STANFORD, Calif. (AP) – Anthony Brown offered several reasons for Stanford's poor start and he wasn't entirely sold on any of them.
"Maybe it was the early starting time, I don't know," Brown said of the Cardinal missing nine of its first 10 shots. "It could have been any number of things. It was a sluggish start."
Chasson Randle scored 17 of his 18 points in the second half and Stanford opened Pac-12 play with a 71-56 victory over Washington State on Friday.
"Give them a lot of credit," Cardinal head coach Johnny Dawkins said. "They came out with a good game plan and played with a lot of energy. We were fortunate to come back in the first half and then win the second half."
Brown added 13 points and 11 rebounds for the Cardinal (9-3), which won its fourth straight and fifth of six. Stefan Nastic added 16 points and seven rebounds. Rosco Allen scored 10 points.
Josh Hawkinson had 11 points, all from the foul line, and 15 rebounds, one off his career high, as the Cougars (6-7) lost their seventh consecutive conference opener.
"We were excellent in executing our game plan, particularly in the first 10 minutes of the game," Cougars coach Ernie Kent said. "We had an opportunity to really put them in a big hole, but we took some really quick shots -- out-of-rhythm shots -- consequently we missed those shots. In the second half, they were the aggressors."
Washington State has not won a road conference game in nearly two years and has lost five straight to the Cardinal.
"We sort of let this one get away from us," Hawkinson said. "They put it together in the second half."
After missing all seven of his shots in the first half, Randle scored Stanford's first seven points of the second half, including a long range shot that tied the school record (241) for 3-pointers.
"We picked it up but we'll need to play better," Brown said. "The bench carried us in the first half."
Washington State missed its first six shots of the second half and the Cardinal opened with a 13-3 run to go up 40-27 with 14:42 to play.
Stanford was never seriously threatened the rest of the way.
The Cougars took a 14-4 lead on Ny Redding's jumper midway through the first half. Stanford missed its first seven shots and was 1 of 10 before making nine of its next 21 shots to rally for a 27-24 halftime lead.
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NOTES: Stanford is 3-4 in conference openers under head coach Johnny Dawkins. The Cardinal won its first Pac-12 opener since a 60-59 home triumph over UCLA on Dec. 29, 2011. Since the 1978-79 campaign, Stanford is 19-18 in conference openers (14-7 home, 5-11 away) … Anthony Brown notched his third double-double of the season and sixth of his career. Brown also dished out five assists for the fourth time this season. In seven career games against Washington State, Brown is averaging 14.4 points while shooting 33-61 (54.0 percent). His 14 three-pointers are the most against any Pac-12 foe … Washington State was just 24-39 from the charity stripe, with the 39 attempts the most for a Cardinal opponent since BYU’s 28-43 clip in November 2013 … Chasson Randle finished 1-4 from three-point territory and is tied with Dion Cross (1992-96) for the all-time lead in career three-point field goals (241) … With Reid Travis sidelined indefinitely due to a stress fracture, Grant Verhoeven made his first start in 57 career games. Verhoeven played 15 minutes before fouling out, missing his only shot attempt but grabbing six rebounds … Marcus Allen provided a lift off the bench, matching a season high with eight points (4-5 FG) while grabbing three rebounds in 20 minutes … Stanford, which entered the game ranked 14th in the nation in fewest turnovers, committed only six miscues while forcing nine … The Cardinal shot 16-25 (64.0 percent) in the second half … Washington State is in the midst of playing five straight games against Northern California schools, having already played at Santa Clara and against San Jose State and UC Davis … The Cardinal is 83-27 at home under head coach Johnny Dawkins and unbeaten in seven games this season … Stanford next hosts No. 21/19 Washington on Sunday at 7 p.m. PT (ESPNU). The Cardinal is 10-16 all-time against top-25 teams under head coach Johnny Dawkins and will be facing its third ranked opponent of the season.
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Stanford Head Coach Johnny Dawkins
“We got off to a slow start, so to bounce back and take control in the second half against a team like Washington State was great to see from the guys. I’m pleased with how they responded.”
“We are going to miss Reid. He’s a big body that provides rebounds and offers us a strong presence on the court. But anytime there is an injury or need to replace a starter, it’s just an opportunity for other guys to step up like Grant did today. I thought Grant did a great job for us today and I am pleased with his performance.”
“Rosco is like a sixth starter for us. He comes in and gives us points, which brings a different match-up because he can play a variety of positions on the court. Rosco gave us a lot of versatility and productivity, which was what we especially needed off to a slow start and several baskets behind.”
Stanford Senior Anthony Brown
“Our bench did a great job today, especially Rosco and Marcus. The bench carried us for part of the first half all the way through the end of the game. In games like today, the starters picked up fouls and the bench provided energy and productivity.”
“We need to play a lot better than today, especially when we have a tough schedule ahead of us. We need to have a better start on our home court. Anytime you have a ranked opponent come to your house, you can’t let them leave with a win and that’s our mindset for the upcoming home game.”
Stanford Sophomore Marcus Allen
“My mindset was to provide energy off the bench. Though we had a slow start, my job was to get the starters up and bring them my energy so the team can be up as a whole.”
Washington State Head Coach Ernie Kent
"I thought it was a good, physical conference game and I was proud of the way we battled a strong team on their home floor. We were excellent in executing our game plan, particularly in the first 10 minutes of the game. We had an opportunity to really put them in a big hole, but we took some really quick shots -- out of rhythm shots -- consequently we missed those shots. I thought our guys 'hunted' a little too much -- they had a look, then they wanted to jack it up real quick.”
"We gave them eight second-chance points on seven offensive rebounds in the first half. Those are all mental things where we broke down and they made us pay. In the second half, they became the aggressor, and you're not going to beat a lot of people when you're 24-39 from the free throw line. Of the two best free-throw shooting teams in the conference, they made theirs and we didn't make ours. We missed way too many free throws, and we lost the ballgame. It's as simple as that."
"When you've got Randle going 0-7 in the first half, you're doing some things right with him defensively. But he's a great player, and he took over the game in the second half. There are not a lot of adjustments you can make when a guy is blowing right by you in the lane and they're so big underneath.”
Washington State Sophomore Josh Hawkinson
"We sort of let this one get away from us. We knew that Randle was going to come back and score in the second half, but we still were unable to stop him. Randle, Nastic and Brown were the key guys we knew we had to stop, and they put it together in the second half."
"I've found all season long that there's a soft spot in the middle, whether it was man or zone. I wasn't able to knock down a shot in this game, but it's normally there. I was short on every single shot -- I wasn't using my legs -- I was having an off-day. We're going to get back into the gym, and we're going to fix that. We'll come out better shooting in the next game."