It was not pretty. It was not impressive. It was not encouraging. It was lackluster, non-urgent, maddening and frustrating. Maybe the team was tired in this third game in three days. There was an abundance of sloppy play by both teams and a general lack of vim and vigor by Stanford.
But the job got done, completing a 3-game Stanford sweep of the Florida tournament and bringing the tournament championship home to the Farm.
The final game on Sunday against Purdue was won in overtime 71-65 after regulation play ended at 59-59.
Some aspects of the game were remarkable, such as free throw shooting, such as Kailee making a crucial 3-point shot in overtime to keep Stanford in the game, such as Alanna going scoreless after putting up 22 points in the previous game, such as Bri making five of six 3-pointers.
Stanford got off to a fine start and led most of the game. But after the start it was touch and go with Purdue hanging doggedly just a bit behind. Lili was the most consistent player, in keeping with her being selected as tournament MVP.
Looking back from the end of the tournament, Stanford bounced back from its loss to Santa Clara to prove itself the best of the 8 tournament teams in Florida. There were some fine performances, but there was plenty of evidence of the need for improvement by the team and by each player.
The three games were a good test and should serve as a guide going forward for coaches and players.
