Category: Uncategorized

By Daniel Dullum
Sports Radio Service
Wednesday, March 11, 2015

Chasson Randle’s 3-pointer with three seconds remaining in the second half gave Stanford a stunning 71-69 defeat of Washington in opening round play of the Pac-12 men’s basketball Tournament at the MGM Grand Arena in Las Vegas.

Jernard Jarreau hit a 3-pointer to put the Huskies up 69-64 with 3:25 to play, but Washington (16-15) was unable to score for the rest of the second half. Meanwhile, the Cardinal (19-12) finished with a 7-0 run – a tip in and layup by Stefan Nastic and Randle’s game-winning trey.

Dan Kingma was fouled with :29 remaining, but missed the front end of a one-and-one. Rosco Allen rebounded for the Cardinal, who maintained possession with two key offensive rebounds.

Nastic topped the Cardinal with 21 points, with Anthony Brown adding 16 and Reid Travis with 14 off the bench. Randle, Stanford’s top scorer this season, was held to 10 points.

Andrew Andrews scored a game-high 22 points to lead the Huskies.

The Cardinal dominated inside with a 36-10 edge in points in the paint, and a 35-26 rebounding edge.

The No. 7-seed Cardinal will face No. 3-seed Utah in the quarterfinals. Game time is set for 8:30 p.m.

By: Joe Lami

For the first time in franchise history the Golden State Warriors have won 50 games in back-to-back seasons, as the Warriors improved to 50-12 with a 98-80 victory over the Phoenix Suns on Monday night.  With the victory, the Warriors are riding a four game winning streak and now own the best record in the NBA.

Once again, it was Steph Curry that led the Warriors in another impressive win.  As the member of the splash brothers notched 36 points, with 25 of them coming in the second half. Monday night marked the 13th time in which Curry has hit 30 or more points.  The second half was one to remember as well, as he hit six of eight three-pointers.  Curry also added five assists and four steals to cap off his amazing performance.

Warriors coach, Steve Kerr, commented on Curry’s play “Steph was spectacular and hit so many shots. I got on him a little bit at half time, and he came out in the second half just on fire and locked in.  He was incredible”.

The other splash brother, Klay Thompson, didn’t do too shabby either.  Thompson finished second in scoring with 25 points and 50% from beyond the arc.

The Suns were able to keep it close in the first half, as the teams went into the half tied at 46.  The Warriors came out of the break absolutely sensational going on a 23-5 run to blow the doors wide open.

Monday marks the ninth loss in 13 games for the Suns, as they are battling for the final spot in the Western conference.  They now sit three games back of the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Point guard, Eric Bledsoe led the Suns with 19 points, going 6 of 11 from the field, and finishing 5 of 6 from the charity strike.  Center, Alex Len finished the night with a double double for Phoenix with 11 rebounds and ten points.

The Warriors continue to cruise with just 20 games remaining, they still sit on top of the West 5.5 games ahead of Memphis.

By: Joe Lami

The Stanford Cardinal won their 11th Pac-12 title on Sunday evening with a victory over their rival, Cal, by the score of 61-60. 

Add another page to the Stanford and Cal rivalry, as the two duked it out for the Pac-12 Championship in Seattle on Sunday evening.  It was the Stanford Cardinal that cut down the nets, as they defeated the Bears 61-60 in a nail bitter. The victory marks the 11th conference title for the Cardinal, as they clinch the automatic bid into the NCAA tournament, where they are expected to be given the fourth seed in the Oklahoma City region and host the first two rounds of the tournament.  The Cal Bears have never won the Pac-12 Championship, and will have to try next year without star players Brittany Boyd and Rashanda Grey, who will be graduating.

The Cardinal did a great job holding the All-American finalist, as they scored a combined 13 points, way down from the 30 they average every night.  Unfortunately for the Bears, Grey was injured just minutes in.  She had to leave the court and ended up getting four stitches just underneath her right eye.  The injury occurred going for a rebound against Stanford freshman, Brittany McPhee.  As both players went up for the rebound, McPhee’s elbow came down and struck Boyd accidentally causing a small gash.

