UNC extends Williams’ contract until 2018; Hatchell, Fox too

North Carolina has agreed to a contract extension with men’s basketball coach Roy Williams through 2018.

In the deal announced Thursday, Williams’ base salary will be $325,000 with supplemental income ranging from $1.35 million to $1.65 million.

He will receive a $30,000 expense allowance this season and $40,000 in each of the next six years and is also eligible for standard bonuses for reaching and advancing through the NCAA Tournament and for meeting or exceeding a NCAA academic progress rate.

It is similar to the four-year extension Williams signed in May 2007, in between the two national championships he won at the school in 2005 and ’09.

The Hall of Fame coach wasn’t the only one to agreed to a contract extension Thursday. UNC also agreed to extensions with women’s basketball coach Sylvia Hatchell and baseball coach Mike Fox.

“I’ve had the privilege to work with Roy, Sylvia and Mike — three of the true giants in their respective coaching worlds — for a long and successful period,” athletics director Dick Baddour said.

“Carolina is a special place and it’s people like them that makes it so. I am proud that one of my final responsibilities as director of athletics was to help secure their long-term commitment to the university.”

Hatchell is in her 26th season coaching the Tar Heels, leading them to a national title in 1994. Fox is in his 14th season and owns the best winning percentage in the country among active coaches. Both received extensions through 2018.

– Steve

Indiana’s Creek out for year after freak injury

Indiana University junior guard Maurice Creek underwent surgery to repair a torn Achilles tendon in his left leg Monday, according to coach Tom Crean.

It is the third serious injury in the last two years for Creek. He had surgery to repair a broken left patella in December 2009 and suffered a stress fracture in his right patella last season.

His status for the upcoming season has yet to be determined.

“This is a devastating blow to someone who has worked so hard to get himself in a position to help with this program,” Crean said. “He is going to receive the best medical care possible and we will take his recovery one day at a time.”

Creek has appeared in 30 games for the Hoosiers — 25 starts — and has averaged 11.5 points a game while shooting 37.1 percent from three-point range.

– Steve

2011 NBA Mock Draft

1.) Cleveland Cavaliers (from LAC) – Kyrie Irving  – PG – Duke (freshman)

2.) Minnesota Timberwolves – Derrick Williams – SF/PF – Arizona (sophomore)

3.) Utah Jazz (from NJ) –  Enas Kanter – PF/C – Turkey/Kentucky (freshman)

4.) Cleveland Cavaliers  – Jonas Valanciunas – C – Lithuania

5.)   Toronto Raptors – Brandon Knight – PG/SG – Kentucky (freshman)

6.) Washington Wizards – Jan Vesely – SF/PF – Czech Republic

7.) Sacramento Kings – Kawhi Leonard – SF – San Diego State (sophomore)

8.) Detroit Pistons – Tristan Thompson – PF – Texas (freshman)

9.) Charlotte Bobcats – Kemba Walker – PG – Connecticut (junior)

10.) Milwaukee Bucks  – Marcus Morris – SF/PF – Kansas (junior)

11.) Golden State Warriors –  Klay Thompson – SG/SF – Washington State (junior)

12.) Utah Jazz –  Jimmer Fredette – PG – BYU (senior)

13.) Phoenix Suns –  Markieff Morris – PF – Kansas (junior)

14.) Houston Rockets –  Chris Singleton – SF/PF – Florida State (junior)

15.) Indiana Pacers – Alec Burks – PG/SG – Colorado (sophomore)

16.) Philadelphia 76ers – Bismack Biyombo – C – Congo 

17.) New York Knicks –  Nikola Vucevic – C – USC (junior)

18.) Washington Wizards (from ATL) – Donatas Motiejunas – PF/C – Lithuania  

19.) Charlotte Bobcats (from NO) – Jordan Hamilton – SG/SF – Texas (sophomore)

20.) Minnesota Timberwolves (from MEM) – Marshon Brooks – SG – Providence (senior)

