STANFORD, Calif. (AP) – Reid Travis scored 13 of his 26 points in the final 8-plus minutes as Stanford pulled away to beat Utah 81-75 in a seesaw Pac-12 Conference game Saturday at Maples Pavilion.
"I got some quick ones in the second half and that really gave me confidence after sitting that long in the first half," said Travis, who led a late charge as the Cardinal pulled away in a seesaw game that featured 16 lead changes and nine ties.
The Cardinal (12-11, 4-7) snapped a three-game losing streak in a contest that featured 16 lead changes and nine ties.
Travis shot 11 for 15 from the field and had his highest-scoring game since posting a career-best 29 against Kansas on Dec. 3. Limited by fouls to eight minutes in the first half, he dominated in the second half, scoring on an assortment of spinning drives and power moves.
"I like some of the things we did in terms of disguising him, getting him in different positions," Stanford coach Jerod Haase said. "Bottom line: he was very aggressive."
Stanford took the lead for good when Robert Cartwright hit a 3-point shot for a 63-60 advantage with 7:15 left. Cartwright finished with 14 points while teammates Dorian Pickens and Marcus Allen scored 14 and 13, respectively.
Stanford shot 64 percent from the field in the second half and won despite missing five free throws in the final 1:18.
Tyler Rawson scored 20 points and Kyle Kuzma had 18 points and 11 rebounds for Utah (15-8, 6-5), but the Utes missed nine free throws and had 17 turnovers.
"I don't know it was our execution as much as we have some hard-headedness from guys who are going to go beat people by themselves," Utah coach Larry Krystkowiak said. "We don't have that kind of team; we don't have a star on our team. When we move the basketball and play for each other, some good things happen."
Stanford travels to face No. 5 Arizona on Feb. 8 at McKale Center in Tucson. Tip time is scheduled for 8 p.m. PT on FS1.