The Cardinal could only get within six the rest of the game

The Cardinal could only get within six the rest of the game despite Nnemkadi Ogwumike's best efforts. The senior led the Cardinal with 22 points and nine rebounds. Stanford coach Tara VanDerveer took her out with about 30 seconds left and gave her a long embrace.
"No one feels good after a loss, especially if it's in the Final Four," Ogwumike said.
The 6-2 forward, who most likely will be the top pick in the WNBA draft on April 16, did all she could to keep the Cardinal in the game, but got little help. Her younger sister, Chiney, who had such a strong sophomore season, was ineffective. She fouled out midway through the second half with just four points.

susanstoretk: The Crimson did what they had to do

susanstoretk: The Crimson did what they had to do: "Those guys stay with their system,'' said Allen. "It's unusual, with mis-directions and back doors. But at the same time, it's the same s...

zurabstoretk: The Quakers obviously felt they could have defeate...

zurabstoretk: The Quakers obviously felt they could have defeate...: That 7-0 run restored proper order and the Tigers were never seriously threatened again. Penn took the loss hard. The Quakers obviously f...

wc9999tk: Jeff Carter had three goals

wc9999tk: Jeff Carter had three goals: Jeff Carter had three goals - two on the power play during Columbus' four-goal first period - and Steve Mason made 38 saves as the last-p...

James and Wade don't need a point guard on the floor with them

In the aftermath of another hideous performance by the Heat on the road, it remained impossible to explain why basketball sometimes is so hard for them. The answer, in part, is that they're making it hard on themselves.

The Celtics, who pounded Miami 91-72 Sunday without Ray Allen, deserve credit for resurrecting their season and climbing back into the Atlantic Division lead. With regular rest and practice time, they will be hard to deal with in the playoffs. But they don't have to be this hard to deal with for the Heat.

Same goes for the Bulls, and for anyone else in the Eastern Conference. Same goes for the Thunder, Spurs and Lakers out West.

The Heat, 1-7 on the road against playoff teams since the All-Star break, continue to do this to themselves. They are killing themselves with convention, with a refusal to understand that a unique collection of talent requires what some would consider to be an unconventional way of playing.

I started riffing away on this theme in November 2010, when Miami's newly formed Big Three were having trouble figuring out how to play. They eventually got it right -- right enough to lose to Dallas in the NBA Finals, anyway -- and made some tweaks this season that were a step in the right direction.

The simple way to describe the unconventional approach Miami needs is to say that LeBron James should play point guard on this team. Or at the very least, James and Dwyane Wade -- two of the most unguardable open-floor players ever to step onto an NBA court -- need to share the initiation role in the Heat's offense. When you have two players who are that unstoppable with the ball in their hands -- and a player of LeBron's otherworldly gifts for passing -- there's no need for Mario Chalmers or Norris Cole to be in 29 of your 30 most frequently used lineups this season.

I could've kept going as I scrolled through the handy-dandy advanced metrics tools at NBA.com/stats, but I grew tired of finding their names.

James and Wade don't need a point guard on the floor with them. They certainly didn't need one Sunday, when Chalmers (1-for-5, two points) and Cole (2-for-11, seven points) were utterly dominated by Rajon Rondo (16 points, 14 assists). James, one of the top two or three pure passers I have seen come into the NBA since I have been watching it, had zero assists in 35 minutes.

Princeton turned it over on three of its first four

Princeton turned it over on three of its first four, four of its first six, and five of its first seven possessions, en route to compiling a stat sheet that listed 21 field goals and 20 turnovers.
But Princeton was still the unquestioned aggressor, much to the chagrin of Penn coach Jerome Allen.
"Our defense is what bothered me, to be honest,'' he said. "From the start of the game, they really didn't have anything to play for, other than to be a spoiler. So how can a team playing for nothing play harder than the team that's playing for something? That's what blows my mind.''

Howard, who had missed Detroit’s previous eight games

Rookies Marcus Kruger and Jimmy Hayes scored from in tight and Corey Crawford came up with a big effort in goal to help the Hawks rally to a scintillating 2-1 victory over the Wings on Tuesday night at the United Center.
Howard, who had missed Detroit's previous eight games with a broken finger, repeatedly stopped open looks from the Hawks — especially during a wide-open second period — but couldn't come up with two from the crease as the Hawks skated to their fourth consecutive win.