Tag: Stanford Cardinal

Northeastern Trails Close Throughout, Stanford Comes Out With 73-59 Win

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

Photo credit: @StanfordMBB

By Alexandra Evans

PALO ALTO — The Stanford Cardinal men’s basketball team faced the Northeastern Huskies this afternoon, who traveled to the Golden State from chilly Boston.

Both teams were strong on offense and defense in the first half; almost no rebounds were missed on both sides. Stanford managed to exceed Northeastern in points by nine after the first 20 minutes. With Stanford’s six team fouls (compared to Northeastern’s four), Northeastern had three opportunities for free throws, all of which were missed. Northeastern’s Donnell Gresham Jr. made a three-pointer from the center of the court in the last three seconds. The ending score was 33-24 Stanford, who managed to keep a lead over the Huskies throughout the first half.

The second half commenced with fast-paced back-and-forth action. After a Stanford foul 18 seconds in, both teams took turns making each attempted basket in the first five minutes, bringing each of their scores up by more than 10 points.

Northeastern made numerous three-pointer attempts in the first 10 minutes of the second half, but none were successful until Huskies’ Bolden Brace notched one just after the 10-minute mark. Northeastern would then score three more three-pointers in the remainder (comprising part of their 59 points at the end of the match). Stanford only had two three-point shots, but managed to overthrow Northeastern with numerous two-pointers.

Almost three-quarters of the way into the second half (nearing the 14-minute mark), the Huskies only trailed the Cardinal by four points, and then only by two points at 14:30. Isaac White then made a three-pointer to bring the score to 60-55 Stanford at 14:45, then Michael Humphrey made both free throws after Brace was fouled.

A great block by (#13 S) prevented the Huskies’ Devon Begley from making a shot-clock beating basket. #13 then made a three-pointer with just under a minute left in the match, barely beating the shot clock.

The final score was 73-59 Stanford. Both teams finished with 36 rebounds (the only even statistic of the game).

Stanford forward Michael Humphrey and guard Daejon Davis shared their thoughts on the match in a post-game conference. Despite the win, both believed there is substantial room for overall improvement.

“In the middle of the second half [the whole team] got caught up in the emotions of the game,” Humphrey noted. “But all of us calmed down and ended the game strong, which is what we needed to do.”

“Northeastern is a great offensive rebounding team, but we can’t give up that many offensive boards. Especially with a team our size and our athleticism…If we don’t make the boards, we have a really good chance of winning.”

Davis added, “Any time we come out with a win, I’m always up, no matter who contributed and how we got it done. A win makes everyone feel good, but we, as a team, definitely have so many things to improve on. We can’t have that dip we had in the second half; we need to keep our energy up for 40 minutes. I am just waiting for us to put together a full game on both the offensive and defensive ends all the way through, with energy and effort.”

Coach Jerod Haase expressed excitement when Northeastern managed to score a buzzer-beating three pointer before halftime. Haase was curious as to how much effort the team would put into bouncing back and cultivating a lead in the double digits again. To him, this was the biggest testament.

“[Responses as such are] a very, very important step, when [the team] can believe that when things go a bit south, we can respond to that,” Haase contended.

Next up, Stanford will face the North Carolina Tar Heels on Monday, November 20 at Maples Pavilion.

Stanford stuns No. 9 Washington in 30-22 win

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

Photo credit: @StanfordFball

By: Ana Kieu

PALO ALTO, Calif. — The unranked Stanford Cardinal stunned the No. 9 Washington Huskies in a 30-22 win at Stanford Stadium on Friday night.

The 120th Big Game against the Cal Bears is next week, but the Cardinal’s game against the Huskies was also a pretty big deal. This unbalanced matchup was Stanford’s biggest regular-season Pac-12 game since the Cal game in 2015.

In case you haven’t already heard, a loss would eliminate the Cardinal from the Pac-12 North title race and put the Huskies in the driver’s seat as they look for a second straight conference title. So if Stanford pulls off a win, they’d have to beat Cal, and hope that Washington State has a third conference loss to Utah or Washington. Stanford will then hold a head-to-head tiebreaker over Washington.

This was the only Pac-12 game this evening, and the Huskies won the coin toss at the beginning of the contest. The opening drive stalled near midfield, Jake Bailey had a stunning boot, and Washington started their first drive at their own 12.

