Balanced Offense Fuels Rout
STANFORD, Calif.- Josh Huestis and Anthony Brown scored 15 points apiece as Stanford cruised to an 80-48 victory over Washington State on Wednesday night at Maples Pavilion.
Marcus Allen added a career-high 11 points off the bench while Dwight Powell turned in another solid all-around performance with 10 points, eight rebounds and five assists for the Cardinal, which shot 57.7 percent overall and knocked down eight three-pointers.
Stanford (11-5, 2-2 Pac-12) notched its biggest victory in conference play since a 105-60 home win over Washington on Jan. 19, 2002. Meanwhile, Washington State’s 48 points were the fewest allowed to a Pac-12 foe since a 59-47 Stanford road win against USC on Feb. 12, 2012.
The Cardinal overwhelmed Washington State (8-9, 1-4 Pac-12) in nearly every category. Offensively, Stanford dished out 17 assists and received at least one bucket from 10 different players. Defensively, the Cardinal owned a 37-23 rebounding edge and held the Cougars to 37.0 percent shooting and below 50 points for the second straight game.
For the second straight game, Stanford received a spike in production from its bench. Cardinal reserves accounted for 28 points, led by Allen’s 11 and a season-best nine points from Robbie Lemons, who knocked down three triples.
Huestis led the charge, shaking off an 0-7 shooting effort against Oregon three days ago. In addition to his 15 points, he grabbed five boards and did not commit a turnover in 27 minutes.
The first half, which featured three ties and 14 lead changes, was competitive until Stanford embarked on a 13-2 scoring over the final four minutes. Tied at 27-27, Powell knocked down a pair of free throws before back-to-back three pointers from Brown and Lemons created some breathing room.
Washington State shot over 44.4 percent from the field in the first half but was held to 29.6 percent in the second half, in which the Cougars scored 19 points.
A dunk from Powell at the 16:24 mark of the second half gave Stanford its first 20-point lead at 51-31.
Lemons’ third three-pointer of the game stretched the lead to 69-39 with just over 10 minutes to play.
Stanford closes out its homestand on Saturday, Jan. 18, against Washington at 8 p.m. in a game televised on ESPNU.
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NOTES: Stanford improved to 71-59 all-time against Washington State and has won six of the last 10 meetings … Stanford has reached the 80-point plateau in seven games this year … Through four conference games, Stanford is averaging 74.0 points while shooting 48.0 percent overall … Chasson Randle’s layup to end the first half put the Cardinal ahead 40-29, its first double-digit lead since defeating Cal Poly 79-62 back on Dec. 29 … For only the second time this year, Chasson Randle was held to single digits. He finished with six points on 2-6 shooting but grabbed six rebounds and dished out four assists … Josh Huestis tallied his 300th career field goal on an outside jumper, his first shot of the game … Dwight Powell scored in double figures for the 13th time this year and has handed out at least five assists in eight contests … John Gage has made eight of his last 11 attempts from beyond the arc … Stanford is 8-0 when leading at the half … Head coach Johnny Dawkins has employed a starting lineup of Chasson Randle, Anthony Brown, Josh Huestis, Dwight Powell and Stefan Nastic for all 16 games.
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QUOTES
Head Coach Johnny Dawkins
"It was a game just full of emotion. For our guys coming back off the road win against Oregon, they were coming home and facing a Washington State team that has played everybody well. We wanted to come in and play with a lot of energy. They shot the ball very well for the first 16 minutes, but our guys did a good job of figuring it out late in the first half. We went on a run late that Robbie (Lemons) sparked with his two three-pointers. It extended the lead to double digits. From then our guys did a great job defensively for a number of possessions and made it hard for them to get a good look. We were able to capitalize on the offensive end."
"You can learn a lot from every game. The first 16 minutes were nip and tuck. We were down and they were hitting on all cylinders. They were hitting tough shots. At that point you don't know if it will be for 40 minutes or for 16 minutes. Fortunately, we were able to extend that tie late in the first half and get on a run. They were playing very well. We did a good job of executing on the offensive end. They make it hard for you. For us to score 40 points in the first half is more than they have probably given up all year. We will take some looks at that and look at what we did defensively. In this league you can play the same team again and lose. There is so much depth and parity and you just have to keep preparing."
“If Josh (Huestis) plays like this with this look then I will always love it. Josh was really good tonight. He was the Josh we have all come to know. He was great on the boards. He hit his open shots and finished strong around the basket. He did it all. That is who he is and it is exciting to see him get back to playing the way he is capable of."
"Both Josh and Dwight did a good job on the offensive boards. They did a good job of following the shots and making plays at the rim. They both finished strong and that is what we need from those guys. We need our leaders to make plays and step up when we need them to. I thought they did that tonight."
Josh Huestis
"We needed this. They are a really good team. We prepared really well for them. We started off a little slow and traded baskets. In the last four minutes of the first half, we got back to our defense. From then on we used defense to lead to our offense. We are not a team who is going to outscore teams and let them score whenever they want. We really stepped up on defense."
"Cutting my hair was a decision I had to make. It is a sign of a new beginning. The past few games I have struggled with putting too much pressure on myself. I am just trying to find my place. I cut my hair to signal that I had a new mindset and new beginning. It looks like it worked. Everybody was surprised. I really didn't give a hint that I was going to do it. It was a spur of the moment decision. I showed up to practice with it and everybody was surprised. I didn't even tell my parents and my mom yelled out in surprise when she saw it. I have refused to cut it so much. Everybody likes it. It is cleaner and I know coach likes it."
"I used Anthony (Brown) as an inspiration because he was really struggling and then came out last game and showed what he could do. It was a great team win. I am proud of everybody and now we have to get ready for Washington."
"I had talked to family and coaches and they helped me realize that I was putting too much pressure on myself thinking about the future. It is senior year and the thoughts creep in about where you are going to be at the end of the season. I let that control me a little too much. They helped me relax and know that as long as I take care of things game by game, everything takes care of itself. Wherever I end up, I end up, but right now I need to focus on helping my team win."
Washington State Head Coach Ken Bone
“We played pretty well at both ends of the floor for the first 15 or 16 minutes, and Que (Johnson) was our main scorer at that time. He picked up two fouls, and I took him out to try and save him from getting his third. From that point on, Stanford really took over. We struggled scoring, and they executed well.”
“Que is in good shape, but some guys are phenomenal with their stamina. I don't think he's bad, but he hasn't played that many minutes. At the end of the game, he was still in to get as much experience as possible, but heck, he could hardly come off a screen at the end of the game.”
“Stanford has good players. Coach Dawkins has a great program here. A lot of the credit here has to go to Stanford. They executed really well. Our game plan did not work. We'll have a different game plan for them next time. We were trying to pressure the ball and take away the passing lanes.”
Que Johnson
“Coach has asked me to be aggressive and score. I'll take whatever the defense will give me. Stanford is a very good team, a great team, actually. Their bench players played good, they made shots. I just didn't make enough shots.”