Everyone is a fan of boxing metaphors, especially when they're talking about other sports. With that in mind, yes, the Pac-12 Conference Championship won by Stanford 48-43 over Oregon State Sunday had the look and feel of two fighters standing toe-to-toe and drubbing each other.

"It was a heavyweight battle and we got the bloody nose first, but that motivated people to keep playing hard and make some plays," said head coach Tara VanDerveer.

It was a stunning start to the game for the crowd and those in the sports predicting business who expected the game to be close throughout -- much like the two previous games between the two teams won by the Beavers. Instead, Oregon State raced to a 16-3 lead without a single made shot by All-American Sydney Wiese.

Each of the other four Oregon State starters scored in the opening five minutes, 29 seconds of the game.

It was, unfortunately, a familiar predicament for the Cardinal, who have faced first-half deficits before.

"I was like, 'Dang, again?'" said senior and tournament Most Outstanding Player Erica McCall. "But that's what we're used to. We come back strong. I think being in situations like (at) Washington and even Oregon yesterday, we battled back. I'm super proud of how my team performed. We knew we had been through these situations a lot."

The Cardinal stood their ground and held Oregon State to 27 points for the remaining 34:31 of game time. The Beavers only managed seven points in each of the second, third and fourth quarters.

"I think first of all we should skip the first quarter and just go right to the second quarter and play third, fourth and fifth," VanDerveer deadpanned. "Maybe that would help our defense a little bit. Defense is a mindset and I think it starts with Bri (Roberson), her being a great defensive player and sometimes underrated defensive player. But everyone buys in and defense is you are unselfish. It's not about scoring. It doesn't get written up in the paper that much."

VanDerveer spotlighted Roberson and Marta Sniezek for the work they did on Wiese, and the help from post players such as McCall and Alanna Smith, who finished with three and four blocks respectively. Roberson and Sniezek combined for only two points, but together they had five steals in a game in which every possession became precious.

In a matchup of two coaching staffs -- with Oregon State's Scott Rueck named conference coach of the year for the second straight season -- that each preach what VanDerveer called "scout defense," it's guaranteed that both sides will be prepared.



But Stanford was ready with extra motivation after failing to win the regular season title and two losses to Oregon State by three points.

"We wanted to play them," VanDerveer said. "We wanted to show ourselves that we are champions, too."

Karlie Samuleson said the losses to Oregon State were "painful."

"We wanted this tournament," she said. "We knew we could do it."

McCall compared the feeling: "It's super satisfying. It's like tasting your favorite candy -- Sour Patch Kids."

But few things have been as sweet for Stanford fans, coaches and her teammates to see than the play of Smith. The Australian sophomore finished with 18 points, and she has a combination of size and athleticism to break down Oregon State's demanding half-court defense.

The Beavers routinely deny opponents the opportunity to run and rarely foul. Beating Oregon State often requires building your own offense at a painstakingly slow pace, because Rueck's squad won't give you much for free.

Smith provides an element that makes the Cardinal even more difficult to beat moving forward.

"It has been really exciting to see Alanna's improvement throughout the year," VanDerveer said. "She has a lot of talent. She gives us a big body that can score on the perimeter, score on the block and run the floor. She really stepped up big tonight."

Stanford also got 14 points from Samuelson, who was the only other Cardinal in double figures.

Oregon State also only had two score at least 10: Wiese with 13 (4-of-13 shooting) and Marie Gulich with 10. Similarities abounded in the stat sheet as the two teams proved their strengths often cancel each other out.

In the end the Cardinal got enough clutch plays from players such as Brittany McPhee, who made a jumper after a three by Wiese to once again give the Cardinal a two-possession (48-43) lead with a little more than a minute left in the game. She also was second on the team with six rebounds.

All the pieces fit together for the team to line up after the game to one-by-one snip off part of the net as a personal trophy.

VanDerveer said the team has a saying, "It wasn't pretty, but it was gritty."

Given the satisfaction of beating a nemesis, winning a tournament title, and showing the defensive tenacity of a champion, it was a work of art by the Cardinal.