Besides the thoughts in the minds of Cardinal fans, it was almost expected that the Huskies would strike first—and they did. Myles Gaskin ran for a two-yard touchdown, and the PAT kick by Tristan Vizcaino was good. The Huskies took a late 7-0 lead with 6:16 left in the opening quarter.

The Huskies held onto the same 7-0 lead over the Cardinal at the end of the first quarter.

The Cardinal got even with the Huskies early in the second quarter. Bryce Love rushed for a one-yard touchdown, the PAT kick by J.J. Parson was good, and Stanford tied the game at seven apiece at the 14:55 mark.

But the Huskies didn’t waste any time in regaining the lead (14-7) as Myles scored his second rushing touchdown of the game, a 15-yarder, just 3:18 later.

The Cardinal pulled within four after Jet Toner kicked a 38-yard field goal with 1:32 left in the second quarter. Though, the Huskies continued to hold onto a 14-10 lead.

Joel Whitford punted 42 yards to the Stanford 25, a fair catch was made by Jay Tyler, and the Cardinal’s drive began on the Washington 42 with 46 seconds left.

The Huskies did what was expected and carried a 14-10 lead to the locker room at end of the first half against the Cardinal.

Both the Cardinal and Huskies were fired up for the second half of the game. Stanford’s defense forced a Washington three-and-out to start the second half. The Washington offense started at their own 35.

The Cardinal took their first lead of the night on Love’s second rushing touchdown of the game, a 13-yarder, to get ahead 17-14 with 9:15 left in the third quarter.

The Cardinal added to their existing lead on a 32-yard field goal by Toner, who gave Stanford a 20-14 lead with just one second left, and that was the score after three quarters.

Toner kicked another field goal, a 31-yarder, to expand the Cardinal’s lead to 23-14 at the 11:45 mark of the fourth quarter.

The Cardinal added to their lead on Love’s third rushing touchdown of the game, a nine-yarder, to make it 30-14 with 8:48 left in the quarter. The PAT kick by Toner was good.

The Huskies didn’t back down just yet. Gaskin scored his third rushing touchdown of the game on a one-yard rush. Washington decided to go for the two-point conversion, which turned out to be successful. However, the Cardinal continued to lead 30-22 with 4:22 left in regulation.

And, finally, the Cardinal (7-3) beat the Huskies (8-2) by a score of 30-22 at home.

Notes
Houston Astros manager, former MLB catcher, and Stanford alumni A.J. Hinch gave the Cardinal team a wonderful message before the game. Hinch said: “Every game is an elimination game. If you could have done more, then you didn’t do enough. Be accountable to yourself, and be accountable to your teammates.”

Tonight’s attendance at Stanford Stadium was 44,589.

Love notched his eighth 100-yard rushing game. He’s tied for most in the FBS.

Up Next
The Cardinal host the Cal Bears on Saturday, November 18.

The Huskies host the Utah Utes on Saturday, November 18.

Washington State edges Cardinal in the snow 24-21

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

Photo credit: @18dMedia

By Daniel Dullum
Sports Radio Service
Saturday, November 4, 2017

Washington State effectively bottled up the injured Bryce Love, then pushed across a go-ahead touchdown midway through the fourth quarter, as the No. 25 Cougars stunned the visiting No. 18 Cardinal 24-21 Saturday in Pac-12 football at snowy Martin Stadium in Pullman, Wash.

With the victory, the Cougars (8-2 overall, 5-2 Pac-12) stayed in the Pac-12 North race. The Cardinal (6-3, 5-2) had not played in the snow since 1936, in a game against Columbia in New York.

The snow started falling heavily at the end of the first quarter.

The Cougars’ 94-yard winning drive was capped by an 11-yard touchdown pass from Luke Falk to Jamire Calvin with 6:56 remaining in the game.

Falk needed 132 passing yards to break the Pac-12 career record of 13,600 established by Sean Mannion of Oregon State. Falk was 34 of 48 passing for 337 yards, three touchdowns and one interception. He needs three more touchdown passes to become the conference’s all-time leader in that category.

Cardinal quarterback K.J. Costello took advantage of a fortuitous bounce when he fumbled a snap. The ball bounced back into his hands, and Costello ran for a 14-yard touchdown pulling Stanford to within 17-14 in the third quarter.

