Stanford women edge Cal to win Pac-12 title

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SEATTLE — They’re calling her “Tournament Taylor.”

Stanford’s Taylor Greenfield came off the bench to play a near-perfect game, leading the Cardinal to a 61-60 victory over Cal in the Pac-12 Tournament Championship game Sunday at KeyArena.

Greenfield, a senior, scored 12 of her game- and career-high 20 points in the second half and shot 8-for-11 for the game. She scored 17 in the semifinal against Arizona State on Saturday and was the first reserve to be named the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player.

“I hate to say I imagined it, but I knew it was possible,” Greenfield said.

The back-to-back big games led to her teammates bestowing her new nickname.

“I guess she’s just living up to that,” forward Kaylee Johnson said.

The win returns 19th-ranked Stanford (24-9) to a familiar spot as the Pac-12 champion — its 11th title in 14 conference tournaments — and gives the Cardinal automatic entry into the NCAA Tournament. They got it done by building their lead in the final 10 minutes and narrowly escaped, leaving Cal fans to wonder how much an early injury to senior point guard Brittany Boyd impacted the result.

Boyd left the game with 15:27 left in the first half after getting hit and cut below her right eye. She was in the locker room and didn’t return until the 2:22 mark before halftime.

Guard Amber Orrange sports a net cut down after Stanford beat Cal to win the Pac-12 tourney title. Guard Amber Orrange sports a net cut down after Stanford beat Cal to win the Pac-12 tourney title. Photo: Elaine Thompson / Associated Press Photo: Elaine Thompson / Associated Press Image 1 of / 4 Caption Close Stanford women edge Cal to win Pac-12 title 1 / 4 Back to Gallery

She played with a bandage below the eye but repeatedly winced in pain. She finished with seven points and said she was “just a little sore.”

“I’m kind of mad that it happened,” Boyd said. “I lost (my) rhythm.”

Teammate Reshanda Gray was handcuffed by foul trouble and scored six points. With its two best players rendered ineffective, Cal (23-9) was led by three underclassmen — Courtney Range (17 points), Mercedes Jefflo (16 points) and Mikayla Cowling (14 points).

Stanford started to take over with about 10 minutes remaining. Leading by one, Amber Orrange had a steal and layup. Moments later, Lili Thompson slipped in to grab the ball as Cal freshman Gabby Green casually jogged to chase down a loose ball, and Greenfield scored on a layup to extend the Cardinal’s lead to 45-40 lead with 9:45 left.

“The hustle play on the loose ball, I think that set the tone,” Stanford coach Tara VanDerveer said.

An Orrange three-point play stretched Stanford’s lead to 55-47 with 4:46 remaining. The Bears used their fullcourt press to make a furious comeback in the final minute, but fell short. Jefflo made a last-second three-pointer for the final margin.

Stanford re-established its dominance after finishing third in the Pac-12 in the regular season.

“We don’t have the givens that maybe we’ve had in the past,” VanDerveer said. “We have young, young players that have to play big roles.”

But it ended up being a senior who played the biggest role. Greenfield walked back to the locker room wearing the cut-down net, treasuring the nylon necklace as much as her outstanding player trophy.

“For me, personally, it was a great accomplishment,” Greenfield said. “All I was thinking about is what we just did out there.”

Mike Vernon is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. E-mail: mvernon@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @M_Vernon