BROOKLYN (AP) – Stanford erased a 17-point deficit with 6:39 to play, scoring 21 of the game's final 22 points to earn a 69-66 come-from-behind victory over Arkansas Friday in the NIT Season Tip-Off Tournament at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn.
In his admission, Johnny Dawkins "loves" the current iteration of the Stanford Cardinal.
And why, pray tell, does he adore his team?
"I've seen how big their hearts are," Dawkins said after Marcus Allen's layup with 2.6 seconds left was the game-deciding basket in the Cardinal's victory to secure third place in the tournament.
"We've gone through a lot of adversity early in our season and through that I've really learned a lot about my team. And the thing I've learned is they have big hearts, they keep competing, they never give up."
Allen's layup came as a result of Keaton Miles' defensive goaltending infraction. Arkansas coach Mike Anderson was assessed a technical foul after arguing and Rosco Allen made two free throws to seal it.
Rosco Allen finished with a career-high 25 points, as Stanford snapped improved to 3-3 on the season.Marcus Allen and Michael Humphrey both had 12 points, and Reid Travis added 10.
Rosco Allen was named to the five-man NIT Season Tip-Off All-Tournament Team following the two-day event in Brooklyn. He totaled 27 points and 19 rebounds in the Cardinal's two games.
Anthlon Bell led Arkansas (2-3) with 17 points before fouling out with 1:43 left. Moses Kingsley fouled out as well and finished with 12 points. Jimmy Whitt had 14 points, and Dusty Hannahs added 12.
Hannahs nearly sent the game to overtime as his desperation 3 at the buzzer bounced off the rim.
Stanford trailed for almost the entirety of the game as the Razorbacks utilized a strong rebounding performance and crafty passing to create offensive opportunities. Arkansas finished with 42 rebounds -- 19 offensive -- and 15 assists on 23 baskets.
But the Razorbacks couldn't put Stanford away. The Cardinal used a 19-5 run -- spanning nearly seven minutes -- to cut the deficit to 65-62 with 2:17 to go. Arkansas' lead was trimmed to one, 66-65, after Marcus Allen's made free throw with 27.4 seconds left.
"Basketball is a game of momentum," Anderson said. "We didn't do a good job of attacking."
Marcus Allen's winning lay-in then gave Stanford its first lead since very early in the game.
"If you're going to beat us, it's going to be 40 minutes," Dawkins said. "It won't be because our kids let up."
Stanford's surge was almost a carbon copy of what transpired in the first half between the two programs.
Following an opening 20 minutes marked by significant shifts in momentum, Arkansas led 41-31 at the half.
The Razorbacks led by as much by 20 in the first half, and the Cardinal did not break the double-figure barrier in points scored until Christian Sanders' layup with 9:10 left.
Following Sanders' lay-in, though, Stanford outscored Arkansas 20-12 for the remainder of the half. The primary factor in Stanford's improved play as the half progressed was better ball management. The Cardinal had committed eight turnovers with eight minutes left in the first half. By halftime, they had 10.
Stanford will break for final exams before returning to action Saturday, Dec. 12, against Dartmouth at 7 p.m. PT at Maples Pavilion.