A defensive collapse

SPOKANE, Wash. — When the shots started falling for Stanford, Maryland coach Brenda Frese opted not to change her game plan. The Cardinal, she figured, eventually would cool off.

When the deficit grew well into double digits, Maryland point guard Kristi Toliver kept the faith. The Cardinal, she figured, eventually would cool off.

Only they didn’t. Maryland kept giving Stanford open looks, and the Cardinal - particularly Candice Wiggins and J.J. Hones - kept cashing in.

A year after three Mississippi guards combined to oust Maryland from the NCAA womens basketball tournament, Wiggins (41 points) and Hones (23 points) sent the Terrapins packing last night at Spokane Arena with a 98-87 win in the regional final.

“Sometimes it’s just not your day,” Maryland coach Brenda Frese said. “Stanford did a tremendous job for 40 minutes. They continued to hit big shot after big shot and really played poised for the complete game.”

Maryland (33-4), the regions top seed, was stopped a step short of its second Final Four in three seasons.

Stanford (34-3), the second seed, will make its first Final Four appearance in 11 years when it plays the winner of tonights Rutgers-Connecticut game Sunday in Tampa, Fla.

The Terps shot 54 percent for the game but failed to get closer than seven points over the final 10 minutes. Stanford shot 51 percent, and its 98 points and 13 3-pointers were the most allowed by Maryland this season.

“Stanford knocked down a lot of shots in the first half and in the second half. We werent counting on [them] making those same shots again, but they did,” Toliver said. “You have to give them credit for stepping up big, not only Candice but her supporting cast.”

Said Frese: “We wanted to stick to our game plan figuring those shots would eventually stop falling - we felt the percentages would even up.”

Only Toliver kept Maryland from getting routed. She scored a career-high 35 points (also a Maryland tournament record).

Wiggins recorded her second 40-point game of the tournament and was named the regionals most outstanding player. She hit 10 of her 22 field goal attempts, including five 3-pointers, and 16 of her 19 free throws.

Hones was the surprise of the game. Coming in averaging six points, she had 17 at halftime and hit four 3-pointers. Forward Kayla Pedersen, she of only seven 3-pointers this season, made all three of her attempts from long distance.

“We dug ourselves into a hole early, and we tried to come out of it the entire game,” Frese said. “The shots they hit from 3 were big-time daggers.”

Stanford led by 79-63 with 8:18 remaining, but Toliver keyed a 9-0 Maryland run to cut the lead to seven. But Wiggins answered with a 3-pointer.

The Terrapins didn’t help their cause down the stretch by missing five of six free throws at one point. They missed nine freebies in the game.

“That was critical - and uncharacteristic of us from the foul line,” Frese said. “I dont know it was nerves because were usually a better free throw shooting team than that. It always seemed like when we got some momentum, Candice would do what any All-American does - stepped up and hit a big shot.”

Marylands last lead came at 31-30 with eight minutes remaining in the first half when Marissa Coleman capped a 9-0 run.

An important stretch was the final three minutes of the half. Coleman cut Stanfords lead to 41-38. But Marylands final six possessions went turnover, air ball by Coleman, turnover, turnover, 3-pointer by Toliver, 3-pointer by Toliver.

Stanford scored 10 points during that sequence to lead 51-41 at halftime.

The closest Maryland got in the second half was 56-51 with 14:52 remaining.

The loss ended the careers of a decorated senior class headlined by Crystal Langhorne and Laura Harper. Langhorne had 13 points and Harper 10 points in their finales.

“As difficult as it now for our team, I dont want to be sad that its over but happy that it happened,” Frese said. “This group of seniors raised the bar and raised the standard for Maryland basketball. Thats why the pain is there because we’ve had such a tremendous experience and because of what they’ve meant to each of us.”

No. 2 LSU 56, No. 1 UNC 50

NEW ORLEANS — Sylvia Fowles had 21 points, 12 rebounds and five blocked shots, lifting the Tigers into the Final Four with a victory over the Tar Heels.