By: Ben Leonard

–PALO ALTO, CA

In the season opener for both Stanford and Wofford, both squads were clearly full of anticipatory energy before and during the game. In the all-time first meeting between the two schools, the favored Cardinal prevailed 74-59 behind strong play in the post. Center Stefan Nastic led the way for the Cardinal, with twenty-six points and five rebounds.  The media-poll favorite in the Southern Conference for 2014-15, Wofford finished 20-13 in the 2013-14 season, despite being the third smallest Division One School in terms of enrollment. On the other hand, Stanford went 23-13 in the superior Pac-12 Conference.  Friday’s lightly-attended game was a part of the regional round of the 2014 Northwestern Mutual Coaches vs. Cancer® Classic, which will culminate in the Championship Rounds at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn.

The Terriers put up a strong fight early, taking an early 17-13 lead with 10:56 left to go in the first. This was due to several missed opportunities by the Cardinal, who struggled at the free-throw line in the incipient stages of the game. Stanford converted  three of their first eight attempts, including an fruitless trip by center Reid Travis, missing both of his tries. Dawkins attributed these misses to inexperience and jitters, as the “guys who missed free-throws had limited experience” and were still “trying to find their way.” Dawkins appreciated their numerous trips to the line (28), but they simply “had to convert.”

Wofford’s strong three point shooting in part gave them the early advantage, as they converted on three of their first five attempts. In addition, their bench players took a vital role, scoring eleven points against the Cardinal’s two points off the bench with 7:57 left in the first. It was a very physical, hard-fought game early, with players fighting for rebounds and diving on the floor for loose balls.

After the first ten minutes, forward Stefan Nastic started to physically overpower an undersized Wofford squad down low.  He led Stanford to an 18-7 run, starting with 9:07 left and stretching to halftime. The 6’11”, fifth-year senior bodied up Wofford players down low, and the Terriers simply had no answer for him. He dominated the glass, burning the Terriers’ zone defense for twenty-six points. As Dawkins put it, he “stepped outside and knocked down shots” like “one of the best centers out there.” Wofford’s lower three players in the zone were all of 6’1″, 6’4″, and 6’1″, creating an easy matchup for the Canadian center to exploit. Combining with the freshman forward Travis down low for forty points and nine rebounds, Nastic overcame his tendencies to fall into foul trouble and was able to play thirty-two minutes. Nastic praised Travis’ work ethic, a player who “brings it every day and works really hard.”

After taking a 36-27 halftime lead, Stanford continued its success into the second half, going on a 16-7 run to start the period and pulling away to take a 58-34 lead, effectively icing the game for the Cardinal. Despite an uncustomary off game from star guard Chasson Randle, Stanford found a way to come together and beat, as Dawkins put it, “a good team.” Randle had a poor shooting game, as he made just four of thirteen attempts and gathered just twelve points. Four starters were in double figures for the Cardinal, and their success was, as Nastic put it, because every player “knows what their role is.”

Wofford’s star player, Karl Cochran, also struggled, making four of his twelve attempts from the field and scoring just eleven points. He now needs just 179 points this season to enter Wofford’s all-time top ten scoring list. His struggles came mostly from behind the three-point arc, where he made just one of six attempts, despite being sixth on the school’s all-time list in three pointers made. While holding a big lead at the end of the game, Dawkins elected to rest his starters, clearly looking ahead to their next game this Sunday against North Dakota. The game will be aired on the Pac-12 Networks at 3 PST, a far cry from the 9 PST start in Friday’s game, the latest at Maples Pavillion since 1998.