By Jeremy Harness

 

STANFORD – While most top teams in the country are busy getting fat from beating up on much-lesser opponents, the Stanford basketball team is no stranger to being tested early in the season.

 

Friday’s 2013-14 season opener was no different.

 

Bucknell, the defending Patriot League champs, proved to be a very tough out during the entire course of the game. As the Cardinal got out to a big lead by stringing together a few baskets, the Bison made shots of their own and kept the game close.

 

“It takes a mature team to win a game like that,” Stanford head coach Johnny Dawkins said, adding that Bucknell’s scoring late in the shot clock can be “demoralizing” for an opposing team.

 

In short, they looked just like the team that knocked off Kansas in the 2005 NCAA Tournament, and Stanford could not mount a big run or get a comfortable-enough lead to hold off the Bison.

 

Anthony Brown, who knocked down a big 3-pointer in the final minutes and finished with 14 points and five rebounds, advised that they need to be better finishers going forward, pointing out the fact that the Cardinal could not get a double-digit lead.

 

“Once we get the lead to seven, we need to push it to 10,” Brown said. Once we get it to 10, we need to push it to 15.”

 

It’s not that the Cardinal didn’t play good defense – which has been the staple of this team for the past few years – but Bucknell just kept hitting great shots every which way. The Bison used spin moves to the basket as well as the 3-point shot to stay in the game until the very final seconds.

 

In fact, it wasn’t until Ben Brackney’s desperation heave at half-court came up short at the buzzer when Stanford was able to close the game out. Seconds earlier, Stanford got defensive stops but neither Dwight Powell nor Chasson Randle, who led the Cardinal with 18 points, could make a free throw to seal the game.

 

“Very frustrating,” Powell, who had 17 points and 12 rebounds on Friday, said of his failure to knock down the crucial foul shots. ”Zero percent from the line (to start the season) isn’t fun.”

 

Bucknell hung around in the first half, even taking the lead in the closing minutes and only trailed by a point at halftime. Stanford came out strong to start the 2^nd half, quickly opening up a five-point lead on the strength of its 3-point shooting as well as daring moves to the basket by Randle.

 

But Bucknell came right back with a rally of its own, tying the game with 13:19 left when Kaspar pulled off a sweet no-look, over-the-head pass to Dom Hoffman for an easy layup.

 

“He made some of the best passes I’ve seen in a long time, over his head, behind his back,” Dawkins said. “He made a lot of plays at the basket.”