21.) Portland Trailblazers – Kenneth Faried – PF – Morehead State (senior)

22.) Denver Nuggets –  Tobias Harris – SF/PF – Tennessee (freshman)

23.) Houston Rockets (from ORL) – Iman Shumpert – PG/SG – Georgia Tech (junior)

24.) Oklahoma City Thunder – Kyle Singler – SF – Duke (senior)

25.) Boston Celtics –   Trey Thompkins – PF – Georgia (junior)

26.) Dallas Mavericks –  Nikola Mirotic – SF/PF – Montenegro 

27.) New Jersey Nets (from LAL) –  Reggie Jackson – SG – Boston College (junior)

28.)  Chicago Bulls (from MIA) – Shelvin Mack – PG/SG – Butler (junior)

29.) San Antonio Spurs –  Davis Bertans – SF – Latvia  

30.) Chicago Bulls – Tyler Honeycutt – SG/SF – UCLA (sophomore)

BEST OF THE REST

(BIG BOARD)

1.) Norris Cole – PG – Cleveland State (senior)

2.) Justin Harper – PF – Richmond (senior)

3.) Darius Morris – PG – Michigan (sophomore)

4.) JuJuan Johnson – PF – Purdue (senior)

5.) Malcolm Lee – PG/SG – UCLA (junior)

6.) Jeremy Tyler – PF/C – Tokyo Apache

7.) Josh Selby – PG/SG – Kansas (freshman)

8.) Chandler Parsons – SF – Florida (senior)

9.) Jon Leuer – PF – Wisconsin (senior)

10.) Nolan Smith – PG/SG – Duke (senior)

11.) Jimmy Butler – SF – Marquette (senior)

12.) Travis Leslie – SG/SF – Georgia (junior)

13.) Charles Jenkins – PG/SG – Hofstra (senior)

14.) Jordan Williams – PF – Maryland (sophomore)

15.) Bojan Bogdanovic – SG/SF – Fenerbahe Ulke

16.) Cory Joseph – PG – Texas (freshman)

17.) Keith Benson – C – Oakland (senior)

18.) Andrew Goudelock – PG/SG – Charleston (senior)

19.) Greg Smith – PF/C – Fresno State (sophomore)

20.) E’twaun Moore – PG/SG – Purdue (senior)

21.) Malcolm Thomas – PF – San Diego State (senior)

22.) Xavi Rabaseda – SG – Regal FC Barcelona

23.) Jereme Richmond – SF – Illinois (freshman)

24.) Rick Jackson – PF – Syracuse (senior)

25.) DeAndre Liggins – SG – Kentucky (junior)

26.) Willie Reed – PF – St. Louis (junior)

27.) David Lighty – SG – Ohio State (senior)

28.) Matthew Bryan-Amaning – PF – Washington (senior)

29.) Jamine Peterson – PF – New Mexico Thunderbirds

30.) Julvan Stone – PG – UTEP (senior)

31.) Demetri McCamey – PG – Illinois (senior)

32.) Scotty Hopson – SG/SF – Tennessee (junior)

33.) Diante Garrett – PG – Iowa State (senior)

34.) Jamie Skeen – PF – VCU (senior)

35.) Brad Wanamaker – PG/SG – Pittsburgh (senior)

36.) Jon Diebler – SG – Ohio State (senior)

37.) Ravern Johnson – SG/SF – Mississippi State (senior)

38.) Xavier Silas – SG – Northern Illinois (senior)

39.) LaceDarius Dunn – SG – Baylor (senior)

40.) Lavoy Allen – PF – Temple (senior)

41.) Chris Wright – SF/PF – Dayton (senior)

42.) Ben Hansbrough – PG/SG – Notre Dame (senior)

43.) Justin Hurtt – SG – Tulsa (senior)

44.) Gary Flowers – SF – Southern Mississippi (senior)

45.) Mike Davis – SF/PF – Illinois (senior)