The Bears weren’t having any trouble without Grey early on, expanding their lead to nine, as Stanford went ice cold from the field.  Senior, Amber Orrange, ended the run with two free throws to pull the game to a seven point lead for the Bears.  Stanford’s drought would continue, allowing the Bears to grow the lead, as they went five minutes without a field goal.  However, they would push strong in the second part of the first half to make the deficit just two going into the break.

The second half would be just as close, as Stanford had the upper hand of just three points to give them the one point victory.  The difference maker was once again, senior, Taylor Greenfield, who finished the night with a career high 20 points.  Greenfield was also the difference maker in the semi-final victory over ASU, as she scored 17 on Saturday night.  Her amazing play over the two nights was good enough to be named tournament MVP.

Lili Thompson was second on the Cardinal in scoring, as she finished the night off with 13 points.  Orrange closely followed with 12.

Mercedes Jefflo continued to play extremely well, as the sophomore led the Bears with 16, keeping her team in the ball game.  She finished the night off nailing a three-pointer from the top of the key as the buzzard sounded to cut the loss to one.

Even with the loss, Cal is still expected to make the NCAA tournament, and are also expected to be a fourth seed in the tournament.  Like Stanford, the Berkley is also a host site for the first two rounds of the tournament, but in the Albany region.  Cal is expected to be a home team for the first two rounds.

By: Joe Lami

The Arizona State Sun Devils have been the thorn in the side for Stanford all season long, beating them in both appearances.  However, Stanford got their revenge on Saturday, as they outlasted the #9 Sun Devils 59-56 to move onto the Pac-12 Championship game on Sunday.

Arizona State had Stanford’s number this season, heading into Saturday nights contest defeating Stanford at Maples Pavilion by three and at Wells Fargo Arena by one.  The Cardinal were just not able to finish down the line when it mattered in both of those contests.

Arizona State pushed towards the end, once again, taking a one point lead with just 2:19 remaining, but were unable to score the rest of the way for Stanford to get the victory.

The Cardinal held Arizona State to a terrible shooting percentage of 32%, but the Sun Devils were able to stay in the contest as they were on fire from the charity strike shooting 16 of 21, as Stanford had way too many fouls, totaling 21.  There is no surprise that Sophie Brunner led the way for Arizona State, as the Sun Devils top scorer finished the night with 14 points.  Quinn Dornstauder came off the bench to add 13, including a perfect five of five from the free throw line.

Seniors, Amber Orrange and Taylor Greenfield, led Stanford in scoring with 18 and 17 respectively, as they were really the only players to get anything done for Stanford.  Greenfield was able to hit the game winning jumper with just 44 seconds remaining, taking a 57-56 lead.  The Cardinal later added two free throws to get to the final score.

Next up for the Cardinal, their rival, the California Golden Bears, as the two will square off for the Pac-12 Championship game.  Cal advanced to the game defeating Colorado 68-55.  Stanford is 1-1 against Cal this season, as each team earned a road victory last month.  Either way, both teams are pretty much automatic shoe-ins for the NCAA tournament, predicted to each be a four-seed, making the game for bragging rights on top of the Pac-12 title.

By: Joe Lami

The playoff hopes for the San Jose Sharks are getting smaller as they were handed a painful home loss to the Vancouver Canucks 3-2 on Saturday night.  The night started great for San Jose as they went up early, getting two goals in the first 12 minutes of the first period, but Vancouver was able to score three unanswered to bring home the victory, and strengthen their playoff contention.

With frustration of the loss the Sharks handed to the Canucks on Tuesday night, Vancouver started the game extremely aggressive.  Just 2:05 into it, things started to get dicey.  What started with a check from Brendan Dillion on Janek Hansen turned into a blood bath, where nearly every player on the ice got into an altercation.  Vancouver would somehow come out of it with a power play, that were not able to capitalize on, but the energy was definitely turned up.

