By WYNDAM MAKOWSKY

When it mattered the most, Stanford couldn’t conquer the Rocky Top.

The Cardinal fell to Tennessee, 64-48, in the national championship game Tuesday night as Stanford’s run through the NCAA Tournament came to a sudden halt. The Lady Vols dominated in all aspects of the game as they wrapped up their second straight title and eighth overall.

Stanford’s performance was arguably their worst of the year: their points, made and attempted baskets, assists, blocks and — most notably — turnover totals were all season lows. Stanford turned the ball over 25 times, with 14 coming in the first half.

“The turnovers absolutely killed us. We did not handle the pressure well,” said coach Tara VanDerveer. “I thought we made a lot of uncharacteristic turnovers and some very bad decisions.”

Tennessee employed a tenacious full court press for the entire game, and constantly switched their defense between zone and man to keep the Cardinal from finding any rhythm on offense. Stanford was hounded in the backcourt all night, and was forced to make tough passes, many of which were picked off by the Lady Vols. When they were able to successfully bring the ball up court, they had less time to establish their offense.

“We knew that our full court press really would bother them and take some time off the clock, so they had to rush their sets,” said Tennessee’s Candace Parker, who was named the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player.

“We took them out of everything they wanted to do and they just didn’t know what to do against our defense,” said Nicky Anosike.

On Sunday, Connecticut coach Geno Auriemma acknowledged that the Huskies did not use the full court press enough against Stanford — but when they did, it worked. Tennessee coach Pat Summitt found that lesson to be particularly telling.

“I thought that as soon as Connecticut went to the press, it really bothered them,” she said. “I felt that our size and being able to extend our defense would be a good option for us.”

Stanford senior guard Candice Wiggins, who was named to the All-Tournament team, agreed. “They rely a lot on their defense to get them going. And they’re big. They’re in passing lanes. So you can’t have any sloppy passes,” she said.

Tennessee was also effective on the glass, particularly on the offensive end. The fundamentally sound rebounding that helped propel the Cardinal against Connecticut was absent against Tennessee. The Lady Vols did not have a great night shooting the ball — their percentage was only 39.3 percent for the game, including 33.3 percent in the second half. But they had a number of second chance opportunities, pulling down 14 offensive rebounds.

Anosike, who joined Parker and Wiggins along with teammate Shannon Bobbitt and LSU’s Sylvia Fowles on the All-Tournament team, was particularly effective, grabbing three balls off the offensive glass and chipping in 13 points.

Tennessee’s second — and third — chances negated what was otherwise a nice defensive performance by Stanford. They held Parker in check for most of the game, and successfully shut down Alexis Hornbuckle. But Anosike and Bobbitt — who had been inconsistent throughout the tournament — were both on their game. Bobbitt hit two crucial three-pointers at the beginning of the game that helped Tennessee create some separation early. Vicki Baugh contributed a clutch eight points off the bench for the Lady Vols, helping them extinguish Cardinal runs before they even got started.

Still, Stanford was not out of the game until the midway point of the second half. They trailed only by eight heading into halftime, and despite a period of their worst basketball of the season, they were still close. If they could have turned it around just a bit, they would have been in good shape. Stanford quickly cut the lead to four, but Tennessee was equally fast in extending the margin to 11. The Cardinal never seriously challenged the Lady Vols again. Their shots wouldn’t fall — countless attempts rimmed out — and Tennessee’s persistent defense made their ten point lead seem much wider.

“Defensively, I thought we actually did a decent job,” said VanDerveer. “But we were not able to run anything offensively.”

It was a disappointing end to an otherwise brilliant season for the Cardinal, one in which it beat every opponent it played (including Tennessee, who they knocked off earlier in the season, 73-69 in overtime).

“The game itself was not indicative of the great season we’ve had,” said VanDerveer.

The championship match was the final contest for Wiggins, the Cardinal’s star, who leaves Stanford as the school and Pac-10 career-scoring leader. Her post-game press conference was an emotional affair — she ultimately broke down in tears over the prospect of leaving her squad behind.

“This team is a special team. And just beautiful people. And I’ve been so honored just to be on this team,” she said.

Indeed, Stanford was a stellar unit that became more and more complete as the season progressed — not only was its star playing well, but every starter and many reserves contributed, too.

Stanford had won 23 straight games before yesterday, and had cruised through the Pac-10 Tournament and dispensed opponents at will up in the NCAA Tournament until the championship game. That, combined with Tennessee’s inconsistency, led many experts to pick Stanford to win the championship.

But, just as the Cardinal felt they had been overlooked against Connecticut in the semifinals, Tennessee felt that they weren’t getting enough credit themselves.

“I’m telling you, it was a personal thing for them,” said Summitt. “The fact that all of the ESPN talent didn’t give us a chance. I mean, that just really fired them up. And it was probably the best thing that could have happened to us.”

The frustration manifested itself on the court, and in the end, it was the Cardinal who was left behind.

Contact Wyndam Makowsky at makowsky@stanford.edu.