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Stanford rallies past North Carolina

Apr 2, 2014 - 4:04 AM Stanford, CA (SportsNetwork.com) - Chiney Ogwumike scored 20 points to help the Stanford Cardinal overcome a 13-point deficit and claim a 74-65 victory over the North Carolina Tar Heels in the last regional final of the NCAA Tournament at Maples Pavilion.

Ogwumike also collected 10 rebounds for the second-seeded Cardinal (33-3), who advance to take on undefeated Connecticut in the national semifinals on Sunday in Nashville. Mikaela Ruef added 17 points and nine rebounds, Amber Orrange netted 14 points and Bonnie Samuelson chipped in 13 for Stanford, which is making its sixth Final Four appearance in the last seven seasons.

Allisha Gray led the fourth-seeded Tar Heels (27-10) with 19 points, while Diamond DeShields tacked on 13.

North Carolina owned the first half, pushing its lead to as many as 13 points in the frame while shooting 45.2 percent from the floor, including a 7-of-13 showing from 3-point range. Stanford only shot at a 41.4 percent clip, but cut the deficit to 36-30 at halftime.

The Cardinal wasted no time in the second half, using a 10-2 run early in the period to pull ahead for the first time since they led 2-0 in the opening minute. The Tar Heels rallied themselves and retook the lead (63-62) with four minutes to play, but Stanford ended the game on a 12-2 run to close out the victory.

Stanford benefited from a 15-7 scoring edge off of turnovers and a 26-14 advantage on points in the paint.