NEW YORK (AP)- Stanford had one of those shooting nights that no one survives, let alone a young UNLV.
Chasson Randle scored all of his 18 points on 3-pointers and Stanford put on a show from long range in rolling to an 89-60 victory in the semifinals of the Northwestern Mutual Coaches vs. Cancer Classic on Friday night.
You can't have a conversation about the best guards in college basketball w-o mentioning Stanford's Chasson Randle. So under appreciated.
— Jon Rothstein (@JonRothstein) November 22, 2014
"I was a little surprised but at the same time our guys did a great job of spacing," said Randle, who hit five of his six 3-points in the first half. "It happened to be our night shooting the basketball."
It wasn't for UNLV. It missed 11 of its first 14 shots, fell behind 12-0 and never recovered. UNLV coach Dave Rice said his team, which started two freshman and a sophomore, was not very good.
"Every experience this group goes through is new," Rice said. "Certainly there was a lesson that was taught. We did a poor job of locating their shooters."
Stanford's Anthony Brown BADLY wants to make my all glue team. Big strong wing loves to play D & knocks down jumpers only when called upon.
— Seth Davis (@SethDavisHoops) November 22, 2014
Anthony Brown added 18 points and Rosco Allen had 15 as the Cardinal (3-0) shot 57 percent from the field in the first half in opening a 23-point lead in the game at Barclays Center.
Stanford will play No. 4 Duke for the title on Saturday. The Blue Devils beat Temple 74-54, setting up a coaching matchup between Mike Krzyzewski and Johnny Dawkins, a former Blue Devil guard who now guides Stanford.
"If it was to occur, you have to prepare," Dawkins said. "Typically we don't look forward to playing each other. We don't play each other in the regular season. This is a tournament setting."
Christian Wood had 12 points to lead UNLV (2-1). Rashad Vaughn, who averaged 22 points for the Runnin' Rebels in the first two games was held seven points on 2-9 shooting.
Stanford made 9 of its 14 3-pointers in the first half in opening a 23-point lead at the intermission. The Cardinal also dominated on the boards, outrebounding UNLV 47-29.
Stanford freshman F Reid Travis is as good as advertised. Built like a LB, soft touch around rim. Reminds of Julius Peppers (bkb version).
— Seth Davis (@SethDavisHoops) November 22, 2014
The game was basically over in the first 11 minutes as the Cardinal jumped to a 36-10 lead with 9:16 to play after Randle hit his third and fourth 3-pointers. The senior's six 3-pointers were one shy of his career high.
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NOTES: Stanford improved to 13-8 in preseason tournament play under head coach Johnny Dawkins. The Cardinal is searching for its preseason tournament title since defeating UC Santa Barbara 67-48 to win the 2007 Basketball Travelers Classic at Maples Pavilion … Stanford improved to 3-1 all-time against UNLV. Tonight was the first meeting since an 86-71 Cardinal win back on Dec. 13, 2003 … The Cardinal is making its third appearance at Barclays Center since last November. Chasson Randle entered tonight shooting 37.0 percent overall (10-27) and 13.3 percent (2-15) from three-point territory in three games at the arena … Stanford’s single-game record for made three-pointers is 15, a feat that has been accomplished three times, most recently against Arizona State on March 13, 2013 at the Pac-12 Tournament … Anthony Brown grabbed a team-high nine rebounds as four Stanford players tallied at least six boards. Brown also knocked down both of his free throw attempts and has made 12 in a row dating back to last season … Stanford dished out 19 assists, its highest total since finishing with 22 last December against UC Davis … Stanford scored 52 points in the first half. The Cardinal totaled at least 50 points in a half on four occasions last season: 58 vs. South Dakota State (first half), 57 vs. BYU (second half), 54 vs. Houston (second half) and 51 vs. Texas Southern (first half) … Stefan Nastic finished 3-13 from the field after entering the game having made 41-48 (85.4 percent) over his last 10 games (two games this season, final eight games of last season) … Robert Cartwright and Dorian Pickens knocked down their first career three-pointers … Elliott Bullock played the final five minutes, missing two shot attempts, grabbing one rebound and immediately taking a charge on his first defensive possession. It was Bullock’s first appearance since 2010, when he appeared in 22 games off the bench. Bullock, 24, played sparingly his first two seasons before completing a two-year Mormon mission and missing the next two seasons due to injuries … UNLV had held its opposition to less than 31 percent shooting from the field over the first two games.
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Stanford Head Coach Johnny Dawkins
“I think we beat a good team. I think that we beat a team that was a little young. They have a lot of new players, but give those kids credit. They showed a lot of fight. Ultimately I’m just proud of our effort. I think we came out focused. I think we stayed focused pretty much the entire game. I’m just proud of our effort. We beat a good team tonight.”
“We are in a tournament and just preparing as best we can. I don’t think any of us (coaches) look forward to playing each other. (Coach Krzyzewski) and I have always been so close that typically we do not play each other during the season. It just so happens that this is a tournament setting and you play the teams in front of you if they win.”
Stanford Senior Anthony Brown
“The biggest thing for us is taking every game as an opportunity. We have a 1-0 mentality every single game. Every game we play we want to leave our mark. We don’t care who the other team is. We just focus on ourselves and play to the best of our abilities.”
Stanford Senior Chasson Randle
“I think our guys did a great job of spacing the floor well and finding the open man. It was our night shooting the basketball.”
“We embrace every single day, no matter what we are doing; whether it is practice, film or whatever we are doing. We make sure we are focused and stay in the moment.”
UNLV Head Coach Dave Rice
“Stanford is a terrific basketball team. They were fantastic tonight and we were not very good and that combination is what led to the final results.”
“Every experience that this group goes through is new but we don’t talk about youth, we just talk about getting better, learning lessons, moving forward. Certainly there was a lesson that was taught and learned tonight about the experience of Stanford and how good their guards are.”
“We have to get better mentally. We have to pay attention to detail, do a better job of paying attention to scouting reports, we have to make sure we get to the shooters and make sure we do a good job of team rebounding. It’s the third game of the season. It’s a painful loss for us because we certainly got it handed to us tonight but there is a lot of season to be played and a game less than 24 hours away so I think we have to be positive with the guys, but yet very clear that we have to do a better job in all aspects of the game.”