STANFORD, Calif. (AP) – Jada Williams banked in a go-ahead 3-pointer with 30 seconds to play and Arizona stunned No. 3 Stanford 68-61 on Friday night, beating the Cardinal on the road for the first time in more than 20 years.
The Wildcats had lost seven straight to the Cardinal. They had just seven players dressed, and were coming off a triple-overtime win over Washington on Sunday. Stanford star forward Cameron Brink missed the game due to a non-COVID-19 illness.
Williams led the Wildcats with 23 points, and Esmery Martinez added 17.
Stanford had beaten Arizona in 15 of the previous 16 meetings between the teams.
Arizona trailed 45-37 entering the fourth quarter, but took the lead on a jumper by Williams with two minutes to play after Stanford led by nine just minutes earlier.
Kiki Iriafen, who led Stanford with 21 points and 15 rebounds, tied the game with a layup with under a minute remaining until Williams knocked down her decisive 3-pointer.
Williams then hit two free throws to put Arizona up by five as the Wildcats closed out the upset.
The short-handed Wildcats hung tough with the Cardinal in the first half. The game was tied at 35-all in the third quarter before Iriafen scored eight points to spark a 10-2 run, helping Stanford take a lead into the fourth.
BIG PICTURE
Arizona: The Wildcats had not won at Stanford since 2001. … Arizona entered the game with just one road conference win, and had not won away from home since the Pac-12 opener against Arizona State on Dec. 17.
Stanford: The Cardinal entered the day leading the Pac-12 by two games, but the loss opens up possibilities for three teams tied for second place — No. 9 Oregon State, No. 7 USC and No. 11 Colorado.
