Feb. 16, 2012
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STANFORD, Calif. (AP) - Chasson Randle never hesitated. He grabbed the ball and headed the other way. For a few seconds it appeared Oregon State had just been robbed of a basket. Turns out Randle was right all along.
Randle matched his season high with 24 points, Aaron Bright added 20 and Stanford beat Oregon State 87-82 on Thursday night.
Jared Cunningham made a steal and was all alone as he went for a dunk with just under two minutes remaining to play. He seemingly slammed the ball through the net, but it hit his shoulder and bounced back out without going completely through.
"He dunked it but it looked like it got caught up in the net and came back out," Randle said.
The play would have brought the Beavers within four points and given them an emotional lift had it counted. Instead Randle turned it to his advantage, hitting a layup on the other end.
"At the time I couldn't believe they didn't count it," Cunningham said. "I guess the ball has to go all the way through. Very weird, and disappointing, especially at that time in the game. Stanford knocked down the baskets when they needed them, especially Randle's three-pointers. We came close but just couldn't quite catch up at the end."
Anthony Brown had 11 points, and Josh Owens added nine points and recorded his 500th career rebound for the Cardinal (18-8, 8-6 Pac-12).
"I wanted to play hard, read what the defense was giving us and take what was there," said Randle, who also scored 24 in Stanford's four-overtime victory over the Beavers on Jan. 7. "It kind of reminded me of summer ball and getting up and down the court. It fits my style a little bit."
Cunningham scored 22 points and Roberto Nelson had 19 for the Beavers (15-11, 5-9 Pac-12), who lost their third straight. Devon Collier added 13 points and Angus Brandt 11.
"We have no excuses," Oregon State coach Craig Robinson said. "They made the big plays when they needed to make them. It seemed like every time they needed a big shot or a rebound, they made them."
Nelson was 4-6 from 3-point range after going 4-23 over his previous six games. Cunningham has recorded at least one steal in 28 consecutive games dating to last year. Only Gary Payton has gone further (with streaks of 32 and 29) at Oregon State. Collier, the Pac-12 leader in field goal percentage, extended his double-figure scoring streak to 11 games.
The Beavers outscored the Cardinal 17-8 over the final 7:36 of the first half to take a 41-40 lead into intermission.
John Gage hit a 3-pointer to break a 45-all tie with 17:12 remaining, part of an 11-2 run that gave Stanford a 56-47 advantage five minutes later.
"I've always said that shooting can be contagious," Stanford coach Johnny Dawkins said. "When a guy makes shots, others seem to start shooting the ball well."
The Cardinal were 27- 51 from the field, including a 12-22 performance from the 3-point line.
The Beavers, one of the nation's top teams in forcing turnovers, never made it easy for Stanford. They forced 19 turnovers, nine of them steals, to stay on the Cardinal's heels.
Brown was 6-10 and Stanford 10-13 from the foul line over the final 1:18.
- Rick Eymer, Associated Press
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NOTES: Chasson Randle also scored 24 points in Stanford's 103-101 quadruple-overtime victory over Oregon State back on Jan. Over his last four games, Randle is averaging 16.5 points and 3.8 rebounds per game while shooting 24-52 (46.2 percent) from the field and 14-21 (66.7 percent) from beyond the arc ... Josh Owens grabbed five rebounds, giving him 500 for his career. Owens joined Colorado's Andre Roberson, Arizona's Solomon Hill and California's Harper Kamp as the only other active Pac-12 player with at least 500 career rebounds ... Stanford dominated the glass once again, holding 36-24 advantage. The Cardinal now sports a rebounding margin of +5.8 ... Aaron Bright poured in 20 points, giving Stanford two 20-point scorers in the same game for the first time since Jeremy Green (22) and Anthony Brown (21) accomplished the feat last year in a win over Seattle ... Dwight Powell and Josh Huestis both pulled down nine rebounds ... Anthony Brown was 7-12 from the charity stripe, representing career-high totals in makes and attempts ... After shooting 58.3 percent in the first period, Oregon State was limited to 37.5 percent over the final 20 minutes ... The earlier meeting this year, a 103-101 quadruple-overtime win by Stanford in Corvallis, featured 171 field goal attempts, 48 three-point tries, 54 fouls, 41 assists, 14 ties, 13 lead changes, 108 rebounds and lasted three hours and eight minutes.
