March 7, 2012
Box Score | Photo Gallery 1 | Photo Gallery 2
LOS ANGELES (AP) - Chasson Randle scored 27 of his 30 points in a dynamic first half, surpassing his previous career high before halftime in Stanford's 85-65 victory over Arizona State on Wednesday night in the opening round of the Pac-12 tournament.
Aaron Bright had 11 points for the seventh-seeded Cardinal (21-10), who took a 26-point lead late in the first half thanks in part to an 18-4 run led by Randle. Stanford's freshman scoring leader hit five 3-pointers and 10 free throws in his spectacular half, and Arizona State got no closer than 13 points after halftime.
Stanford will face second-seeded California on Thursday. The Cardinal beat their Bay Area rivals 75-70 last Sunday, preventing the Golden Bears from winning the conference title outright.
Chanse Creekmur and Jordan Bachynski scored 11 points apiece for the 10th-seeded Sun Devils (10-21), who acquired an insurmountable deficit in the first half while committing 11 of their 14 turnovers. Arizona State completed its second straight losing season under coach Herb Sendek with five losses in its final seven games.
Takeaways From The Arizona State Game
Stanford shot 47.3 percent, knocked down 10-19 three-pointers, dished out 19 assists and built a 50-30 lead by halftime. Arizona State was forced into 14 turnovers ... The Cardinal made 23-29 free throws, while the Sun Devils were 18-29 from the foul line ... Bench production was a key for Stanford, which received 33 points from its reserves ... Aaron Bright contributed 11 points while Jarrett Mann added a season-best 10 points ... Stanford's 22 victories are the most under head coach Johnny Dawkins, who is now 70-58 at the helm. Dawkins is one of three coaches (John W. Bunn, Everett S. Dean, Mike Montgomery) in school history to lead Stanford to multiple 20-win seasons.
Recapping Chasson Randle's Career-High Night
Poured in a career-high 30 points (7-11 field goals, 6-8 three-pointers, 10-12 free throws) ... First Stanford player to score at least 30 points since Josh Owens finished with 31 at Oregon on Feb. 26, 2011 ... 27 first-half points are the most by any player in tournament history ... 27 first-half points are the most for a Stanford player in a half since Casey Jacobsen finished with 31 second-half points in a 90-81 victory over Arizona State on Jan. 31, 2002 ... First Stanford player to reach the 20-point plateau in a half since Chris Hernandez, who finished with 22 first-half points on 8-13 shooting against UCLA on Feb. 20, 2005 ... 10 free throws are the most for a Stanford player this year.
Stanford's Next Victory Will Be...
Stanford is searching for its 22nd victory, the most since a 28-8 finish during the 2007-08 campaign, when the Cardinal reached the NCAA Sweet 16 ... Stanford's next victory will be No. 1,399 in the 97-year history of the program.
70 A Key Number For Stanford
Stanford improved to 15-0 when scoring at least 70 points after Wednesday's 85-65 win over Arizona State in the first round of the Pac-12 Tournament. The Cardinal is now 25-2 combined over the last two years when reaching the 70-point plateau.
Lineups Based On Matchups
Head coach Johnny Dawkins employed his 15th different starting lineup on Mar. 4 against California. Ten different Cardinal players have received at least one starting nod this year. Dawkins used 13 different starting lineups over the previous two seasons combined.
Owens Closing In On Milestone...
Josh Owens now stands 22 points away from 1,000 for his career. Should Owens reach the mark, he will become the 40th player in school history to reach the prestigious scoring mark. Even more impressive, Owens would become the 21st player in school history to end his career with at least 1,000 points and 500 rebounds.
Stanford All-Time In Conference Tournament Action
Stanford now owns a 13-13 all-time record in conference tournament competition ...Stanford won its first game in conference tournament play since beating Arizona State 70-61 on March 11, 2010 in the quarters ... Stanford and California will be meeting up in the conference tournament for the first time sinceMarch 9, 1990, when the Cardinal defeated the Golden Bears 77-61 in Tempe, Ariz.