OK, so the shooting percentage wasn’t so great. The Stanford men’s basketball team still came away from its 59-45 loss to No. 8 Villanova on Thursday with a few positives.
Sophomore Dorian Pickens recorded his first career double-double with 11 points and a career-high 10 rebounds, the Cardinal (2-3) played solid defense and hit the boards in its semifinal effort of the NIT Season Tip-Off at Barclay’s Center in Brooklyn, N.Y.
Stanford, which plays Arkansas for third place on Friday, missed its first 15 shots and then missed its first eight of the second half. Take those cold streaks away and the Cardinal shot 48 percent.
Stanford posted a season-best 55 rebounds in the game, with sophomore Reid Travis finishing with a season-high 12, and Pickens and Rosco Allen contributing 10 each.
Marcus Allen added 12 points and five rebounds for the Cardinal, which has lost three straight after opening the season with a pair of victories.
The 59 points allowed matched an opponent’s low against Stanford. The Cardinal could not overcome a 26 percent shooting percentage or its 23 turnovers.
“They’re a very good defensive team, they’re active and they made a lot of plays,” Stanford coach Johnny Dawkins said. “The thing we did most was we turned the ball over 23 times, so that was disappointing.”
Stanford missed 12 layups and tip-ins during a frustrating first half.
A crucial moment occurred with less than five minutes to play in the game, when Travis missed an easy dunk (a layup would have been a better choice) and hung on the rim, drawing a technical foul. Instead of being just five points behind at 56-51, there was a six-point swing as the Wildcats converted the technical foul, got possession and hit a 3-pointer for a 60-49 lead to pretty much bury Stanford’s hopes.
Villanova had a 13-2 advantage in points off turnovers, while the Cardinal managed a 17-7 edge in second-chance points.
Stanford played its 13th game in New York since 2011. Last year, the Cardinal appeared in the Coaches vs. Cancer Classic, beating UNLV and losing to eventual national champion Duke.
By Palo Alto Online Sports
By Palo Alto Online Sports
By Palo Alto Online Sports