The Sharks took advantage of the early fight, as Melker Karlsson started the scoring for San Jose, putting his eleventh of the year past Canucks’ goaltender, Eddie Lack.  The goal was set up on a point shot from Marc Edouard Vlassic  that kicked out to the left circle, where Karlsson picked it up and fired far side beating Lack’s glove side to put the Sharks up early.

San Jose would add another less than four minutes later.  This time off the stick of Joe Thornton for his 13th goal of the season.  Once again, a strong rebound was given up by Lack, and Thornton was in the right place at the right time, as he slammed the power play goal into the net from the right side.  However, the bounces would stop going San Jose’s way.

Vancouver would pick up momentum late in the first period, as they were able to get on the board, as Radim Vrbata scored his first goal of the evening with just 29 seconds remaining in the period.  Vrbata used a little bit of trickery to beat Antti Niemi, as he went behind the net, looking like he was looking for a wrap-around, he stopped came back to the same side and was able to slide it past the Sharks’ net-minder.  Sharks’ coach, Todd McLellan commented on the goal “that’s one Niemi probably wants back”.  The Sharks went into intermission with the 2-1 lead.

The Sharks best chance of the game that didn’t find its way home occurred in the second period, when Patrick Marleau had a wide open net at the left side of the goal mouth and he wasn’t able to tap it home.  Marleau commented on the missed opportunity, “I went to stop it, and missed it.  It went off the toe of my blade”.

Vancouver, once again, was able to capitalize on the Sharks’ misfortunes tying things up 16:24 into the second period, when a bad hop went over the stick of defenseman, Brent Burns, and led to the eventual breakaway goal for Bo Horvat.  Hornet skated in on the left side and just chipped it over the should of Niemi.  “It was a bad bounce, and then Burns got beat getting back,” added McLellan. The game was tied at two going into the final frame

The hockey gods were not helping the Sharks on Saturday night, as the puck would just not find its way home in the third period.  The bad luck would start just 1:09 into the period, when a scramble at the goal mouth would find the puck crossing the line, but after the referee blew his whistle.  The goal was taken away from Tommy Wingles, who said “the whistle was blown, and the referee let us know.  He was decisive, which is better than a ref that can’t make up there mind”. 

Vancouver was able to capitalize on the Sharks’ misfortune, when they took the lead 5:21 into the third.  Radim Vrbata put his second home of the game on a 4 on 3 power play goal.  It was set up on an offensive zone draw, that led to a scramble.  Vrbata was able to pick the puck up in the left circle bring it over to the right, and out wait Niemi who went down, as he flipped it over Niemi for the eventual game winner.

The bad puck luck would continue, when it looked like San Jose tied the game, on what would have been Thomas Hertl’s 11th goal of the season, but the puck hit the post and bounced back out.  “We didn’t have puck luck on either side tonight,” added McLellan.

The loss for San Jose puts them in a bind in terms of playoff contention.  Vancouver was four points ahead of them in the standings, good enough for second in the Pacific division, making this game so crucial.  Tommy Wingles commented on the loss “it was painful because they were a team we’ve been chasing”.

With the loss, the Sharks still have 72 points in 66 games played.  They are four points back of the closest playoff spot, third in the pacific division, held by Calgary whose holding 76 points in 65 games played.  The game in hand will occur tomorrow for the Flames, as they travel to Canada’s capital to take on the Senators.

The Sharks have another tough opponent on their docket, as Sidney Crosby, and the Pittsburg Penguins come into town on Tuesday night.  The Pens are currently sitting third right now in the Metro division with 85 points, picking up two on an overtime win over Los Angeles on Saturday.

By DANIEL DULLUM
Sports Radio Service
Saturday, March 7, 2015

TEMPE, Arizona – After suffering a season-worst drubbing two days ago against Arizona, California did what it wanted to do Saturday afternoon – jump to a big lead against Arizona State.