46.) Vernon Macklin – PF – Florida (senior)

47.) Michael Dunigan – PF – Hapoel Migdal Jerusalem

48.) DeAngelo Casto – PF – Washington State (junior)

49.) Jacob Pullen – PG/SG – Kansas State (senior)

50.) Terrence Jennings – PF – Louisville (junior)

51.) Pablo Aguilar – SF/PF – CB Granada

52.) Cam Long – SG – George Mason (senior)

53.) Delroy James – SF – Rhode Island (senior)

54.) Dougas Balbay – PG – Texas (senior)

55.) Gilbert Brown – SG – Pittsburgh (senior)

56.) Mark Payne – PG/SG – UC Davis (senior)

57.) Corey Fisher – PG – Villanova (senior)

58.) Austin Freeman – SG – Georgetown (senior)

59.) Alex Tyus – SF/PF – Florida (senior)

60.) Jeremy Hazell – SG – Seton Hall (senior)- Steve

NBA Mock Draft 1.0

NBA MOCK DRAFT

… as of Tuesday, April 20, 2011

1	Timberolves	Kyrie Irving	PG/SG	Duke
2	Cavaliers	Derrick Williams	PF	Arizona
3	Raptors	Enas Kanter	PF/C	Kentucky
4	Wizards	Donatas Motiejunas	PF/C	Lithuania
5	Kings	Kemba Walker	PG	Uconn
6	Jazz	Brandon Knight	PG	Kentucky
7	Pistons	Bismack Biyombo	PF	Congo
8	Cavaliers	Jan Vesely	F	Czech Republic
9	Bobcats	Jonas Valanciunas	C	Lithuania
10	Bucks	Jimmer Fredette	PG	BYU
11	Warriors	Terrence Jones	F	Kentucky
12	Jazz	Alec Burks	SG	Colorado
13	Suns	Kawhi Leonard	SF	San Diego State
14	Rockets	Tristan Thompson	PF	Texas
15	Pacers	Marcus Morris	SF/PF	Kansas
16	76ers	Markieff Morris	PF	Kansas
17	Knicks	Tyler Honeycutt	SG/SF	UCLA
18	Wizards	Jordan Hamilton	SG/SF	Texas
19	Bobcats	Tobias Harris	SF	Tennessee
20	Timberolves	Chris Singleton	SF/PF	Florida State
21	Blazers	Kenneth Faried	PF	Morehead State
22	Nuggets	Trey Thompkins	PF	Georgia
23	Rockets	Shelvin Mack	PG/SG	Butler
24	Thunder	Nolan Smith	PG	Duke
25	Celtics	Jordan Williams	PF	Maryland
26	Mavericks	JuJuan Johnson	PF	Purdue
27	Nets	Jeremy Tyler	PF	USA
28	Bulls	Kyle Singer	SF	Duke
29	Spurs	Jon Leuer	PF	Wisconsin
30	Bulls	Reggie Jackson	G	Boston College

– Steve

Irving entering NBA Draft after one season

Duke G Irving declares for NBA Draft

Duke freshman point guard Kyrie Irving said Wednesday that he will enter the NBA Draft and plans to hire an agent.

Irving played just 11 games this past season after suffering a toe injury on his right foot that kept him out of 26. He received high praise for his first eight games before the injury, however, and returned to action just in time for the NCAA Tournament.

“This was a special year for me,” Irving said in a statement. “I love everything about Duke and I’m going to miss it. Duke has a special place in my heart. Even though I’m leaving this year, Duke will always be in my mind and my heart. I’m going to miss putting on that No. 1 jersey.”

Irving helped West Region No. 1 Duke make it to the Sweet 16 and averaged 17.7 points, 2.3 rebounds, and 2.0 assists in the tournament.

His coming-out game was a 31-point performance against then-No. 6 Michigan State in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge in December. It was only the fourth time in school history a freshman scored 30 or more points, but Irving was injured in Duke’s next game.

