STANFORD, Calif.- Stefan Nastic and Chasson Randle scored 20 points apiece, as Stanford completed non-conference play with a 79-62 victory over Cal Poly on Sunday night at Maples Pavilion.
Stanford (9-3) shot 58.1 percent overall, connected on 5-10 from three-point territory and converted 24-31 from the foul line. The Cardinal also received near double-doubles from Dwight Powell (15 points, eight rebounds) and Josh Huestis (10 points, nine rebounds).
Leading 33-20 at halftime, the Cardinal shot 61.1 percent over the second half, running out to its largest lead at 70-46 with 5:45 remaining following a pair of free throws from Anthony Brown.
Meanwhile, Cal Poly (4-8) was limited to just 35.4 percent shooting and made just 5-20 from beyond the arc. The Mustangs fared much better in the second half after making only 9-35 over the first 20 minutes.
Randle and Nastic ignited the offense in different ways. It was the third time this year Stanford received at least 20 points from two different players. Randle (33) and Powell (28) accomplished the feat against BYU on Nov. 11 before Brown (20) and Powell (20) reached the mark against Houston (Nov. 25).
Notching his fifth 20-point game of the season, Randle scored 14 of his points after halftime, cashing in at the charity stripe with a 9-11 mark. He knocked down three of Stanford’s five three-pointers and dished out four assists in 33 minutes.
Nastic dominated the post throughout the entire game, producing a career-high 20 points thanks to 7-7 shooting and a 6-6 clip from the foul line. He added four rebounds, three assists and two blocks in his best game on The Farm.
After a sluggish start for both teams, Stanford increased its lead to double-digits following a jumper from Nastic to make it 23-12 with 6:21 before halftime.
A three-pointer from Kyle Odister – Cal Poly’s second in 10 first-half attempts- cut Stanford’s lead to 33-20 heading into the break.
Leading 45-33, Stanford embarked on a 13-2 scoring run that caused Cal Poly to call timeout following the second of two three-pointers from John Gage.
The Mustangs were led by Chris Eversley’s 25 points (9-20 FG, 2-7 3FG, 5-6 FT) but could not get any closer than 15 points down the stretch.
Stanford hosts California on Thursday, Jan. 2, at 6 p.m. in the Pac-12 opener for both teams.
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NOTES: Stanford improved to 6-1 all-time against Cal Poly. All seven matchups have taken place at Maples Pavilion … The Cardinal has shot at least 50.0 percent in six games … After missing its first five three-point attempts, Stanford finished 5-10 from beyond the arc. Chasson Randle was 3-4 and is now 43.4 percent for the season and 12-20 (60.0 percent) over his last four games … The Cardinal has made at least one three-pointer in 400 consecutive games dating back to an 0-6 outing against Purdue on Nov. 24, 2001 … Dwight Powell dished out at least five assists in a game for the sixth time this year … Josh Huestis tallied one block, giving him 150 for his career. He’s ranked third in school history behind Robin Lopez (156) and Tim Young (167) … John Gage has knocked down his last four three-pointers following a 1-10 stretch that spanned seven games … After missing the first 11 games due to a stress fracture, Rosco Allen made his season debut. He was 0-1 from the field with one steal in seven minutes off the bench … Head coach Johnny Dawkins has used the same starting lineup of Chasson Randle, Anthony Brown, Josh Huestis, Dwight Powell and Stefan Nastic in all 12 games … Stanford hosts California on Thursday in the Pac-12 opener for both teams. The Cardinal is 4-6 over its last 10 conference openers and 18-17 overall (13-6 home, 5-11 away) since the 1978-79 campaign.
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Stanford Head Coach Johnny Dawkins
“Challenging game, especially early. Joe does a great job with his group and I thought his kids came in ready to compete. I thought they were well prepared and we had to play for 40 minutes. We subbed out late, with six minutes to go and his kids kept fighting and playing, and we had to end up subbing our guys back in the game. I’m really happy with the win. I thought it was against a quality team, a team that I think is going to do very well when it comes to league play, and a game that I think we’ll benefit from having type kind of challenge going forward.”
“We wanted to get the ball inside because Stefan has been really doing a good job of anchoring our post position. So, we want to go inside to him when we can, and he’s done a good job of really producing for us. Dwight was down there a few times as well and he was able to get some production, so absolutely, that’s part of what we do. It’s part of balancing our offense out.”
“I think we had a great non-conference schedule. If you look at the teams we played, I think it was a very challenging schedule, and looking back on it, I think our kids have done a good job. Would I like to have won more games? Absolutely. But I think, all in all, we finished 9-3 in the preseason with a quality schedule. Our conference, top-to-bottom, is one of the best conferences in the nation, and I think it’s been proven by how the preseason has gone for all of our teams.”
“Going forward, things we have to get better at — and I think it showed up in this game right here — is understanding you have to play for 40 minutes, to finish teams off and maybe teams are going to stick around and continue to compete for the whole game. You have to stay focused the entire night, and I thought we had lapses at times and that’s something we have to try to clean up this week. We need to continue to work on that, and guys understand that when they come in, they have a responsibility to the group to make sure that we’re playing the right way, so we don’t fall into those kind of situations.”
Stefan Nastic
“I think getting the ball inside was a priority for us. We are capable inside and outside but inside can definitely open up the court. But the main thing was that we were playing good defense. We weren’t doing all that we could do offensively, so we mixed it up after the first timeout a bit.”
“I’m glad to contribute in any way, defensively or offensively, but just working within the system and playing my role, just doing the best that I can.”
“I think the chemistry of our starting five helps. We all like each other off the court, and to get more and more experience on the court, it only can help, through the good times and the bad times. We’re there for each other. We’re more and more familiar with playing together.”
“Chasson makes some great shots. In the first half, he’s driving it and in the second half he’s shooting 3s. I was just telling him, he mixes it up so well, and that’s what he does. Not surprised. He’s a great player.”
Cal Poly Head Coach Joe Callero
“I was pleased that we didn't turn the ball over (only eight turnovers). We battled them even on the boards (32-32), which is saying something against a team that is as long as they are. Our biggest problem was scoring against that length. We have to be able to score when we have those golden opportunities. A dive for the basket, a shot off the backboard -- we have got to learn how to finish those and get our percentage up to around 45.0 percent instead of 35.0 percent. What we've learned about ourselves thus far is that we need to find the consistency that's necessary to play at the elite level.”
“We can't simulate length and quickness in our practices. You don't realize how tall the guys are at Arizona or Pittsburgh or Stanford until you get on the court with them. You don't see that length until you actually get into the game, and when we do, it takes our guys a few minutes to adjust. Anthony Brown is a 6-6 "two" guard. You don't see how quick Chasson Randle is until the game starts. It's an adjustment to see that speed and quickness, and during that adjustment time at the beginning of the game, we've been falling into a hole as a result.