Staley, VanDerveer back Griner at S Carolina-Stanford game
By JANIE McCAULEY
AP Sports Writer
STANFORD, Calif. (AP) — South Carolina coach Dawn Staley and Hall of Fame Stanford coach Tara VanDerveer each wore white long-sleeved T-shirts featuring Brittney Griner’s name and image during their game Sunday. Top-ranked South Carolina topped No. 2 Stanford 76-71 in overtime in a matchup of the past two NCAA champions. Before South Carolina boarded the bus and left Maples Pavilion, Staley had her Gamecocks write letters to Griner. On the arena concourse, a “Dear BG” table with an invitation to “Write a letter to Brittney Griner” collected hundreds of hand-written messages. The 32-year-old Griner is serving a nine-year sentence for drug possession at a Russian penal colony.