The Bears did exactly that, leading 13-5 4 1/2 minutes into the game. But ASU erased that deficit by the end of the first half and held on for a 74-70 Pac-12 men’s basketball victory.

“That’s what happens when you don’t let your seniors all start on Senior Day,” ASU Coach Herb Sendek said, noting the unselfishness of senior reserves Jonathan Gilling and Bo Barnes choosing not to start their final home game at Wells Fargo Arena. “After falling behind early, our guys kept their poise and played great defense in the last 2/3 of the first half – that was our best defensive stretch.”

The Bears (17-14 overall, 7-11 Pac-12) were mauled 99-60 by Arizona on Thursday in Tucson, and hoped for an outcome that would help secure the sixth seed in the upcoming Pac-12 tournament. Arizona State (17-14 overall, 9-9 Pac-12) finishes no lower than sixth with the win.

“It was a hard fought game. We gave ourselves a chance but came up short,” Bears Coach Cuonzo Martin said. “I thought (Savon) Goodman did a good job of getting rebounds and making plays. They competed and they battled. Both teams battled. We got off to a great start and just came up short.”

Guard Tyrone Wallace scored 18 of his game-high 23 points in the second half, hitting a pair of 3-pointers down the stretch and ignoring the fabled Curtain of Distraction by hitting 5 of 7 free throws. Jabari Bird scored 13 points for Cal, with Jordan Mathews and Sam Singer adding 11 points each.

As a team, Arizona State hit 44 percent (28 of 64) from the floor, but missed 7 of 11 free throws in the second half. Shaquielle McKissic, who was sizzling in the Sun Devils’ Thursday night win over Stanford, continued where he left off by leading ASU with 21 points.

“Shaq was huge for us,. He played with a lot of confidence,” Sendek said. “Bo Barnes hitting those four free throws down the stretch was huge as well. It was a good team win on a very short turnaround.”

Savon Goodman added 18 points and eight rebounds for Arizona State, while Gerry Blakes contributed 16 points and Eric Jacobson grabbed eight boards as ASU outrebounded Cal 40-37.

“Savon killed us down low,” Bears guard Tyrone Wallace said. “I thought we fought, we came back with a run and just didn’t have enough.”

Cal missed its first six free throws against the Curtain of Distraction and finished the game 4-for-11 after going 4-for-4 in the first half. The notorious Curtain is only used in the second half when the visiting team shoots toward the student section.

After Cal built a 22-12 lead, the Sun Devils used a five-minute, 16-4 run to surge ahead for the first time on a Blakes layup with 5:10 remaining in the first half. ASU then broke a 28-28 tie with a 7-2 run to close out the half, taking a 35-32 lead into the lockerroom.

The Sun Devils took a 52-42 lead on a three-point play by McKissic with 14:05 left in the second half. Cal pulled to within 56-54 on a David Kravish lay-in. After a Jacobson tip-in put ASU up by 63-52, the Bears used a 10-2 run, capped by a Kravish layup with 1:32 left, to pull with 65-63.

Wallace buried a 3-pointer with 30 seconds remaining to bring Cal to within 67-66, but the Sun Devils were in the two-shot bonus and pulled away with three free throws by McKissic and four by Barnes. Wallace hit one final 3-pointer with :15.3 to play and an uncontested layup with :06 left.

“That’s the play that we scripted and we run in practice,” Martin said.”I thought we got the look we wanted but it just didn’t go in.”

“After I made the 3, we had to foul,” Wallace explained. “After they got a 3, we designed a play to get either Jordan or Jamari to go off the pick and get a shot. We got the shot we wanted and it just didn’t go down.”

Arizona State spent the final 3 1/2 minutes in the two-shot bonus after Christian Behrens picked up the Bears’ 10th team foul of the half. Jordan Mathews fouled out with five seconds left, while Wallace and Jabari Bird each finished with four personals.

Cal was whistled for 23 fouls, including a technical on Roge Moute A Bidias late in the first half, while ASU was called for 16.