“Our whole program is overjoyed with having Kyrie here for one year and that he has the chance now to pursue a dream of being a high draft pick and a great player in the NBA,” said Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski. “We are totally supportive of Kyrie, his family and his decision.”

Irving is expected to be one of the top picks of the draft on June 23 in New York City.

 

– Steve

UConn wins ugly final over Butler for third title

Top Dogs: Huskies beat Butler for title

From the depths of the valley mired by NCAA inquiry to the top of the college basketball world, Connecticut took Butler’s best punch but stood tall to win its third national championship, 53-41. “We are brothers, we were trusting of each other,” said UConn head coach Jim Calhoun. “This one means a lot.”

Jeremy Lamb scored all 12 of his points in the second half, Kemba Walker led the way with 16 points and nine rebounds, and Alex Oriakhi posted a double- double of 11 points and 11 rebounds for the Huskies (32-9), who won five games in five days to take the Big East Tournament in New York then rattled off six in a row to give Calhoun his third national championship, putting him in an exclusive club with John Wooden, Adolph Rupp, Bob Knight and Mike Krzyzewski as the only head coaches with three or more national titles. Calhoun, 68, also became the oldest head coach to win a national championship, surpassing Phog Allen, who won his last national championship at age 66 with Kansas.

“Coach gave me the keys (after last season),” said Walker. “From that point on, I just drove. I called these guys, told them that we were going to work hard.”

Shelvin Mack scored 13 points with nine rebounds and Chase Stigall, who made just 1-of-13 three-pointers until Monday night, made three treys for nine points. Butler (28-10) shot a championship game-worst 18.8 percent from the floor and lost in the title game for the second straight season.

“Forty-one points is not good enough to win any game, let alone the national championship game, but I was proud of our guys. We got decent looks in the second half, but we missed quite a few,” said Butler head coach Brand Stevens.

The Bulldogs’ shooting woes allowed the Huskies to take command in the second half.

UConn went on a field-goal drought on its own that lasted approximately eight minutes spanning both halves before Walker connected on a jumper. Lamb then scored five straight and Walker made 1-of-2 free throws to cap eight straight points for a 27-25 lead.

The Bulldogs’ offense was anemic, bothered by the Huskies length but also missing clean looks from deep and several inside layups over a scoreless seven-minute stretch. Butler’s six-point lead in the opening seconds of the second half became a double-digit deficit over time, as back-to-back layups by Lamb and Walker made the score 39-28. Butler scored its first points in the paint just before the six-minute mark, but Oriakhi countered with a slam and subsequent foul shot for a 43-30 advantage.

“We kept telling each other, ‘Keep shooting, shots are going to go in.’ It just wasn’t happening,” said Butler forward Matt Howard.

Butler got as close as eight, 49-41, on a Mack three-pointer with 1:41 to play, but never got closer.

Mack’s late trey capped a first half marked by a mixture of suffocating defense and shaky shooting, but the Bulldogs took a 22-19 lead into the locker room.

The Bulldogs shot just 22 percent and made only one shot inside the arc, yet got the bigger, stronger Huskies in foul trouble and held Walker to 3-of-11 shooting.

At the first media timeout, the two teams were a combined 1-of-18 from the floor, and UConn’s length was a major factor with three early blocks. Walker’s first basket came nearly seven minutes into the contest after he missed his first five shots, and in a rare sight, he was taken out for the first time in four games approaching the 12:00 mark.

The Huskies scored 10 of their first 13 points in the paint, and the Bulldogs didn’t convert a two-point field goal until Andrew Smith’s bucket with 10:20 to play.

Mack didn’t score until he made a free throw with just over nine minutes on the clock, and the Bulldogs collectively stayed in the game by racking up fouls on the Huskies, who saw both Lamb and Oriakhi saddled with two fouls each in the game’s first 11 minutes.