On the Cougars’ next possession, Falk’s pass on fourth-and-one from midfield was intercepted by Bobby Okereke, who returned the pick 52 yards for a Stanford touchdown, giving the Cardinal a 21-17 lead.

After WSU regained the lead and chewed up three minutes of clock near the end of the fourth quarter, Frankie Lubu’s interception of a Costello pass ended the Cardinal’s final threat.

Love was held to 69 rushing yards, his lowest total of the season. Slowed by an ankle injury, Love came into the game as the nation’s leading rusher, averaging 198 yards per game.

After scoring on a 52-yard touchdown run on Stanford’s first play of the second quarter, Love ran 15 more times for 17 yards.

WSU outgained the Cardinal 430 yards to 198 in total offense.

Up Next
The Cardinal returns to The Farm this Friday night to host No. 12 Washington.

Stanford Cardinal Men’s Basketball Resist Claws of Chico State Wildcats, Win 91-81

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

Photo: @StanfordMBB

By Alexandra Evans

PALO ALTO–With eight days remaining until the regular season, the Stanford Cardinal men’s basketball team commenced with an exhibition match against the Chico State Wildcats on Thursday, November 2.

The Cardinal welcomes five new additions to the team this year:

Kezie Okpala of Los Angeles, CA (6’8”, 195 pounds)
Daejon Davis of Seattle, WA (6’3”, 175 pounds)
Isaac White of Adelaide, Australia (6’1”, 185 pounds)
Kodye Pugh of Baltimore, MD (6’8”, 205 pounds)
Oscar Da Silva of Munich, Germany (6’9”, 210 pounds)

The first half started off smoothly for the Cardinal as forward Reid Travis made a shot less than a minute in. Just before the 10 minute mark, the Wildcats trailed the Cardinal by 11 points.

Chico began to step up their game about 15 minutes into the first half; the Wildcats trailed the Cardinal by seven points. Keith Datu, a Chico forward, then made a three-pointer and the Wildcats were only down by four with 3:33 remaining.

The score was tied at 17:00 exactly, when Marcus Sheffield made both free throws after a foul just over 10 seconds later.

Just before the 18:00 mark, two Chico players tried to tip the ball from the rim into the hoop, but Stanford’s Josh Sharma got the defensive rebound, keeping the score tied.

Chico’s Nate Ambrosini shot a three pointer, giving the Wildcats a 33-31 lead.

The score was tied 35-35 at halftime, signifying a decline in Stanford’s defensive plays.

A slam dunk just under 30 seconds into the second half by Travis gave Stanford a 37-36 lead. Minimal, but a step in the right direction. Travis then made one free throw, one basket, and another free throw to give Stanford a 41-36 lead.
The first eight minutes of the second half were a scoring frenzy. Stanford kept the lead, though there were very few moments where Chico trailed by more than five points. Envision a lion (predator) chasing a gazelle (prey). Chico’s score represents the lion’s movement and Stanford’s score represents the gazelle’s. Over the course of these eight minutes, the lion got close enough to nip the gazelle’s tail off. After the eight minute mark, the gazelle uses every single ounce of energy in its system to outrun the lion, which it eventually escapes.

In sports terminology, Stanford kicked things into overdrive after the eight minute “no more than five points ahead” stint and stepped up their game substantially about nine minutes in. They brought the score to 63-48 in the blink of an eye. They eventually exceeded Chico by 23 points (86-63), Travis making a majority of the baskets. Stanford kept the lead, which never dropped below 10 points the entire last half of the second period.

The final score was 91-81.

Travis was, undoubtedly, the stars of the game. He and fellow Marcus Sheffield sat down with the media after the match.

“I like the way we attacked,” Travis said. “I felt that on offense we tried to do the right thing as far as getting to the paint, getting to the buckets. I did not like the way we did not distribute that in the first half. That was a big emphasis on the offseason.”

“I think it just clicked for us,” Sheffield said of the eventual 23-point lead. “We had a few guys step up and play hard, get a few stops, and we were able to run out and get some easy baskets.”

Head Coach Jerod Haase then stepped into the conference room.

“I like the way the guys responded in the variety of times that I challenged them,” Haase remarked. “Competing on the defensive end, sharing the basketball on the offensive end, they responded to the things I said, I liked that. Defensively, there were certainly a lot of teachable moments out there. The energy was not consistent. Chico State has good defense, we weren’t ready for it. It is definitely something we can work on.”

