ORLANDO – Junior Dorian Pickens connected on a three-pointer with 2.0 seconds left to break a 62-62 tie and send Stanford to victory over Indiana State Friday afternoon in the Advocare Invitational at HP Field House.
Pickens and fellow junior Reid Travis led all scorers with 19 points apiece to guide the Cardinal (5-1) to the win. Pickens' game-winning three-pointer came after Indiana State's Brenton Scott tied the contest with a three-pointer of his own with six seconds left.
Pickens' game-winning three-pointer capped a wild back-and-forth second half that included nine lead changes and four ties.
Stanford trailed, 50-47, with 8:05 to play, before going on a 6-0 run to recapture the lead. The Sycamores responded with a five-point spurt of their own to take the advantage. No team held more than a three-point edge the rest of the way, setting up the dramatic finish.
A Jordan Barnes layup for Indiana State cut Stanford's lead to just one point (60-59) with 25 seconds remaining. The Sycamores immediately fouled, sending sophomore Robert Cartwright to the line.
He calmly buried two free throws to give Stanford a crucial three-point advantage with 17 seconds remaining.
After Scott's three-pointer tied it with six seconds left, Stanford quickly put the ball in play and Pickens delivered the game-winner on the other end for the Cardinal.
Travis collected his second straight double-double and fourth of the season on his 21st birthday, finishing with a game-high 12 rebounds to go along with his 19 points in the contest. He is averaging a double-double for the season, with 17.7 ppg and 10.7 rpg.
Scott led the Sycamores (2-3) with 13 points and seven rebounds in Friday's contest.
The Cardinal used 11 first-half points from Pickens to take a 32-31 lead into the break.
Stanford moves on to the fifth-place game of the Advocare Invitational on Sunday, Nov. 27, at 4 p.m. PT against the winner of Saturday night's Seton Hall-Quinnipiac contest.