The physical affair continued with UConn making seven of its first eight field goals in the paint and Butler relying on the perimeter, including Mack’s first field goal, a trey to square the contest at 19-19 with just over four minutes on the clock.

Walker became the third Connecticut player with two fouls at the 2:46 mark, and neither team scored again until Mack’s long three against tight defense as the clock ran down. The 41 combined points in a half were the fewest in a championship game since Oklahoma A&M played NYU in 1945, and the Huskies’ 19 were the fewest for a single team in a tournament final since 1960.

– Steve

Gilmore, Rodman, Mullin among 10 selected to HOF

Mullin, Rodman headline 2011 Hall of Fame class

Chris Mullin and Dennis Rodman are among this year’s inductees for the Basketball Hall of Fame. The other eight members of the 2011 class are Artis Gilmore, Arvydas Sabonis, Teresa Edwards, Tara VanDerveer, Tom “Satch” Sanders, Tex Winter, Herb Magee and Reece “Goose” Tatum.

Mullin, already a Hall of Famer as a member of the 1992 U.S. Olympic “Dream Team” that was inducted last year, was among the 12 finalists that were announced in February. Rodman, Edwards, VanDerveer, Winter and Magee were the others from that group to be elected.

The other four were voted into the Hall by specific screening committees. Gilmore was selected by the newly-created ABA committee, while the veterans panel chose Sanders. Sabonis was the international committee’s pick and Tatum, a member of the Harlem Globetrotters, was selected by another new group, the early African-American Pioneers committee.

Enshrinement ceremonies are set for August 12 in Springfield, Massachusetts.

Mullin, a finalist for the fourth year in a row, was a five-time NBA All-Star and collegiate standout at St. John’s, where he is still the all-time scoring leader and was named Big East Player of the Year an unprecedented three times. In addition to his 1992 gold medal, he also won Olympic gold as a collegian in 1984, then played 16 NBA seasons for Golden State and Indiana, amassing 17,911 points.

“The biggest thing is my coaches,” said Mullin, who first harkened back to his fourth-grade coach in Brooklyn before continuing. “Hall of Fame coach Lou Carnesecca at St. John’s, in the NBA, I had so many great people to look up to.”

Rodman was arguably the premier small-forward rebounder of his generation, winning a record seven consecutive rebounding titles (1991-98). The controversial second-round pick of the Detroit Pistons in 1986 was also honored eight straight times as a member of the NBA’s All-Defensive team and won five NBA titles, two with Detroit and three with Chicago, but also had many off-court issues that helped made him a household name.

“It’s cool man. I feel kind of out of place,” Rodman said Monday. “[The Hall of Fame] could have went the other way. They could have said some the things you’ve done off the court are not conducive of the Hall of Fame.”

Gilmore starred for Kentucky of the old ABA, which rivaled the NBA from 1967 until merging with the more established league in 1976. He was a member of the ABA’s 30-man all-time team, won one ABA title and captured the MVP award in 1972. He was also a six-time All-Star in the NBA after the merger, finishing with more than 24,000 combined points.

Sabonis was known as one of the top big men in European history and also played in the NBA with the Portland Trail Blazers from 1995-2003. Considered one of the top passing centers of all-time, Sabonis was named the Euroleague’s MVP and was a two-time European Player of the Year. He also won Olympic gold and bronze playing for the old Soviet Union and with his native Lithuania.

Edwards, a women’s committee selection, was the first American basketball player to participate in five Olympic Games — winning gold four times and bronze in the fifth. In college, she was a two-time All-America selection while leading Georgia to the Final Four twice.

VanDerveer, also a women’s committee choice, began her collegiate coaching career in 1978 and continues today at Stanford. She has guided the Cardinal to a pair of NCAA championships with nine Final Four appearances, and has won more than 800 games during her tenure. On the international level, she guided the U.S. women to Olympic gold in 1996.