Expected growing pains are present among the team, especially with a number of rookies and with a few absences, such as Cameron Walker who is dealing with injuries off the court. However, if the team continues to work in tandem as they had in the second half, the season should progress smoothly.

College basketball debuts at the Golden 1 Center: UC Davis downs Sac State 81-72

Published on by Charlie O. MalloneeLeave a comment

by Charlie O. Mallonee

sac-state
Photo: hornetsports.com

SACRAMENTO–History was made tonight at the Golden 1 Center when the Sacramento State Hornets and the UC Davis Aggies Men’s basketball teams met for their annual “Causeway Classic” game. It was the first NCAA game to be played in the new entertainment and sports complex in the Capital City.

Both programs were winners because of the attention the game drew from the community at large. On the court, UC Davis (4-1) downed Sacramento State (1-3) 81-72.

UC Davis used high-percentage shots in the paint along with an outstanding 3-point shooting barrage to defeat very physical Sacramento State team.

50-percent was the Aggies number

UC Davis shot 50-percent from the floor (29-for-58). The Aggies also shot 50-percent from beyond the 3-point line (8-for-16). They hit five of those 3-pointers in the second half which helped propel them to the win. Brynton Lemar was the Aggies leading 3-point shooter going 3-for-5 from long range.

The Aggies had five players in double-figures

  • Guard Brynton Lemar was UC Davis’ leading scorer with 23 points. He was also the assists leader with five. This was the second time this season he has been the Aggies top scorer.
  • Forward Moneke Chima posted a double-double scoring 15 points and grabbing 13 rebounds
  • Mikey Henn put up 13 points coming off the bench
  • J.T. Adenrele and Darius Graham each scored 10 points against the Hornets

img_0089_moment2

Sacramento State shot strong in the first half but dropped off in the second half

The Hornets shot 45.5-percent (15-for-33) in the opening half. That allowed them to go in at halftime trailing by just two points. In the second half, that shooting touch went away. Sac State shot just 29.4-percent (10-for-34) in the closing half.

The Hornets 3-point shooting finished at just 25-percent (7-for-28). Head coach Brian Katz pointed at taking too many 3-point shots as one of his team’s weaknesses in the game.

The Hornets had four players score in double-figures

  • Grant Dressler was Sac State’s leading scorer with 15 points. He went 3-for-4 from long range and 4-for-4 from the free throw line
  • Forward Nick Hornsby put up 14 points shooting 50-percent from the field (6-for-12)
  • Forward Justin Strings recorded a double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds
  • Guard Marcus Graves added 12 points to the Hornets total production

img_0083

What they said after the game

“We challenged the guys at halftime and these guys responded. They made the changes that were needed, ramped up their physicality and intensity. That turned the tide in tonight’s game, in my opinion,” said UC Davis head coach Jim Les whose team held a two-point lead at halftime.

“I thought we were able to wear down a well-coached Sacramento State team, and take advantage of that fatigue throughout the last 10 minutes of the game,” added Les.

“It is crazy now that the game is over and I am able to look back at that shot. That was never my plan, I was open in the corner and took the shot. I can always tell my kids that I played in the first college game and made the first basket too. They can believe me, or not, but it’s true,” said Darius Graham talking about his three-point basket that was the first collegiate points scored in the Golden 1 Center.

“Their offense is built around penetration and kick. I thought they did a great job looking for him,” Sacramento State head coach Brian Katz talking about the Aggies finding Brynton Lemar on offense.

“I think we shot too many 3’s,” said Katz. “I give their defense credit for that. I don’t like to lose and then make excuses and say we didn’t play well. I think it had a lot to do on how they guarded us. They did a great job with that.”

What’s next for the Aggies and the Hornets

The Aggies head north for the GCI Great Alaska Shootout in Anchorage that begins on Thursday night. Their first opponent will be Weber State. The other teams in the tourney are Drake and Iona.

The Hornets will travel to Cheney, Washington to play in the Eastern Washington Tourney along with San Francisco and Denver on November 26 and 27.

