Stanford beats Gonzaga, gains Final Four

SPOKANE, Wash. -- Nnemkadi Ogwumike knows nothing but going to the Final Four since arriving at Stanford.

Little sister Chiney is coming along for the ride this time.

Nnemkadi Ogwumike dominated the inside with 23 points and 11 rebounds, sister Chiney chipped in with 18 points and 15 rebounds, and Stanford is headed to its fourth straight Final Four after the top-seeded Cardinal ended the surprising run of Gonzaga 83-60 in the Spokane Regional final Monday night.

The size and strength of Stanford was simply too much for the Bulldogs to overcome. Kayla Pedersen and Jeanette Pohlen will close out their college careers 4-for-4 at reaching the Final Four, a streak that started by winning the Spokane Regional in 2008 when they were freshmen.

Stanford (33-2) won its 27th straight to match the longest streak in school history and will face the Baylor-Texas A&M winner in the national semifinals Sunday night.

Courtney Vandersloot did her best to carry Gonzaga (31-5) for a half before the Bulldogs wore down in the final 20 minutes under a bevy of missed shots and a befuddling Stanford zone defense.

Vandersloot, who came in averaging 30.7 points and 10.3 assists in the tournament, finished with 25 points and nine assists, including 18 straight Gonzaga points during a nine-minute stretch of the first half.