Sanders was a member of eight NBA championship teams with the Boston Celtics from 1961-69. He also coached the Celtics and was a coach on the collegiate level at Harvard. Following his coaching career he became instrumental in the development of the NBA’s Rookie Transition Program and was a founder of the player programs for the NBA.

Winter began his coaching career in 1947 as an assistant with Kansas State and compiled a 454-333 record as a collegiate head coach with the Wildcats, Washington and Long Beach State. He was also part of nine NBA championships with the Chicago Bulls and Los Angeles Lakers, and is known for building the foundation of the triangle-post offense that has fueled the success for both teams.

Magee has won more than 900 games at Division II Philadelphia University, where he has coached since 1966. His victory count is good for first all-time in NCAA basketball history for any level at the same institution and he continues to be active today at Philly U, where he has guided the school to 25 NCAA Division II Tournament appearances with one title.

Tatum, who will be enshrined posthumously, was the original clown prince of the Harlem Globetrotters and would be known as a basketball ambassador around the world for more than 25 years. He would play the important pivot position in the Globetrotter offense and was one of the first to shoot the hook shot with an arm span of 84-inches.

To be elected, finalists required 18 of 24 votes from the Honors Committee of the Hall of Fame.

Finalists that did not gain selection were Maurice Cheeks, Ralph Sampson, Jamaal Wilkes, Dick Motta, Al Attles and referee Hank Nichols.

– Steve

Smart rejects N.C. State, staying at VCU

Shaka Smart signs new 8-year deal at VCU

Calling his contributions to the school “unquantifiable,” VCU signed Shaka Smart to a new eight-year deal as men’s head basketball coach.

The contract was announced Monday, two days after VCU’s improbable run in the NCAA Tournament ended with a Final Four loss to Butler. It came amid reports that NC State had offered Smart its head coaching vacancy.

“True to form, coach Smart’s primary concerns were about his players, coaches and the overall support of the basketball program,” athletics director Norwood Teague said in a statement.

“We are honored that he has decided to stay a VCU Ram. He embodies everything that is right about college athletics, and VCU is ecstatic about the future under his leadership.”

Smart, 33, guided the Rams to a 55-21 records in his first two seasons at the helm, including a 28-12 record this past season.

After the selection committee was widely criticized for including VCU in the NCAA Tournament, the 11th-seeded Rams made a thrilling run from the First Four to the Final Four, including an upset of top-seeded Kansas in the regional finals.

No VCU team had ever won more than one game in the tournament prior to this year.

Smart said in a statement that he was grateful for the belief the school has had in his program and its coaches.

“Their support, in addition to the bright future that our student-athletes possess, make VCU a very special place for me to be the head basketball coach,” Smart said. “I’m very excited about the opportunities that lie ahead for both our program and our university.”

Terms of the contract will be released when the contract is fully executed, the school said.

– Steve

UConn women stunned by Notre Dame in Final Four

Irish shock UConn, reach final against Aggies

After Notre Dame was finished with his top-seeded Huskies, Connecticut head coach Geno Auriemma couldn’t list the reasons fast enough.

The Irish are impossible to play defense against. Things fell apart when his pedigreed Huskies started fouling. They let the other team’s great players take control of the game.

All good reasons why Connecticut won’t be playing in the NCAA championship game for the first time in three years. But four other words muttered by Auriemma in a solemn press conference summed things up better.

“Things just went awry,” the coach said.

Skylar Diggins scored 28 points, Natalie Novosel had 22 and Notre Dame survived a furious rally by Huskies senior Maya Moore for a 72-63 victory in the Final Four, moving on to face Texas A&M in Tuesday’s title game.

The second-seeded Irish (31-7) knocked off another No. 1 seed after making it past Tennessee to win the Dayton region, shooting better than 51 percent from the floor against UConn and outscoring the two-time defending champion Huskies 46-31 in the second half.

Moore finished her sparkling career with a loss, but didn’t go down without a fight, pouring in 36 points while playing all but a second of the game.

