Reigning national champion Stanford beats Texas to return to Final Four

SPOKANE, Wash. — The reigning national champion Stanford Cardinal secured a trip back to the Final Four on Sunday night, becoming the second No. 1 seed to reach this year's national semifinals, with a 59-50 win over the No. 2 seed Texas Longhorns.

It's the 14th Final Four appearance for the Cardinal under legendary coach Tara VanDerveer.

When these teams met in November in Palo Alto, Texas spoiled Stanford's celebration of the title with a fourth-quarter comeback to win 61-56 on the Cardinal's home court. Stanford took an identical five-point lead to the final period Sunday. This time, the Cardinal made it stand up in large part thanks to the play of senior Lexie Hull, who scored a game-high 20 points in front of family and friends in her hometown.

Having rallied from a five-point deficit entering the fourth quarter of the first meeting, the Longhorns threatened to do the same thing Sunday. They'd cut Stanford's lead to two when Hull drove for a runner while being fouled and converted the ensuing free throw for a three-point play. On the following possession, Hull made two free throws to give the Cardinal a two-possession lead for good.

Although Hull's twin sister, Lacie, was scoreless, her play was also a key difference from the November matchup. Back then, Stanford was struggling to replace point guard Kiana Williams, who left for the WNBA after the championship. The Cardinal handed out a season-low seven assists and turned the ball over 20 times against Texas' pressure.

Turnovers remained an issue for Stanford on Sunday as the team gave the ball away 20 times, including 11 in the second half. But Hull and Haley Jones — who also had a double-double with 18 points and 12 rebounds — had four assists apiece as the