PORTLAND, Ore. — NC State is advancing to the program’s third Elite Eight after upsetting Stanford, 77-67, on Friday. The Cardinal’s loss also brought an end to the collegiate career of Stanford star Cameron Brink.
Brink, the Pac-12 Player and Defensive Player of the year, fouled out of the game with 8:10 remaining. That seemed like the exact moment in which the Cardinal’s chances to advance evaporated. It was her second consecutive game fouling out.
“I know she wanted to do so well in Portland, being from Portland,” Stanford head coach Tara VanDerveer said. “She got us off to a really good start. Last couple games we’ve struggled in the first half. She really got us going. Cam is a phenomenal player, a phenomenal person. I’m really sad that this is her last game in a Stanford uniform.”
Both teams had been off to a slow start offensively, but Stanford’s Kiki Iriafen ignited her team with eight points in six minutes in the second quarter. The Cardinal were up 37-27 at halftime, and Brink was on triple-double watch. However, Iriafen and Brink soon found themselves in foul trouble, and that’s when the No. 3 seed Wolfpack pounced.
“Yeah, I think it’s definitely tough when both of us are in foul trouble,”…
