Dec. 16, 2010
STANFORD, Calif.- (AP) Josh Owens steadily improves every time he steps on the court. After sitting out a year he's just happy for the chance to play again.
Jeremy Green scored 18 points and Owens added a season-high 15 as Stanford beat North Carolina A&T 76-59 on Wednesday night to remain undefeated at home.
"J.O. is finding himself," Stanford coach Johnny Dawkins said. "Every game you see him getting better and better."
Owens missed last season with an undisclosed medical condition. When he was able to practice, he worked on individual skills such as ball-handling and shooting. "A lot of shooting," he said.
Owens reached double figures in scoring for the fifth time in his last six games and has at least eight rebounds in each of his last three.
"When you're away from the game for a year you appreciate it a lot more," Owens said. "It's definitely a different mindset and I think that's been the biggest difference."
Dwight Powell added nine points and seven rebounds for the Cardinal (6-2), which won its third straight and fifth in a row at home.
Nic Simpson scored a season-high 20 points for the Aggies (5-5), whose four-game winning streak ended with a second straight loss. Thomas Coleman added 12 points and eight rebounds. Coleman blocked three shots.
Stanford took advantage of 15 Aggies turnovers, nine in the second half, to score 26 points. The Aggies managed three points on seven Stanford turnovers.
Andrew Zimmermann's short jumper gave Stanford a lead midway through the first half as the Cardinal took a 40-33 advantage into intermission.
North Carolina A&T, which met Stanford for the first time on a basketball court, spends the next week in Arizona before playing Arizona State on Dec. 23.
Simpson's 3-pointer in the first five minutes of the second half brought the Aggies within 46-42. Stanford responded with a 17-4 run to open a 17-point advantage seven minutes later. The cardinal eventually led by as many as 20.
The Cardinal led by as many as nine before Coleman hit a jumper late to bring the Aggies within seven by halftime.
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NOTES: Stanford now prepares for its first road trip of the year, with nationally-televised contests at Butler (Dec. 18 on CBS, 11 a.m. PT) and Oklahoma State (Dec. 21 on ESPNU, 6 p.m. PT) ... Head coach Johnny Dawkins picked up his 40th career win and is now 40-34 on The Farm ... Jarrett Mann dished out five assists without making a turnover in 28 minutes, representing his first mistake-free game since Feb. 28, 2009 against USC ... Jeremy Green tallied his fifth 20-point game of the season and 16th of his career ... Stanford scored 26 points off 15 North Carolina A&T turnovers ... Andrew Zimmermann was productive in 21 minutes off the bench, scoring eight points and grabbing six boards ... Stanford is 25-8 against non-conference opponents under head coach Johnny Dawkins ... The Cardinal entered the game ranked 12th nationally in rebounding margin. After Wednesday's game, Stanford's total stands at +8.9 ... John Gage appeared in his fifth game, knocking down a jumper during the game's final four minutes.