Mark December 21, 2017 on your calendars now

The Kings and the Golden 1 Center announced on Monday night that Stanford and Kansas have been scheduled to play a NCAA Division I basketball game in Sacramento on December 21, 2017. They did not make an announcement about it being a doubleheader, but somehow I have the feeling that Sacramento State and UC Davis might be playing in the same building on that night as well.

Stanford blown out by Huskies on the road

Published on by Eric HeLeave a comment
The Cardinal were blown out by the Huskies on Friday (Jennifer Buchanan / USA Today Sports)
The Cardinal were blown out by the Huskies on Friday (Jennifer Buchanan / USA Today Sports)

By: Eric He

A week ago, No. 7 Stanford squeaked by unranked UCLA at the Rose Bowl. On Friday, the Cardinal had no such fortune, as they were blown out 44-6 by the No. 10 Washington Huskies up in Seattle.

Stanford’s offense struggled mightily, as quarterback Ryan Burns was sacked eight times and star running back Christian McCaffrey rushed for just 49 yards and no touchdowns.

Meanwhile, Huskies quarterback Jake Browning had three touchdowns on 15-of-21 passing as Washington scored the first 30 points of the game.

A 3-yard touchdown pass from Browning to Dante Pettis started the barrage for the Huskies in the first quarter; a four yard run for a score by Miles Gaskin later in the quarter put Washington ahead 16-0. In the second quarter, Browning found John Ross for a 19-yard score and Washington took a 23-0 advantage into halftime.

Meanwhile, the Cardinal had nothing going offensively. Their only points came on a 19-yard lob throw from Burns to JJ Arcega-Whiteside in the third quarter. Stanford also committed 11 penalties.

The 38-point defeat was the biggest loss by a top 10-ranked Stanford team in history, and it was Washington’s biggest win over a top-10 team since 1990.

The Cardinal host Washington State next week at Stanford Stadium.

Stanford Trips Up Ranked Runnin’ Utes in OT

Published on by Matthew HarringtonLeave a comment

By Matthew T.F. Harrington

photo credit: AP photo Utah Kyle Kuzma tried to stop a Stanford forward Rosco Allen shot on Friday night

STANFORD, Calif. – Stanford has a habit of making New Year’s Day memorable whenever they take the court. Prior to Friday night’s contest, in its lone January 1st appearance in 1938 Hank Luisetti set single-game school records in points (50) and field goals (23). Nobody scored 50 points at Maples Pavilion Friday, but the game was a standout showing in its own right.

The Stanford Cardinal came from behind to upset no. 21/22 Utah 70-68 in overtime, opening the New Year and Pac-12 play with a 1-0 record.

“Our guys have a big heart,” said Stanford coach Johnny Dawkins. “It’s not always pretty but they seem to find a way to give us a chance to win. That’s all you can ask for from a group.”

Rosco Allen and Marcus Sheffield scored 17 points for Stanford (8-4, 1-0) to give the Cardinal its 5th win in game 6 of a season-long 7 game homestand.

The freshman Sheffield stepped up big for the Cardinal in his first exposure to conference play. He was the only bench player to hit a field goal, going 7-for-13 from the floor.

“Growing up as a kid, I always dreamed of this,” said Sheffield. “Now that it’s coming to fruition it feels good.”

While Sheffield’s dreams are unfolding in front of him, for his coach and teammates visions of the forward’s potential are shining through.

“I think that will do wonders for his confidence,” said Dawkins. “To have that type of game on that type of stage. We believe in Marcus, it’s why we had him in there. I think he’s starting to realize some of the things he’s capable of doing. I still don’t think he’s fully realized how good he can be. He’s starting to figure it out.”

“He’s a super smooth player,” said Rosco Allen of Sheffield. “He’s really talented offensively. He has all the skills, all the moves in the books. He has the ability to take on guys one-on-one.”

While Sheffield wowed in regulation, Allen had an average regulation contest. The Hungarian-born baller battled foul trouble to produce just 10 points on 5-for-11 shooting. The senior turned it on in overtime however, scoring 5 of the Cardinal’s 7 points in the extra session.

“Rosco’s grown into that role,” said Dawkins. “He’s someone that everybody is confident in down the stretch.”

“I knew I had to come up clutch” said Allen. “We’ve done it before as a team, we did it against Arkansas so we had some experience with that.”

Stanford held Utah (11-3, 0-1) to 5 points in OT. But the Cardinal nearly didn’t make it to overtime.

