March 14, 2002
Recap | Box Score | Quotes | Photo Gallery
EDWARD JONES DOME MARKS: The evening session attendance was 26,612 which is the fifth largest crowd to watch a college basketball game in the Edward Jones Dome...Stanford's 16 point margin of victory was the largest for a NCAA Tournament game in the Dome with the previous 15 held by Kentucky in 1999 and earlier today...Stanford also sets Dome records for free throws made (25), free throw attempts (35) and points (84), while center Curtis Borchardt sets Dome record with five blocked shots.
STANFORD NOTES: Stanford moves its record to 20-9, becoming the 16th team in school history to win 20 or more games in a season...This also marked the eighth straight 20-plus victory campaign at Stanford...The Cardinal improved their NCAA Tournament record to 17-9, while winning their eighth straight opening round game...Stanford has a 9-2 record in first round games of the NCAA Tournament...Coach Mike Montgomery owns a 14-9 NCAA Tournament record. This marks the 12th time this season Stanford has held an opponent below 40 percent shooting as Western Kentucky finished the game shooting 34.9 percent.
Curtis Borchardt enjoyed his 16th double-double of the season, including his third straight game, with 19 points and a game-high 12 rebounds and a game-high five blocked shots...Casey Jacobsen finished with 17 points, marking the 25th time he has scored in double figures this season...Guard Tony Giovacchini grabbed a career-high seven rebounds...Reserve Chris Hernandez scored 11points, including a career high 8-for-8 from the free throw line, for his second highest scoring effort of the season.
WESTERN KENTUCKY NOTES: The Hilltoppers, who had an 18-game winning streak snapped, closed the season with a 28-4 mark...This was also Western Kentucky 's worst loss of the season...Western Kentucky's NCAA Tournament record is 15-19, including a 9-9 mark in first round games...Western Kentucky has lost its last three NCAA Tournament games dating back to a second-round loss to Kansas in 1995.
Freshman Patrick Sparks enjoyed his third 20-plus scoring game of season with a game-high 20 points, including 13 in the first half. He also had nine assists, his second highest of the season...Chris Marcus finished with 10 points, his lowest scoring output over the last six games, and a season-low two rebounds...Nate Williams fouled out for the first time this season, finishing with seven points and three rebounds....Western Kentucky committed a season-high 31 fouls...Western Kentucky set a school single-season mark and a Sun Belt Conference record with 279 three-point baskets.
First Half Highlights - Western Kentucky suffered a pair of long droughts without baskets that saw it trail, 35-22, at halftime which was its largest halftime deficit of the season. Trailing 9-6, Western Kentucky went 4 minutes 12 seconds without a basket (16:10-11:58) that enabled Stanford to reel off seven straight points...Owning an 18-11 lead, Stanford also had 7:02 stretch without a basket (10:43-3:40) but Western Kentucky couldn't capitalize because the Hilltoppers went without a basket for 4:20 (8:16-3:56).
Despite having 11 offensive rebounds Western Kentucky trailed Stanford in second-chance points, 11-4...Chris Marcus of Western Kentucky picked up his second foul with 15:54 left in the first half and did not play in the remainder of the half while missing his only two field goal attempts...The 22 points by Western Kentucky are the fewest Stanford has allowed an opponent this season, bettering previous mark of 23 by Washington State Jan. 17, 2002...The 22 points by Western Kentucky are its second lowest of the season, trailing a 21-point first-half production at South Alabama Dec. 30, 2001. Second Half Highlights - Chris Marcus wasted little time asserting himself in the second half, making a layup with 19:40 left in the game, but that was the only basket Western Kentucky would make out of its initial seven to start the second half...Trailing 40-24, Western Kentucky went on an 18-4 run, making seven of eight shots including three straight three-point baskets to pull within 44-43...Stanford, scoring on six of its next seven possessions, answered with a 15-4 run to forge to a 59-47 cushion...The Cardinal sealed the victory by scoring 13 (14 attempts) of their last 19 points at the free throw line
Stanford Athletics