“It’s never fun to get into foul trouble because it gets you out of the flow of the game, especially when we were up early,” Kravish said. “Arizona State did a great job of battling, but the fouls just get you out of the flow and it’s very frustrating.”

“Losing David (Kravish) hurt because he’s our best post man,” Wallace said. “Right now, he’s about the only one we can throw the ball in to and expect him to score on his own. He’s also a rim protector, so when he’s out, it changes the game and it really hurts.”

A 2-for-20 shooting stretch midway through in the second half didn’t help the Bears, either.

““I just think we had some foul trouble,” Martin said. “One of the things again, just like the last game, when David Kravish goes out you don’t have that low-post production so it’s hard to get the ball inside like you need to and everything is really on the perimeter. Tyrone (Wallace) got two fouls, so when you have two of your better scorers and leaders on the bench that makes it tough when you’re playing against a good team that really pressures you and gets in the passing lanes. But that’s what’s to be expected.”

The Pac-12 men’s basketball tournament starts Wednesday at MGM Arena in Las Vegas. Seedings will be announced later. Because of their overall record, the Bears could also be headed to the National Invitation Tournament.

“The most important thing for us is to get back home safely and we’ll go from there,” Martin said. “I think that’s the biggest thing. That and we have to get ready for the Pac-12 Tournament before we do anything else.”

“We’re working hard to get better every day, and we played much better than we did against Arizona,” Kravish said. “We’re just trying to take steps to improve because there’s still an automatic berth up for grabs, and it’s anybody’s tournament.

“If somebody wants to sit back on their heels and think they have it made, we’ll take them.”

The announced crowd was 5,619 for ASU’s home finale.

By: Joe Lami

The Stanford Cardinal held on in a nail biting win over UCLA in the second round of the Pac-12 tournament on Friday afternoon, as they beat the Bruins 67-62.  UCLA was coming off of an impressive 80-62 victory over the Arizona Wildcats in the first round, while Stanford got Thursday off with a first round bye.

Stanford led the entire contest, except for a one-minute period early in the first half, where they fell behind by two.  Even with leading the entire way, however, UCLA kept it close.  This was the case especially down the line, as the Bruins had a late push, going on a 11-0 run with 8:30 remaining to pull within one.  The run ended when Taylor Greenfield hit a free throw with 5:25 left.  The bruins were able to tie it at 56-56 with the next trip down the floor when Kacy Swain hit her jumper.  However, that would be UCLA’s last bucket until 2:15, as the Cardinal were able to go on a 5-0 run that ended up being the difference maker, as UCLA was unable to make the comeback.

Amber Orrange led all scorers with 18 points, as the Stanford senior also contributed three assists.  Lili Thompson finished the day just four of ten from the field, but was still able to manage 14 points to become the Cardinal’s second top scorer.  Erica McCall capped off the double digit scorers with ten.

Jordin Canada finished as UCLA’s top scorer with 15.  Kari Korver added 12, and Swain finished with ten.

The Cardinal will move onto the semi-finals of the tournament, where they will take on Arizona State on Saturday.  Arizona State has the Cardinal’s number this year beating them in both meeting, so Stanford will look to exact their revenge.

By DANIEL DULLUM
Sports Radio Service
Thursday, March 5, 2015

TEMPE, Arizona – Following Arizona State’s 67-62 men’s basketball win over Stanford late Thursday – very late – at Wells Fargo Arena, Sun Devils Coach Herb Sendek found himself fielding yet more questions about the notorious Curtain of Distraction.

“I was asked to divulge the secret of the Curtain of Distraction this morning on the Today show,” Sendek said. “I did not give in to their pressure. I would not yield!

For those who haven’t heard, the Curtain of Distraction is a bizarre form of pantomime by ASU students designed to distract opposing free throw shooters that has drawn national attention. Stanford handled their antics – involving faux sharks, goats, etc. – as well as anyone, hitting 6 of 9 free throws in the second half.