Utah’s Brandon Taylor stepped up to the free throw line with 2 seconds left and the game tied 63-63. Taylor missed both shots from the charity stripe though and Stanford’s Dorian Pickens missed a heave at the buzzer to keep both teams knotted at 68-68 after 40 minutes.

Both Dawkins and Utah coach Larry Krystkowiak had to entrust major minutes to their reserves, with both teams finding their top players in danger of fouling out. Both team’s starting centers, Stanford’s Michael Humphrey and Utah’s Jakob Poeltl fouled out in the first 40 minutes. Poeltl was Utah’s leading scorer with 16 points but made himself unavailable for overtime after fouling out.

7 players in total, 3 from Stanford and 4 from Utah had 3 or more personal fouls in regulation. Both teams struggled from the free throw line, with Stanford going 14-for-25 and Utah hitting 11 of their 24 from the stripe.

“Maybe a little hangover from the Holidays,” said Dawkins with a chuckle.

The two teams engaged in a defensive dogfight in the first half, with Stanford hitting only 7 of 29 field goals. Utah was more successful from the field, hitting 12 of 23 would-be buckets but the Cardinal forced 10 Runnin’ Utes turnovers.

“Both teams defensively played exceptionally well,” said Dawkins. “They average 82 points a game. I thought our guys did a great job with their effort and energy to slow them down a bit.”

Despite forcing the visitors to mismanage the rock, Stanford still found itself down 30-21 at the half. The two teams were tied 10-10 halfway through the period, but Utah went on a 9-0 run to break the stalemate 19-10 with just under 7 minutes left in the half. The two teams would trade baskets down the stretch, each scoring 11 points to draw the half to an end.

“It was a match-up zone,” said Allen on the Utes defense. “We haven’t seen a lot of that this year. Give credit to them, we haven’t really seen it and we were stumped by it in the first half.”

The second half started much the way the first half ended, with the two teams trading baskets to maintain a double-digit Utes lead at 44-34 with 13:22 left in the game. The Cardinal roared back, scoring 11 of the next 12 points to tie the game at 45-all.

“Our defense was much more active in the second,” said Allen. “We got a lot more deflections. That gave us easier shots on the offensive end.”

Utah would regain the lead, but only get as far ahead as 5 points. With Stanford trailing by 4 in the final 34 seconds, Rosco Allen slammed home a dunk. After Jordon Loveridge missed a pair of free throws, Allen hit a floater over a pair of Utah defenders to tie the game up with 13 seconds. Marcus Allen was called for a foul on Utah’s next possession, and with both teams in the bonus, Brandon Taylor went to the line for his fateful free throw attempts.

With a close win in hand to open Pac-12 play, the Cardinal now turns its focus to a Sunday afternoon match-up with Colorado, another conference showdown.

Our conference is one of the toughest in the country,” said Dawkins. “We expect a battle every single night.”

For now though, Stanford knows it can hang with some of the tougher teams in the Nation.

“When you win a game like that I think it shows the possibilities,” said Dawkins. “As a coach we can always say ‘We believe in ourselves. We can win games like that.’ Until you do, kids will look at you like ‘I hear you coach’. But when you win one you have a reference point.”

 

Randle Scores Career Point 2,000 but Arizona Denies Cardinal Upset Bid

Published on by Matthew HarringtonLeave a comment

By Matthew T.F. Harrington

The Stanford Cardinal suffered its first home loss of the season, falling to 7th-ranked University of Arizona 89-82 Thursday night. Stanford led 41-39 at the half, but the Wildcats (17-2, 5-1 Pac-12) overpowered the hosts to move back into a tie with Utah at the top spot of the Pac-12 standings.

Stanford guard Chasson Randle scored a game-high 26 points, becoming the third player in program history to eclipse 2,000 career points. He now sits behind only Todd Lichti (2,336) and Adam Keefe (2,319) on the Cardinal scoring list.

Randle went 7-of-18 from the field and nailed all 10 free throws he attempted. Anthony Brown added 18 points for Stanford (13-5, 4-2).

Arizona’s Player of the Year candidate Stanley Johnson scored 19 points while junior forward Brandon Ashely picked up 17.

Thursday’s contest featured a combined 51 fouls, including 28 on Stanford. The Cardinal hit 24 of 31 attempts from the charity stripe while Arizona converted on 24 of 36 free throws.

