STANFORD, Calif. (AP) – Junior Dorian Pickens scored 25 points, including a career-high seven three-pointers, fellow junior Reid Travis had 20 points and 12 rebounds for his sixth double-double of the season and Stanford held off Idaho 86-80 on Thursday night at Maples Pavilion.
The win closed the nonconference portion of the Cardinal's schedule. Stanford brings an 8-4 record into Dec. 30's Pac-12 Conference opener against Arizona State at 6 p.m. PT Maples Pavilion.
On Thursday, the Cardinal trailed 50-39 early in the second half when Pickens hit a shot from beyond the arc to spark the home team.
His three-pointer with 7:24 left gave Stanford a 64-62 lead and triggered what appeared to be a decisive 12-2 run. Idaho (5-6) fought back within 76-75 on the strength of consecutive three-pointers by Tyler Brimhall and Victor Sanders but got no closer.
"Obviously we struggled in certain areas of the game," Stanford Head Coach Jerod Haase said. "The thing I liked tonight is we really struggled in the first half, but at no time did I look at the guys in their eyes and sense any panic, frustration or feeling sorry for themselves. We kept after it and then we did play with more passion in the second half. We were able to maintain the passion in the second half."
Pickens, who equaled his career scoring high, finished 7-of-10 form three-point range against Idaho. He entered the game ranked among the Pac-12 leaders in three-point field goal percentage.
"I credit my teammates for getting me good looks tonight, through penetrating the ball, good passing, and finding me when I am open," Pickens said. "Tonight's ball movement got me lots of great looks. We haven't' been shooting the ball well from the perimeter and these past few days all of the guards put in a lot of work in the gym to correct that. We all want to be perimeter threats.
"As a whole, the game was a grind, we had every opportunity to give in and quit and we didn't," Haase continued.
Stanford point guard Robert Cartwright, starting his first game of the season, scored a career-best 13 points.
"Our defense is what changed the game in the second half," Cartwright said. "In the first half we gave up too many points, 45 points was unacceptable. In the second half we came out and started getting stops and once we strung them together, that is what turned the game around."
Idaho shot 60 percent in the first half before cooling to 39 percent over the final 20 minutes. Sanders scored 13 of his 17 points in the first half, Brayon Blake added 14 and Brimhall had 13.
"You have to credit Stanford for knocking down big shots," said Idaho Head Coach Don Verlin. "Before tonight, we knew they hadn't shot a very good percentage, but we knew they had played a tough schedule. Stanford knocking down some big three point shots was the difference in the game."
The Cardinal returns to action Dec. 30 at Maples Pavilion to open Pac-12 conference play against Arizona State. Stanford and the Sun Devils will tip at 6 p.m. PT on Pac-12 Networks, with Arizona visiting Maples on Jan. 1 at 5 p.m. PT.
