Stanford opened up a three-game homestand in stride on Saturday with a win against the Connecticut Huskies.
In a remarkably well-attended matchup (7,104 in total) at Maples Pavilion, the Cardinal played with energy and fluidity as they coasted to a 72-59 victory. The win marks Stanford’s seventh in the last eight games, and should give the team confidence as it fights to maintain its tie for first place in the Pac-12.
Pride was certainly on the line in this highly anticipated contest. Last season, UConn earned their second national championship in four years, but before that was upset by the Cardinal early on in a win that became remembered as a signature victory for Stanford. This year, both teams experienced some early struggles, but this latest triumph figures to become an impressive mark on Stanford’s tourney résumé as it attempts to return to the NCAA tournament for the second time under head coach Johnny Dawkins.
“They are the national champions from last year. That’s a big thing,” said junior Rosco Allen. “They were coming off of a couple of tough losses but we had to be ready for them and their high energy.”
All of Stanford’s starters turned in extraordinary performances. Fifth year senior center Stefan Nastic recorded his third career double-double, fifth year senior forward/guard Anthony Brown added 18 points and junior forward Rosco Allen landed a few key triples as Stanford’s offense soared.
The true standout, however, was senior point guard Chasson Randle. Randle shot 50 percent from the field and was 4-8 from beyond the arc on his way to 23 points for the Cardinal. He also recorded a game-high 5 assists and achieved four crucial takeaways despite having to face off against several veteran UConn guards.
The Huskies, on the other hand, played well in stretches but seemed a long way from their championship best. Lead scorer Ryan Boatright, so good in the tournament last March, struggled to find space amidst tough defense from Brown and freshman Robert Cartwright, and emerging star Amida Brimah fouled out after just nine minutes on the court. The team received a surprise standout performance from sophomore transfer Rodney Purvis, who shot 6-7 from the field, but his 14 points were not enough to counter the Cardinal.
“I thought it was some of the best defense we’ve played all year,” said Johnny Dawkins. “I’m happy to see the guys step up and make the plays they’ve made.”
Rebounding, a weak spot for the Cardinal since the injury to freshman forward Reid Travis, seemed to be a point of emphasis for Stanford against the reasonably small and Brimah-light UConn lineup. Allen and Nastic both pulled in a dozen boards, and sophomore Marcus Allen managed to get four off the offensive glass in his third start for the team. All in all, Stanford bested UConn 48-24 in the rebounding category, one of the most dominant and surprising rebounding performances for the Cardinal in recent memory.
“We’ve talked about [rebounding] being a very important part of the game. We challenged [the team] before the game and said that if we’re going to have a chance to be successful, we’re going to have to board,” said Stanford head coach Johnny Dawkins. “[This] was definitely a game where we really did execute the game plan as good as we could.”
Dawkins did announce some unfortunate news, saying that he does not expect junior Grant Verhoeven, injured just before last week’s game against Cal, to return this season. Verhoeven had recorded just 2 points and 3 rebounds per game in limited minutes so far this season, but hard carved out an increasingly important role filling in for the injured Reid Travis.
Stanford now looks forward to a home game against No. 7 Arizona next Thursday. The Wildcats are fresh off a blowout victory over then No. 8 Utah Utes, and should be the most difficult adversary the Cardinal have faced so far this season as Stanford returns to conference play.
Contact Andrew Mather at amather ‘at’ stanford.edu.