Behind its strongest all-around shooting display of the year and a dominant 31-point performance from redshirt junior forward Josh Owens, the Stanford men’s basketball team picked up a much-needed 88-71 victory over Oregon on Saturday night. With the win, the Card (14-14, 7-10 Pac-10) snapped a four-game losing streak–one more loss would have matched the program’s longest losing streak in 18 years–and improves to .500 on the season.
The Ducks (14-14, 7-9) got off to a hot 8-0 start, opening the game with two three-pointers and a dunk as the Cardinal picked up three quick fouls. Stanford remained scoreless until 3:40 had elapsed, when an Owens layup turned into a three-point play followed by four more consecutive points from the veteran big-man.
A three from freshman guard Aaron Bright with 10:29 left in the half tied the game at 18-18, and the Card took the lead on the next play off another three-pointer from junior guard Jeremy Green. Stanford continued to widen the gap in the period’s waning minutes, entering the half with a 43-34 advantage.
Junior guard Jarrett Mann sunk a layup to open the second period, and the Cardinal would maintain a double-digit lead–and complete control of the game–for the duration. Shots continued to fall for the Card lineup, while Stanford’s defense successfully shut down Oregon forward Joevan Catron, holding the senior to just eight points–he averages 15.2 points per game–in his final career home game.
Despite double-digit second half performances from senior guard Jay-R Stowbridge and junior guard Malcolm Armstead, with a respective 12 and 13 points in the period, the Ducks failed to get into an offensive rhythm and were outmatched by the bigger, taller Cardinal squad. Stanford led by as many as 20 points in the period before sealing the 17-point victory.
Armstead led the Ducks with 22 points on 7-for-15 shooting and five steals. Stowbridge added 16 and freshman guard Johnathan Lloyd another 11, with both players coming off the bench.
The star of the night on both ends of the floor was Owens, who impressively racked up a career-high 31 points on 12-for-15 shooting in addition to 11 rebounds and four blocks. Four other Cardinal players ended the night in double-digit scoring figures, including Green with 15, Bright with 13 and freshmen forwards Anthony Brown and Dwight Powell with 12 and 11 apiece. Powell matched Owens’ 11 rebounds, recording the second double-double of his Stanford career, while Mann led the game with seven assists.
Stanford’s shooting, which has faltered at multiple points this season, was notable, with the team shooting 59.3 percent on the night and 65.2 percent in the second half alone. The Cardinal also dominated the glass, outboarding the Ducks, 36-21, and recorded eight blocked shots to Oregon’s one.
Tomorrow night, Stanford will face non-conference opponent Seattle University at 7 p.m. in Maples Pavilion for its final home game of the season.