With the Huskies (36-2) reeling, she scored 16 straight points for her team to keep them in it, including a three-pointer that got them within 63-60 after they had been down by 12.

“She’s a great player and tonight she was hitting everything,” said teammate Kelly Faris. “She came out with the mentality that this was not going to be her last game and she carried us.”

Momentum shifted back into Notre Dame’s favor, however, after Novosel knocked down a straightaway jumper and Diggins stole the ball from Faris at the other end.

Diggins drove down for a layup that gave the Irish a 67-60 lead with 1:35 remaining — a crushing turn for the Huskies.

And as much as Moore kept her team in the game, she couldn’t red-line it to the end. She went just 1-for-3 at the foul line after Diggins’ bucket and missed her last two shots from the field, finishing 14-for-30 for the game.

Moore led Connecticut to back-to-back national championships the last two years and was part of the team’s NCAA-record 90-game winning streak, but was at a loss for words to name the pinnacle of her college career.

“I loved my whole time here,” she said. “I can’t really pinpoint a moment.”

The Irish, meanwhile, moved on to play for the national championship for the first time since they captured it in 2001. They snapped a 12-game losing streak against their Big East rivals that included three defeats this season.

Earlier on Sunday, second-seeded Texas A&M knocked off Stanford in a thriller, 63-62, to reach the title game for the first time. The Aggies beat two No. 1 seeds to reach the final, also toppling Baylor in the Elite Eight.

– Steve

A&M stuns top-seeded Stanford, heads to title game

Aggies top Stanford in thriller to reach title game

Texas A&M has toppled another No. 1.

Sydney Colson dribbled the length of the court and dished to Tyra White for the go-ahead layup with 3.3 seconds left, and the Aggies knocked off Stanford, 63-62, in the Final Four on Sunday to reach the NCAA championship game for the first time.

“I pushed it as fast as I could,” said Colson.

Coming off a win over top-seeded Baylor to win the Dallas region, the Aggies ended the game on a 19-8 run that included an 8-0 burst after they had fallen behind by 10.

“This is what women’s basketball needs,” said Aggies head coach Gary Blair. “It needs regional final games and semifinal games and final games like this to be able to sometimes wake up America, to be able to give us credit when credit is due.”

White finished with 18 points, Danielle Adams added 16 and Sydney Carter had 14 for Texas A&M (32-5), which will meet Notre Dame in the national championship game on Tuesday after the Irish toppled Connecticut later Sunday.

Nnemkadi Ogwumike poured in 31 points to lead Stanford (33-3), including a bucket that gave the Cardinal a one-point lead before Colson made her final- seconds dash down the court.

After winning the Spokane region, Stanford was looking to reach the title game for the third time in four years. Instead, a spectacular season that saw them snap Connecticut’s 90-game winning streak came to an end.

The Aggies’ 8-0 spurt got them within 54-52. They drew within 58-57 when Carter dribbled right and buried a three-pointer over two defenders near the top of the arc.

Colson’s free throws gave them a 59-58 lead with 52 seconds left, but Ogwumike made a pair at the other end to put Stanford ahead. The see-sawing continued when White drove for a layup on the left side to make it 61-60 Texas A&M.

But that was nothing like the final moments.

Ogwumike took an inbounds pass on the left side, drove through the paint and scored on a scoop shot to make it 62-61 with 9.2 seconds remaining.

“We ran a play that got me open on the block, and so I knew I had to produce somehow,” said Ogwumike.

But Stanford couldn’t stop Colson, who dribbled all the way into the paint before finding White on the right side of the basket for the game-winner.

“When she passed it to me, I just heard Coach Blair’s voice in my head saying pin the ball,” said White. “So that’s what I did.”

Stanford’s Mikaela Ruef attempted a one-handed inbounds pass the length of the court, but Colson intercepted it near the Cardinal basket and threw the ball in the air to run off the final seconds.

– Steve