Stanford looks to start a new home winning streak after taking its first 9 at Maples Pavilion when Arizona State heads to the Farm. The Sun Devils are currently two wins behind the Cardinal in conference play, having won a pair of their six Pac-12 games.

Brown Leads Charge in Cardinal Comeback Over Denver

Published on by Matthew HarringtonLeave a comment

By Matthew T.F. Harrington

STANFORD, Calif. – Despite trailing the opponent for most of the game, the Stanford Cardinal topped the visiting Denver Pioneers 49-43 at Maples Pavilion. Starting the game on the bench after showing up late to a morning practice courtesy of a wrongly set alarm clock, guard Anthony Brown had a game-high 17 points for the Cardinal while tying for the team-lead in rebounds with 6.

“Anthony’s been a terrific player for me throughout his career,” said Stanford head coach Johnny Dawkins. “Let me go on record as saying, he’s a fifth-year senior, and that’s the first time he’s been late for anything. It was very difficult for me as a coach, because we have policies in place but he’s never been late to anything before.”

“I think he was trying to make up for that,” added Dawkins when asked if Brown’s play was a result of trying to rectify his late arrival. “But he’s also a winner. He realized we needed it. Anthony’s always had the ability to step up in those moments when things may not be going as well for us.”

On a poor shooting night for both sides, the Cardinal hit just 14 of 44 field goal attempts, but limited the Pioneers (4-5) to 17 of 43 for the victory in Stanford’s first game since November 30th.

“The timing was off, the rhythm,” said Brown. “That’s something you can’t really simulate in practice. That’s more of a game situation.

The Cardinal (5-2) has now won the first game back from the winter break for finals in eight consecutive seasons.

“We were a little rusty,” said Brown. “We haven’t played in two weeks. We have the longest break in the country. That contributed. Denver’s also a good team. They have shooters. Any time you have shooters you have a chance to win.”

The Pioneers’ Princeton offense and perimeter shooting dominated the game early, with the Summit League side connecting on three of their first four shots (all three-pointers) to take a 13-2 5:44 into play. The Cardinal struggled to find its shooting touch going just 1 for 6 over the same span.

Stanford’s defense turned the tables on its Rocky Mountain rivals, limiting the Pioneers to just one field goal over the next nine-plus minutes. Stymying the visitors, the Cardinal cobbled together a 13-2 run, capped by an Anthony Brown three-pointer to tie the game 15-all with 6:25 left in the half.

Brown’s trey marked the last Cardinal field goal before the break. Rosco Allen hit a pair of free throws, the only two trips to line for either side in the entire first half, but Denver outscored the hosts 10-2 for a 25-17 lead at the mid-way point.

“Possessions are of a premium,” said Dawkins. “Being down by 11 to them is like being down by 20 versus most teams because they’re not going to come down and quick-shoot it and have a lot of possessions in the game. You really have to focus in.”

Stanford star guard and potential Pac-12 Player of the Year Chasson Randle went bucket-less over the first half, going 0 for 5 from the floor. One game after scoring a combined 69 points, Stanford’s starting five collected only seven with Stanford hitting 6 of 17 first half shots. Brown topped the Cardinal with six points off the bench in the first.

“I give them credit,” Dawkins said of the Pioneer defense. “They did some things well defensively that caused us to shoot a low field goal percentage than we would have liked. Some of it was also rust. When you don’t play for two straight weeks, there’s no way you can simulate that in practice.”

The Cardinal slowly chipped away at nine-point deficit, outscoring Denver 15-9 to pull within one point with just under nine minutes to play. Stanford took its first lead of the day after guard Robert Cartwright drained a three with 8:05 left to play. Brown then stole the ball on Denver’s next offensive possession, going end-to-end to convert the lay-up through a Nate Engesser foul for a 36-33 edge.

The scoreboard again tilted in the Pioneers favor after Jalen Love and Marcus Byrd hit back-to-back three’s before Stefan Nastic’s basket put Stanford within two at 39-37.

When the Cardinal needed him most, Randle delivered. The senior hit a floater through a Bryant Rucker foul, then converted on the three-point play to put Stanford up 40-39 with three and a half minutes to go.

“Chasson didn’t have his best stuff offensively tonight,” said Dawkins. “But he still ran our team. As a point guard you’re judge on winning, and we still won.”

