The Stanford men’s basketball team cruised to an 84-74 win over the Washington Huskies on Wednesday night, marking its first win in Seattle since 2008.
Stanford (15-5, 6-2 Pac-12) saw scoring all across the board, as evidenced by the 53-percent shooting performance from the field. Fifth-year senior forward Anthony Brown led the way with a balanced stat line, including 23 points, 7 rebounds and an uncharacteristic 3 blocks. Brown was one of four Stanford players who scored in double figures.
It was a very different night for Washington (14-6, 3-5), which suffered its second straight loss after falling to Utah on Sunday by a score of 77-56. Sophomore guard Nigel Williams-Goss led the team with 17 points, 7 rebounds and 6 assists, but also turned the ball over six times. The Huskies were plagued by a minus-4 turnover ratio and a 25-percent clip from beyond the arc.
While the 10-point margin is sizable, the game was even less of a contest than the final score implies. The Cardinal got off to a fast start, opening up with a 16-4 run. While they cooled off considerably after that, they ended the half with yet another run and carried a 36-24 lead into the half. Their lead stretched as far as 26 early in the second half before the reserves took over.
The Huskies were playing their first game without star center Robert Upshaw, who was recently dismissed from the program for violating team rules. Upshaw was averaging 10.9 points, 8.2 rebounds and 4.4 blocks per game on the season, with his shot-blocking totals leading the nation. His presence was clearly missed, as fifth-year senior center Stefan Nastic overwhelmed in the paint during the first half.
Nastic was the key to the Cardinal’s strong first half, as he scored 15 points in the first half on a 7-of-8 line from the field. However, foul trouble was an issue for Nastic in the second half, as he fouled out with 5:52 remaining in the game.
Sophomore guard Marcus Allen was another bright spot for the team, scoring 12 points in his fifth straight start before eventually also fouling out in the second half.
Stanford was also aided by an incredibly hot night from the 3-point line, as the team shot 62 percent (8-of-13) beyond the arc. Brown and senior guard Chasson Randle each chipped in three 3-pointers.
With the win, the Cardinal complete a season sweep of the Huskies. While this game wasn’t nearly as close as Stanford’s 68-60 overtime win at Maples a few weeks ago, both games are testaments to Stanford’s strong conference play that has carried the team to near the top of the Pac-12 standings.
Head coach Johnny Dawkins told CBS Sports before the game that forward Reid Travis would play in Wednesday’s game, but the freshman did not see any playing time. Travis has been out since Dec. 29 with a stress fracture in his upper left leg, but is traveling with the team on this Washington road trip.
Stanford will finish up the Northwest road trip with a game against Washington State on Saturday night.
Contact Sandip Srinivas at sandips ‘at’ stanford.edu.