Jan. 13, 2001
By GREG BEACHAM
AP Sports Writer
STANFORD, Calif. - Jason Collins' brawn, Casey Jacobsen's bombs andsome tough defense propelled Stanford to a victory befitting the nation'stop-ranked team.
Collins had a career-high 24 points and 12 rebounds, and Jacobsen hit four3-pointers and had 20 points as Stanford beat Oregon 100-76 on Saturday.
The Cardinal (15-0, 4-0), who ascended to No. 1 a week ago, were impressiveand businesslike in their ninth straight victory over the Ducks (10-3, 1-2).While Jacobsen was his usual dangerous self from outside, Collins' dominantinside performance impressed even his teammates.
"Jase is a beast down there," Jacobsen said. "If he gets the ball thatclose, you can just chalk up the two points, or he's going to the line. It'scase closed."
After scoring one point in the first eight minutes of their 73-49 win overOregon State on Thursday night, the Cardinal didn't wait around this time.
Stanford made an exciting 26-7 rally in the first half highlighted by 11points from Collins, who scored at will on Oregon's slow-footed frontcourt andmade all eight of his free throws.
"They had a problem with Jason size-wise," Stanford coach Mike Montgomerysaid. "We had to exploit that. We keyed our offense off Jason in the post, andit was very successful."
Collins got motivation - some might call it good-natured abuse - from histeammates after he missed two layups early in the first half. He responded withhis best game of what's already an amazing year for the junior, who missed mostof his first two seasons with injuries.
The early misses "kind of fired me up for the rest of the game," Collinssaid. "I was embarrassed missing a 1-foot shot."
Though the Cardinal haven't found a player to replace Mark Madsen as theirunquestioned team leader, Stanford benefits from a healthy dialogue among thenine regular contributors on its roster. Jacobsen said the Cardinal aren'tafraid to tell each other what they think.
"If we see a player that's not playing hard, or his mind's not there, wetry to fire him up," Jacobsen said. "We know what buttons to push."
Stanford and Georgetown are the nation's only unbeaten teams. The Cardinalscored 100 points for the first time since the season opener against SanFrancisco State.
A 16-3 run midway through the second half gave Stanford a 26-point leadwhich briefly stretched to 29. Jarron Collins, Jason's twin, spent the firsthalf in foul trouble and scored all 13 of his points in the second half, whilereserve center Curtis Borchardt had 11 points and Ryan Mendez nine.
"The way we play just makes them better," Oregon coach Ernie Kent said."We like to get out and run, and they're a tremendous running team. You couldsay they beat us at our own game, but it's their game, too."
What's more, reserve forward Justin Davis had the best game of his freshmanyear, getting seven points and 11 rebounds while playing stifling defense onBryan Bracey, the conference's leading scorer. Davis, a highly regarded recruitwho hadn't played in nearly two years because of injuries, is becoming anintegral part of the Cardinal's rotation.
When Bracey hit three jumpers over Jarron Collins in the first 4 1/2 minutes,Davis entered the game and shut him down. At 6-foot-8, Davis is tall enough toguard power forwards but quicker than the Collins brothers, who have troubleguarding tall perimeter players.
Bracey, who had just 10 points in the Ducks' loss to California on Thursdaynight, had 16 to lead Oregon. Anthony Norwood had 14 for the Ducks, who met thenation's No. 1 team for the first time in six years but left the Bay Area withtwo discouraging conference losses after a 10-1 start.
"We played a lot tougher in this game than we did against Cal, although thescore didn't indicate that at all," Kent said. "The thing about Stanford is,they respond against you quickly if you do anything, because they have a lot ofdifferent weapons."
On the other end, Stanford's offense was in top form. Jacobsen unleashedanother barrage of 3-pointers from a few steps behind the line, and MikeMcDonald had seven assists while patiently directing the Cardinal's offense.
At 15-0, Stanford is three victories shy of matching the best start inschool history, set in the 1997-98 season. Oregon hasn't won at Maples since1986.