Nov. 4, 2012
STANFORD, Calif.- Josh Huestis notched a double-double of 16 points and 12 rebounds to lead Stanford past UNC Pembroke 85-71 in an exhibition game at Maples Pavilion on Sunday afternoon.
Aaron Bright poured in a game-high 21 points, dishing out five assists while connecting on 8-12 attempts from the foul line. Chasson Randle added 16 points and six assists, while John Gage chipped in with 11 points and seven rebounds.
Stanford shot 42.0 percent overall, making 29-69 from the field in a balanced offensive attack that saw 10 different players break into the scoring column. The Cardinal finished with 19 assists while forcing UNC Pembroke into 17 turnovers.
Four players scored in double figures for the Braves, who shot 42.4 percent overall and were led by Shahmel Brackett's 20 points.
Stanford held a slim 44-42 edge in the rebounding department, with five players grabbing at least four boards.
The Cardinal opened the game slowly, with Huestis' lay-up at the 18:35 mark accounting for the only scoring until a basket from Randle five minutes later.
Stanford grabbed its first lead of the game with 11:45 remaining in the first half following the second of back-to-back dunks from Randle.
A three-point play from Gage made it 26-16 at the 7:23 mark, giving the Cardinal its first double-digit lead of the contest. Stanford took a 38-31 lead into halftime.
After a putback from Grant Verhoeven stretched Stanford's lead to 59-47 with 12:18 remaining in the second half, UNC Pembroke embarked on a 10-2 scoring run over the next three minutes to trim the deficit to 61-57.
The Cardinal countered by scoring 11 of the next 14 points, increasing its lead back to 12 at 72-60 following a three-pointer from Bright.
Stanford struggled from beyond the arc, making only 6-30 attempts. The Cardinal finished 21-33 from the foul line.
Head coach Johnny Dawkins employed a starting lineup of Bright, Randle, Anthony Brown, Huestis and Gage.
Statistics from the exhibition game do not count toward regular-season totals.
Stanford squares off against San Francisco in its season opener on Nov. 9, with the game to be played at Oracle Arena in Oakland. The neutral site contest represents the first meeting between the two Bay Area programs since Nov. 23, 2005, when the Cardinal defeated the Dons 71-56 at Maples Pavilion. Stanford leads the all-time series 44-21. Originally built in 1966, Oracle Arena has been home to the NBA's Golden State Warriors since 1971.