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STANFORD QUOTES
Stanford Head Coach Johnny Dawkins
Opening Statement...
"Oregon State is a high-octane team, they're one of the leading-scoring teams in our conference, and you have to be able to score with them if you're going to have a chance. I was really proud of our guys, I really thought they stepped up and shared the basketball, made plays when they needed to, and came up with a good win."
On his team's 12-22 performance from behind the arc...
"I think shooting can be contagious. You get guys who make shots and I think everyone gets into that same type of rhythm, and so I was really proud. Chasson stepped up and made some baskets early, and guys shot the ball well. Like I said, we are capable."
On Chasson Randle's 24 points...
"I think he wants to get out and run, and we want him to run too, so it's mutual. We recruited him to get up and down the floor; that's how we want him to play. Some teams in our conference aren't going to afford you the opportunity to get out and run like that...so it just depends on who you play, and you have to be able to adjust to whatever system you're up against. And I was really proud that [Randle] played a team that was a slow-down game last game, and he played a high-octane game this game, and he was able to make great adjustments in both."
On Aaron Bright's 20-point, seven-assist performance...
"I was really proud of him. The numbers are great offensively and he's capable of doing that, but he also did a great job of leading us, he did a great job of defending and making it difficult for their perimeter players. Like I said, I was really happy to see him have this type of game, because we know he's capable."
Stanford Freshman Chasson Randle
On shooting 6-7 from three-point range...
"I just wanted to play hard and help my team win the game. Three was what the defense was giving us, and I took the open look when it was there. I was fortunate enough to make some shots tonight."
On playing against Oregon State's 1-3-1 zone...
"Myself, I'm disappointed with the way I handled it. But it was tough, the way they play, and we knew it was coming but I wasn't making the right plays at times. But some of the other guys did."
Stanford Sophomore Aaron Bright
On holding off Oregon State's late charge, after going to four overtimes against the Beavers on Jan. 7...
"I couldn't help but think that. It seemed like they were 100 percent the last minute of the game, two minutes of the game. That thought definitely went through my mind, but we were able to pull it out in regulation, so that was good."
On matching Oregon State's physicality...
"From the four-overtime game, it was a very physical game so we knew this game was going to be that way, and I think that kind of motivated us and gave us a spark to make the physical plays at the end of the game. I know I got excited."
On Dwight Powell and Anthony Brown's combined 20 points and 12 rebounds...
"I think for Dwight, he's starting to get back to the way he was playing last year, and he's been working very hard before and after practice after his game. I think that's starting to come through in the game. He's been great for us the last couple games. I thought Anthony started to find his niche out there. He came off a down screen in the second half, and he just caught it and pulled up. That's kind of his game. He's a great shooter when he shoots it confidently, and he made a lot of big plays for us tonight. With those two playing with confidence, it's great for us."
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OREGON STATE QUOTES
Oregon State Head Coach Craig Robinson
Opening Statement...
"We have no excuses. They made the big plays when they needed to make them. It seemed like every time they needed a big shot or a rebound, they made them. Our guys hung tough and came close at the end, but this was Stanford's night."
On defending Chasson Randle...
"We knew all about (Chasson) Randle from the first time we played Stanford. We just didn't have an answer for him tonight. We knew where was, but we couldn't stop him. He gets the credit for that."
On the play of Roberto Nelson...
"(Roberto) Nelson had a great first half, in fact he might have surprised himself, even, because he hasn't been himself lately. They made an adjustment on him in the second half, and we didn't readjust, and they shut him down."