Huskies, led by Ladine, knock off No. 2 Stanford

SEATTLE — Elle Ladine and Washington turned a strong finish into a big victory.

Ladine scored 21 points and Dalayah Daniels made two key free throws with eight seconds left, helping Washington knock off No. 2 Stanford 72-67 on Sunday.

Washington (13-9, 5-7 Pac-12) closed the game with a 9-2 run. Lauren Schwartz made two foul shots before Ladine put the Huskies in front with a layup with 1 minute, 40 seconds left.

“We always play like it’s 0-0, always,” Daniels said. “We’ve just got to keep on playing together, and I think this game, we emphasized defense. We knew that defense was going to lead to offense, and we’re not surprised at all because we put in the work. We knew if we kept putting in the work, eventually we were going to get what we deserve.”

Daniels had 15 points in Washington’s first victory over a ranked opponent since a 74-68 win over UCLA on Feb. 23, 2020. Haley Van Dyke finished with 14 points and 10 rebounds.

It was Washington’s first win against Stanford since 2016, stopping an 11-game slide against the Cardinal.

“We try to be process-focused,” second-year Huskies coach Tina Langley said. “Stanford is a great team, incredibly well coached, really talented, so much respect for them. But also, I have so much respect for these young women, and excited for what we’re building. … It’s going to be fun to see what we can become.”

Haley Jones scored 18 points for Stanford (22-3, 10-2), and reserve Brooke Demetre had 15. Cameron Brink finished with 14 points and six rebounds.

The Cardinal led 17-8 after one quarter, but the Huskies rallied in the second.

Washington closed the first half with a 10-0 run. Ladine kicked off the spurt with a 3-pointer with 2:03 left. Schwartz made a 3 and Daniels converted a layup at the buzzer, giving the Huskies a 38-34 lead at the break.

Washington also scored the first six points in the third quarter. But Brink’s layup started a 9-0 run for Stanford. Brink’s three-point play in the final seconds gave the Cardinal a 54-53 lead heading into the fourth.

But Washington outscored Stanford 19-13 in the fourth.

“We were just kind of in the moment,” Van Dyke said. “Focusing on next play, next play, next play. I don’t think we ever really expected that we were going to just come away with the win. I think we really earned it.”