Nov. 18, 2008
STANFORD, Calif. (AP) -Anthony Goods wasn't able to get in much free throw practice the past few days. He made up for it in Stanford's home opener.
Goods scored 25 points, including 11-of-12 from the foul line, to lead Stanford past Cal State Northridge 103-85 on Tuesday night and hand first-year coach Johnny Dawkins his first home victory.
"I only shot maybe 10 free throws yesterday," Goods said. "I'm a streaky free throw shooter. Usually when the first two go down I'm OK. I might miss my next 10."
Landry Fields added 18 points and Lawrence Hill, Mitch Johnson and Josh Owens each had 14 as the Cardinal (2-0) won their 35th home opener in 41 years at Maples Pavilion.
"He's a scorer, he's not just a shooter," Dawkins said of Goods. "He got to the line a number of times and he gets to the basket. He's a versatile player for us, and he's picking his spots and making the most of his opportunities."
Dawkins, an 11-year assistant at Duke, is in his first year as a head coach. With two minutes remaining the students began chanting his name.
"He's put in a lot both on and off the court," Goods said. "We're trying to give him a good name. He's always on the attack."
Josh Jenkins made his first five shots in each half and finished with 24 points for The Matadors (1-1), who began their longest road trip in 15 years.
"We couldn't get over that hill," Jenkins said. "Personally I needed to take control of the game. I think we showed we're not a pushover team."
Rodrigue Mels hit a 3-pointer to tie the game at 70 for the Matadors before Goods and Fields triggered a 23-8 run, combining for 15 of the points.
"We locked down on defense and rebounded better," Fields said. "That's what sparked our offense."
The Cardinal made 40 of 47 free throws, their most since matching the team record of 44 made in 1994 against Cal Poly. Stanford never attempted any more than 39 free throws in a game last year.
"A lot of people may take Cal State Northridge for granted but they are a tournament type team," Goods said. "I would not be surprised if they win their conference and get to the tournament."
NOTES:
Stanford improved to 4-0 all-time against Cal State Northridge and has now won all four meetings by an average of 22.2 points.
In its 94-year history, Stanford owns a 78-16 record in home openers. The Cardinal has won three consecutive home openers and is 35-6 all-time in home debuts at Maples Pavilion.
With eight assists tonight, Mitch Johnson increased his career total to 403 and moved into fifth place on the all-time list. He is one of five players to reach that plateau, joining Brevin Knight (780), Keith Ramee (513), Terry Taylor (490) and Marcus Lollie (474).
Stanford reached the 100-point mark for the first time since a 111-56 rout of Harvard in last year's season opener.
Stanford finished 40-47 from the free throw line, four shy of matching a school record. The Cardinal has connected on 44 free throws twice, most recently against Cal Poly back on Dec. 10, 1994.
Anthony Goods poured in a game-best 25 points, including an 11-12 mark from the charity stripe. Goods has connected on 14-16 free throw attempts this season. Last year, Goods did not attempt his 16th free throw until the 10th game of the year.
Stanford forced Cal State Northridge into 25 turnovers. The Cardinal now stands at +6.5 in turnover margin through two games.
Landry Fields added a career-high 18 points, making 5-7 from the field and 6-8 from the foul line in 26 minutes. Fields is shooting a team-best 57 percent from the field so far in the early going.