No. 2 Stanford Stops Sun Devils
Everyone thought Arizona State was a long shot to upset No. 2 Stanford. It turned out to be no shot.
Casey Jacobsen had 17 of his 23 points in the first half, and Jarron Collins finished with 16 points and nine rebounds as No. 2 Stanford blew away Arizona State early and cruised to a 94-77 victory Thursday night.
The Cardinal (12-0) scored inside almost at will, shooting 55.8 percent for the game.
"We were just able to establish ourselves down low in the paint," Collins said. "My brother (Jason) and I got off to a good start. Their defensive strategy was to overpower our wings and front the post. But (Arizona State's) Awvee Storey is 6-6, and playing in front of Jason, who's 7-foot. You just go over the top."
It was the 300th victory for coach Mike Montgomery (300-143) in 15 seasons at Stanford, and the Cardinal's eighth consecutive win in a Pac-10 opener.
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The Cardinal matched last season's team for the third-best start in school history and won with ease as all five starters scored in double figures.
Jason Collins had 15 points, Michael McDonald 14 and Ryan Mendez 13.
Alton Mason scored 30 points to beat his career high by 12, while going 6-for-9 from 3-point range doubling his personal best for 3-pointers made.
Shawn Redhage added 14 points for the Sun Devils (8-4).
"We didn't really bring it tonight," Redhage said. "We didn't get it done defensively. We have to get after i tomorrow and pick up our defense. It all starts with defense that's what this team is predicated on."
Redhage had seven rebounds and Chad Prewitt six, allowing the Sun Devils to become the first team this season to outrebound the Cardinal, 36-34.
But that didn't mollify coach Rob Evans.
"I don't feel like you have to play a near-perfect game to beat a basketball team at home, but I do feel you have to compete, battle on the glass, defend well and take care of the basketball, and we didn't," Evans said.
The game was delayed about 25 minutes by a power outage in Arizona State's Wells Fargo Arena.
But the Cardinal were ready for the tipoff. Jason Collins had a three-point play 13 minutes in, and Stanford took its first 20-point lead at 49-29 on two free throws by Jarron Collins with 1:40 left in the first half.
Prewitt had eight of his 10 points in a 3:12 span of the second half, but the closest the Sun Devils got was when Mason made a layup with 2:04 to play, trimming the deficit to 85-70.
The game reflected Stanford's dominance in the series lately. The Cardinal took a 25-24 lead overall, but have won the last six games and 10 of the last 11.
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