April 3, 2011
By: Michelle Smith, GoStanford.com
INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. - Kayla Pedersen has hung tough for four years on the court, but on the last night of her college basketball career, her emotions finally proved too much to hold back.
Stanford's fourth straight trip to the Final Four ended in disappointment Sunday night at Conseco Fieldhouse.
Texas A&M's Tyra White scored on a feed under the basket from guard Sydney Colson with 3.3 seconds to go and the Aggies reached the national championship game for the first time, defeating the Cardinal, 63-62.
Pedersen, who started all but one game during her Cardinal career, broke the Pac-10 rebounding record held by former teammate Jayne Appel with a 10-rebound performance, but she was thinking about her current teammates at the end of a disappointing night.
"It's hard," Pedersen said. "I mean, it's an awful feeling. But I was just telling Nneka that - I'm going to choke up - the hardest part isn't losing the game, it's just leaving these girls.
"And I just thank God for every opportunity I've had with these girls over the last weekend, four years, and it's been wonderful. I'm happy to be with them right now and I'm happy to lose with this team, if we did have to lose."
The Cardinal, who finished the season with a 33-3 record, got key performances from two of their other seniors.
All-American guard Jeanette Pohlen was one of two players - along with junior forward Nnemkadi Ogwumike - to score in double-figures.
She finished with 11 points and all three of the Cardinal's 3-pointers in the game. But it was a bittersweet finale to Pohlen's career. She struggled with Texas A&M's aggressive defensive pressure and suffered an ankle sprain in the final seconds of the game that forced her to the bench to watch the final play of the game and the Aggies' celebration.
Texas A&M coaches and players came to her on the bench after the game.
Pohlen wore her disappointment as obviously as the ice bag on her ankle.
""It's hard," Pohlen said. "We definitely knew they were an aggressive team, and got a lot of steals but it's really hard to simulate that in practice...I feel like I could have done a much better job taking care of the ball. When we really needed to show our presence and our poise, I feel like I didn't really handle that as well as I could have."
Fifth-year senior Melanie Murphy finished a career that was sometimes defined by injuries and months spent in rehab by coming up big for her team.
Murphy came off the bench and played a season-high 27 minutes. She finished with eight points, four assists and three steals.
Murphy left the game with five fouls with 53 seconds to go.
"Mel made big play after big play," said Cardinal coach Tara VanDerveer. "I thought Mel was really the key to the game for us."
VanDerveer paid tribute to seniors who leave as some of the most decorated players in school history. Pedersen and Pohlen have played in more games than any players in school history. The senior class posted a 63-0 record at home and reached the Final Four four times.
"They wanted this. They worked hard. They dedicated themselves and committed themselves to this team and this program," VanDerveer said. "And I can't say enough positive things about them and what they've brought to Stanford and how proud I am of them.
"I think coming to the Final Four is an awesome accomplishment. What they've accomplished...again, I'm so proud of them. They're warriors and I love coaching them and I love them as people."