumike had outstanding performances and put the game out of reach early in the 2nd half. Nnemkadi Ogwumike finished the game with 29 points and 12 rebounds. Chiney Ogwumike also had a double-double putting up 17 points and 13 rebounds. Stanford went on to win the game by a final score of 77 to 62; their sixth straight Tournament win.
Nnemkadi Ogwumike tied the record for most points in the Pac-12 Tournament with 71, and set the record for most made field goals with 27. Her sister Chiney Ogwumike broke the tournament record of 35 with 37 rebounds of her own. The Playmaker of the game went to the Pac-12 Tournament’s Most Outstanding player, Nnemkadi Ogwumike.
By Playmaker Contributors: Christian Ceaser & Lewis Geist
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