Entry No. 8: Stanford Finishes Trip 4-3 Overall
Courtesy: Stanford Athletics
Release: 08/30/2007
Aug. 30, 2007
VALENZA, Italy- Lawrence Hill and Brook Lopez scored 26 and 24 points, respectively, during Stanford's 82-77 victory over Fastweb Casale on Thursday night in the final contest of its seven-game, 11-day foreign tour.
The impressive performances from Hill and Lopez helped Stanford finish 4-3 overall during its Italian tour. Stanford snapped a two-game losing streak with the victory, including a hard-fought 69-68 setback last night against Varese.
This time around, the Cardinal played a complete game and looked a lot like the club that opened the tour with back-to-back double-digit routs. Hill and Lopez keyed Thursday's victory, combining for 50 points while doing most of their damage in the final minutes of each quarter.
In addition to his 26 points, Hill also grabbed five boards and finished 6-9 from the free throw line. Lopez added 24 points, five boards and was 4-8 from the charity stripe. Landry Fields contributed another solid performance, pouring in 15 points to go with a team-high nine rebounds.
Mitch Johnson scored all six of his points in the second half but came up with several key steals in addition to a game-best nine assists.
"Seven games in 10 days and that was a very good team we just played," said head coach Trent Johnson. "Tonight we received really good offensive performances from Lawrence and Brook. I thought we showed a lot of toughness, kept our composure and found a way to win the game."
"I could not imagine a better way to end the trip than how we played tonight. The trip was great because we were able to get better as a team, establish some roles and everyone got an opportunity to play."
Perhaps most importantly, Stanford made it through the trip in good health with only a minor nick. Peter Prowitt was unavailable for the final two games as he recovered from a sprained left ankle. Fred Washington and Taj Fingeralso did not participate during the tour due to injuries but are expected to be ready for the season. Freshman Josh Owens did not make the trip due to NCAA rules.
Stanford led after each of the first two quarters and after trailing 59-57 to open the fourth period, the Cardinal embarked on a 9-4 scoring run to claim the lead for good over Fastweb Casale, a Serie A2 squad that features former Louisville standout Taquan Dean. Fastweb Casale knocked down nine three-pointers, delighting the standing-room only crowd of approximately 400.
Trailing 10-9, Stanford closed out the first period on a 12-5 scoring run. The burst included six points from Hill, who connected on a triple and converted a three-point play.
Fastweb Casale rallied to take a 27-26 lead with 5:34 left in the second quarter. But the Cardinal received back-to-back buckets from Brook Lopez and Hill before eventually increasing its lead to five at 35-30 following a Will Paulbasket thanks to a Johnson assist. Stanford took a 39-36 lead into the break.
The Cardinal was victimized by the three-pointer in the third quarter, with Fastweb Casale draining five to take a 59-57 lead after 30 minutes. The score was tied three times during the quarter until Stanford took a short-lived 55-53 lead following a tip-in from Brook Lopez with 2:07 on the clock.
Stanford opened the fourth quarter on a 10-6 scoring run which featured eight points from Hill and a three-pointer from Fields. But Fastweb Casale crawled back and whittled the deficit to 72-71 with 1:47 remaining.
After the two clubs traded baskets, Stanford scored eight of the game's final 12 points and iced the game with free throws from Anthony Goods and Johnson.
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Final totals: Johnson (6 points, 9 assists, 0-2 3FG, 4-6 FT) ... Fields (15 points, 9 rebounds, 1 assist, 2-3 3FG, 3-7 FT) ... Goods (4 points, 2 rebounds, 2-2 FT) ... Brook Lopez (24 points, 5 rebounds, 4-8 FT) ... Shiller (1 rebound) ... Hill (26 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists, 2-3 3FG, 6-9 FT) ... Brown (3 points, 1 rebound, 1-3 3FG) ... Paul (4 points, 3 rebounds) ... Robin Lopez (2 rebounds. 1 assist).
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Final tour statistics: Hill (6 games, 14.2 ppg, 6.0 rpg, 1.1 apg, 7-17 3FG, 20-31 FT) ... Fields (6 games, 13.7 ppg, 6.6 rpg, 2.3 apg, 7-17 3FG, 14-21 FT) ... Brook Lopez (6 games, 13.0 ppg, 6.1 rpg, 0-2 3FG, 8-13 FT) ... Goods (6 games, 12.5 ppg, 2.5 rpg, 10-18 3FG, 10-12 FT) ... Brown (7 games, 6.8 ppg, 2.2 rpg, 5-20 3FG, 8-10 FT) ... Paul (6 games, 8.0 ppg, 4.1 rpg, 0-2 3FG, 16-18 FT) ... Robin Lopez (6 games, 7.1 ppg, 3.1 rpg, 4-8 FT) ... Shiller (7 games, 5.5 ppg, 2.0 rpg, 2.5 apg, 6-13 3FG, 5-9 FT) ... Prowitt (5 games, 5.8 ppg, 5.4 rpg, 8-20 FT) ... Dildy (5 games, 5.4 ppg, 2.0 rpg, 0-5 3FG, 4-6 FT) ... Johnson (6 games, 3.2 ppg, 1.8 rpg, 4.8 apg, 0-4 3FG< 4-6 FT). Note: 3FG and FT were not recorded in the first game against Veroli.
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High scoring game: Hill (26 vs. Fastweb Casale) ... Fields (18 vs. Ostia) ... Brook Lopez (24 vs. Fastweb Casale) ... Goods (19 vs. Veroli) ... Brown (17 vs. combined squad) ... Paul (19 vs. combined squad) ... Robin Lopez (15 vs. Biella) ... Shiller (28 vs. combined squad) ... Prowitt (10 vs. combined squad) ... Dildy (9 vs. Veroli) ... Johnson (7 vs. Veroli).
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Statistical leaders (total): Points (Hill with 85) ... Rebounds (Fields with 40) ... Assists (Johnson with 29) ... Three-pointers (Goods with 10) ... Free Throws (Hill with 20).
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Thursday was initially scheduled as a day of sightseeing in Milan, but instead the Cardinal opted for a day of rest due to tonight's 9 p.m. tip-off and two-hour drive from Varese to Valenza. Combine a likely five-course postgame meal and an early-morning wake-up call for the airport, and it was easy to see why everyone welcomed the switch. The group used Thursday morning and afternoon to shop for last-minute souvenirs, catch up on much-needed sleep or get an early start on packing. Stanford is scheduled to arrive back in San Francisco on Friday night, returning to the United States for the first time since Aug. 20.