Randle then hit another two free throws for a three-point lead with 150 ticks of the clock left.

“Coming down the stretch, he closed the game out hitting all the free throws we needed him to make. A lot of times, a player will get into that situation where things aren’t going well for him from the field and that snowballs into his entire game. I don’t think he allowed that. He showed a lot of maturity out there.”

In total, Stanford went to the charity stripe 12 times in the second half, making 7 from the line.

Stanford continued its scoring run with Nastic hitting a jumper for the Cardinal’s eight-straight point before Denver’s Brett Olson hit a jump-shot to pull the pioneers within four at 45-41 with just over a minute and a half to play. Denver hit just one more basket while sending the Cardinal to the line four times. The Cardinal converted on all four shots for the final 49-43 margin of victory.

The Cardinal won’t have to wait long for its next contest. Stanford looks to continue to emerge from its two week sabbatical by turning in a strong performance at home Wednesday night when Southern California foe Loyola Marymount University comes to the Silicon Valley for another non-conference affair.

Cardinal Season Comes to an End, Losses to Connecticut in National Semi-Finals

Published on by joelamiLeave a comment
Photo Credit: USA Today Sports
Photo Credit: USA Today Sports

By: Joe Lami

The Stanford Cardinal played their final game of the 2013-2014 season on Sunday night after they were defeated by Connecticut 75-56 in Nashville.  The Cardinal were seeking their third National Championship in school history and their first one since 1992, however they fell short in their sixth trip to the final four in the past seven years.  Sunday also marks the third time in four years that the Cardinal have fallen in the National Semi-Final.

The Cardinal controlled much of the first half.  The Huskies got on the board first with buckets from Bria Hartley and Moriah Jefferson to go up 4-0.  Chiney Ogwumike got on the board first for the Cardinal with a jumper of her own.  Connecticut would get the lead back up to four, until Stanford went on a 7-0 run to give them their first lead of the evening with 16:09 remaining in the half.  The Cardinal held the lead for 12 minutes until Stephanie Dolson tied it up at 22 with four minutes remaining.  The 12 minutes marked the longest stretch of time this season that Connecticut had trailed.  Stanford pushed their largest lead to six, marking the second highest lead a team had on Connecticut all season.  The Huskies continued their run, extending it to 14-0 before Stanford was able to answer with a bucket of their own.  UConn went into the half with a 28-24 lead.

Stanford fell apart in the second half, as Connecticut started the second half with a 5:46 16-3 run.  The three points came from a rare three-pointer from Ogwumike.  The run would be give enough of a lead for UConn to ride out the win.  The Cardinal wouldn’t be able to fight their way back.

Amber Orrange led the way for the Cardinal with 16 points, she also added five assists in the losing effort.  Ogwumike wrapped up her Stanford career with her 25th double double of the season, as the expected 1st overall pick in the upcoming WNBA Draft finished the game with 15 points and ten rebounds.  Lili Thompson wrapped up the double figure Cardinal scorers with 12 points, eight of which came in the first half.

The Huskies saw all five of their starters get into double figures.  Player of the Year nominee, Brianna Stewart led the way with 18 points.  Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis contributed 15 points, all of which came in the second half.  Hartley shot four of 12 from the field to finish with 14 points.  Both Jefferson and Dolson finished the game with ten points each to cap off the double digits scorers.  Kiah Stokes also came off of the bench to add nine points in 22 minutes played, as the Huskies used only six players in 39-minutes of the game.  In the last minute, substitutes Saniya Chong, Tierney Lawlor, Briana Pulido and Brianna Banks replaced the starting five.

Connecticut remains undefeated at 39-0 and advance to their school’s ninth National Championship.  Next up for the Huskies is another undefeated team in Notre Dame (37-0), who beat Maryland 81-67 in the other National Semi-Final game.  Tuesday will mark the first time ever, where two undefeated teams will battle it out for the National Title.  Connecticut also joins their men’s team in the National Championship, as the men’s team will be going up against Kentucky for the men’s title.  Both Connecticut team’s won the title in 2004, and have a chance to do it again just ten years later.  They remain the only school to accomplish the feat.

Stanford finishes their season with a record of 30-4 and some uncertainty in next season, as it will be the first one since 2008 where an Ogwumike will not be on the team.