“I’ve answered more questions about the Curtain than I have about (former Sun Devil) James Hardin,” Sendek added. “It’s just a mythical thing. Nothing more.”

Stanford (18-11 overall, 9-8 Pac-12) had other problems – most notably the early exit of starting forward Michael Humphrey, who left with an ankle injury four minutes into the first half.

“Michael’s been playing so well and we’re used to him having an impact on the game for us, whether it’s shot blocking, rebounding or being able to score inside,” Cardinal Coach Johnny Dawkins said. “It was a tough blow that came at an inopportune time for us.

“We’ll have to have the trainer take a look at him tonight and see where he is. Hopefully, it’s not a severe injury.”

Aside from the Curtain’s side show, the second half provided a brisker pace than the first 20 minutes. Trailing 37-23 at the break, Stanford methodically put together a 24-10 run to tie the game at 47-47, capped by an Anthony Brown 3-pointer with 10:

But the Cardinal were unable to surge ahead. Shaquielle McKissic responded with a three-point play to put ASU ahead to stay with 10:16 left. Though a tip-in by Stefan Nastic pulled Stanford to within 52-51 with 7:55 remaining, the Cardinal would get no closer, as Arizona State built and maintained leads of four to six points down the stretch.

The game was tied six times, with four lead changes. Arizona State (16-14 overall, 8-9 Pac-12) snapped a two-game losing streak while handing the Cardinal their second straight loss.

“This was a gut-check win,” Sendek said. “To bounce back from the last two losses we had the way we did it was something to be proud of.”

McKissick, a senior forward from Seattle, finished with a career-high 23 points – 9 of 15 from the floor, including two 3-pointers – to go with a team-high seven rebounds. Tra Holder added 15 points for the Sun Devils.

Many of McKissick’s points came from slashing, physical drives to the basket, including one in the first half that involved a blind layup as he was being fouled.

“I always encourage Shaq to drive to the hole,” Sendek said. “Whether we’re facing a man or zone defense, it doesn’t matter. Shaq is always best when he’s able to get into the paint.”

Nastic and Chasson Randle each had 16 points to lead Stanford. Randle was 4 of 13 from the floor overall, 4 of 10 behind the 3-point arc. Randle’s 3-point shooting helped the Cardinal stay in the game in the final 10 minutes.

Stanford outrebounded the Sun Devils 36-29. Reid Travis pulled down eight boards to lead the Cardinal with Nastic adding six.

Both teams struggled from the floor in the first half, with the game tied 8-8 after eight minutes. Part of Stanford’s problem was turnovers and a stingy sagging zone defense by ASU. The game was tied again at 11-11 and 13-13 before the Sun Devils forged an 8-2 run, capped by a Roosevelt Scott jumper.

Stanford came back with a 6-0 run to knot the game again at 23-23 on a pair of Nastic free throws with 3:23 left in the half. Arizona State responded with a 12-0 run to close the half, sparked by a Holder 3-pointer, a three-point play by McKissic, and a technical foul against Nastic that led to two Gerry Blakes free throws.

The Cardinal travel to Tucson for a Saturday afternoon game against Arizona on CBS. California visits ASU at 11:30 a.m. PST.

“It’s another tough team,” Dawkins said of U of A. “But there are terrific teams all across the Pac-12 Conference.”

On looking ahead to the Pac-12 Tournament, Dawkins said, “We’re just trying to get our rotations down, now that most everybody is back. We’ll try to reinsert Rosco Allen as we try to get our rhythm and continuity back.”

The announced crowd of 5,345 was a direct reflection of the 9 p.m. tipoff to accommodate Fox Sports 1.

By: Joe Lami

After coming off their biggest conference win of the season, the Stanford Cardinal fell to the Oregon Ducks 62-55 on Sunday. The win for the Ducks marks the end of an 18-game losing streak the Ducks had with Stanford, with their last win being in December of 2004.

