Stanford edges South Carolina to book 1st finals berth since 2010

Stanford is one win from ending its 29-year wait for a national championship.

The Cardinal are returning to the NCAA Tournament final for the first time since 2010 - and looking to win it for the first time since 1992 - after edging fellow top seed South Carolina 66-65 on Friday in San Antonio.

Sophomore guard Haley Jones led Stanford with 24 points, including a dramatic baseline jumper with 32 seconds left to put the Cardinal ahead for good following a late-game rally by the Gamecocks. Lexie Hull chipped in with 18 points and 13 boards.

Zia Cooke scored 25 points on 5-for-8 shooting from beyond the arc for South Carolina, and Aliyah Boston posted a double-double with 11 points and 16 rebounds.

South Carolina trailed for most of the game until Destanni Henderson nailed a triple with 39 seconds on the clock as part of a nine-point scoring run by the junior guard.

Jones regained the lead for Tara VanDerveer's Cardinal seven seconds later, and Stanford appeared set to secure the result until South Carolina's Brea Beal got a point-blank opportunity off a turnover in the dying moments. But Beal's lay-in drew iron, and Boston's follow-up missed its mark to send Stanford to its fourth NCAA final in program history.

Stanford will face the winner of UConn-Arizona in Sunday's final.