Freshmen Lacie and Lexie Hull, sophomore Estella Moschkau and junior Anna Wilson represented Stanford at the 2019 USA Basketball Women’s 3×3 National Championship this past weekend in Las Vegas. With a 5-1 record, the four women placed fifth out of 18 teams.
Olympic fans will see the launch of a new basketball discipline with the inclusion of 3×3 in 2020. The game is played with half a court with a 10-minute clock, and a 12-second shot clock. The first team to 21 points, or the team in the lead at the end of regulation, is the winner.
“I’ve never played 3×3 before in a national championship kind of thing, and I’ve never played outside, so it’s a little different,” said Wilson. “It’s a little warm here, but luckily we’ve been getting ready for this, so we’re prepared for the weather. It’s a little different with the wind, we don’t usually have that inside, so just adjusting and getting comfortable. That’s why driving is so important because when you get comfortable with the ball then you can shoot. I think our team did really well and we’re just having fun, that’s what we came here to do, just have fun.”
Starting 30 times, Lacie Hull played in all 36 of Stanford’s games this year. Over the course of the season she averaged 4.8 points, 2.4 rebounds, 1.9 assists and a team-high 1.5 steals. She was named to the Pac-12 All-Freshman team, and she also garnered Pac-12 All-Defensive honorable mention honors for her efforts.
Lexie Hull started her career hot with 11 points and 11 rebounds in the season opener against USC to become the first Stanford freshman to record a double-double in her debut. She averaged 5.6 points and 4.7 rebounds in 27 games this season. She earned a Pac-12 All-Freshman honorable mention.
Moschkau came off the bench in 22 games as a sophomore and was 5-of-10 from the floor, including 4-of-7 from deep. She’s made seven of her 14 career 3-point attempts at Stanford.
Wilson had three starts and saw action in 30 games last season. She was integral in Stanford’s victory over Mississippi State in the Sweet Sixteen, scoring a season-high 11. Against then No. 9 Ohio State, Wilson drained 7-of-8 threes to become the 10th Cardinal to make seven from deep in a game.
“We have good versatility,” Wilson said. “Our strength is our twins [Lacie and Lexie Hull] and Estella [Moschkau] and they’re really long and we’re also quick and then they can also shoot and they’re really good rebounders. They do all the things the right way.”
Friday saw the Cardinal begin its tourney run by dismantling Mississippi State, 17-9, just as it had in the Sweet Sixteen in March.
Stanford’s next three games were much closer as they all went to overtime. Maryland held Stanford to its second lowest offensive output of the weekend. Lexie Hull lifted the team 14-12 with the game-winning shot from beyond the arc.
Their third opponent, Drive, was a conglomeration of women from four different universities. The Cardinal were able to put them away 18-16, but Drive would rebound and end up losing to Oregon in the finals. Wilson was perfect from the court and she ended the game with 10 points.
“We’ve been getting ready for this for a little bit and I think the biggest thing is sticking to our game plan,” said Wilson. “We come up with a strategy before the game and try to stick to that and then make adjustments throughout the game and see who is hot and who has a good match up. Our team talks really, really well, we have really good chemistry.”
Their final preliminary match came against DePaul. Despite falling in a 1-9 hole, the Cardinal rallied and went on a 15-6 run to win 16-14 in overtime.
Emerging from prelims as the one seed in their group, the Cardinal faced LA Dream Team, which was composed of women six to ten years their senior. In a defensive matchup, the youth outlasted the old, and Stanford escaped 11-9.
After five straight wins, Stanford would meet their match in a familiar foe. Oregon, the defending 3×3 champs, overpowered the Cardinal and closed out the match 17-21. The Ducks were led by the national player of the year, Sabrina Ionescu, who was later named the 3×3 Tournament MVP.
In addition to being a tournament, the weekend also served as the 2019 USA Basketball Women’s 3×3 National Team trials, as all eligible athletes were in consideration for selection to the 2019 USA Women’s 2019 U.S. Pan American Games 3×3 Basketball Team.
Contact James Hemker at jahemker ‘at’ stanford.edu.