Stanford had a one-point lead at the half, but it was all Oregon in the second. The Ducks took control with a 15-2 run, as the Cardinal went cold. The poor shooting for Stanford continued, as they went three of ten in a span lasting almost seven minutes.

Jillian Alleyne led the way for Oregon with 22 points. She also brought down 12 rebounds, for her 27^th double-double of the year, leading the NCAA in that category. Lexi Peterson and Amanda Delgado were the other Ducks getting into double digits, with 11 and 10 respectively.

Lili Thompson led the Cardinal in scoring with 14 points, but while doing so only shot 6 of 14. Amber Orrange closely followed with 13 points, but also shot extremely poor 6 of 15. Kaylee Johnson led the team in rebounds with 11.

The Cardinal close out the season with a 21-9 record and 13-5 in conference, good enough to finish third in the Pac-12. They will have a first round bye in the Pac-12 tournament

By Jeremy Harness

STANFORD – Sunday’s game at Maples Pavilion was, in a lot of ways, a microcosm of how Stanford’s entire season has gone thus far.

The Cardinal started off strong in the first half but hit a snag before roaring back in the second half to take the lead. Then a back-breaking turnover by Chasson Randle and a trio of free throws made by Oregon in the final minute of a tie game sent the Cardinal reeling off the court after a 73-70 loss that planted them in fifth place in the Pac-12 standings with two games to play in the regular season.

In other words, Stanford (18-10, 9-7 Pac-12) is once again a middle-of-the-road basketball team that is capable of a big splash early but has yet to show that it is a top-flight program under coach Johnny Dawkins, who has been rumored to be on the hot seat for the past two years.

Meanwhile, Oregon (22-8, 12-5 Pac-12) continued its upward trend, winning its fourth straight game and is on its way to cementing its third position in the Pac-12 with one game to play before the conference tournament starts.

The Ducks’ game plan on Sunday was to turn high-scoring guard Chasson Randle into a distributor and dare someone else to beat them, a strategy that worked wonderfully for Oregon at the tail end of the first half.

Randle only had five points and three shots in the first 20 minutes, and the rest of the team struggled to knock down shots with any consistency. Stanford shot only 36 percent from the floor while making only one of their seven 3-point attempts.

While the Cardinal misfired from the field late in the first half, Oregon was afforded the opportunity to get back into the game, and the Ducks grabbed the lead late in the half and led 36-30 at the break.

Early in the second half, the lighting on one side of the arena, as well as most of the scoreboard, had the power go out, and at the same time, Stanford began to rally. While Oregon’s offense slowed down, the Cardinal found the range from behind the arc, as Randle awoke from his slumber to score five points in the first five minutes of the half to help bring the game to a 44-44 tie.

Randle finished with 17 points on 6-of-18 shooting, and his ability to maneuver with the ball in traffic kept the Stanford offense on track for two reasons: either he was able to finish at the rim, or his highly-contested layups allowed for several offensive-rebound opportunities, on which the Cardinal repeatedly cashed in.

The comeback was complete when Stefan Nastic’s three-point play gave Stanford the lead back, 47-44 with 13:44 left.

Oregon was driven by Joseph Young and Elgin Cook – each of them finished with 21 points – as well as Dwayne Benjamin, who had 15, and each had a hand in keeping the Ducks in the game and giving them the lead back in the final two minutes.

After tying the game on two Nastic free throws, Stanford had a big chance to once again seize control with 47 seconds left, as they trapped along the baseline and created a turnover.

The Cardinal could not get the final breakthrough, though. On the ensuing possession, while working off the pick-and-roll that had been instrumental in their rally, Randle threw a bad pass right to Benjamin, who was fouled before he could rise up and dunk.

He made one of his two foul shots, giving the Ducks a one-point lead with 14 seconds left while Stanford had the last shot for the victory. However, Randle’s last weave through traffic was not successful, and Young was fouled and made both of his free throws.

The loss was sealed when the Cardinal, with no time-outs left, could get the ball out of the backcourt with three seconds left.