Stanford rolls over Cal 76-58 at Pac-12 tourney
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LAS VEGAS — Getting the ball to Reid Travis early is the key to Stanford’s offensive success. He gets a few baskets, the opposing team has to adjust and the Cardinal can play free and easy.
They sure did against rival California.
Travis triggered a quick start, finished with 19 points and 13 rebounds, and led Stanford in a 76-58 rout over Cal in the first round of the Pac-12 tournament on Wednesday.
“Reid is always going to be a focal point of the defense, for good reason, because he’s a focal point of our offense as well,” Stanford coach Jerod Haase said. “When he gets going, it certainly draws attention PAGE 1B to him. When that happens, it kind of frees some of the other guys up as well.”
Stanford (18-14) shot well early to build a double-digit lead and shut the Bears down defensively to earn a spot in Thursday’s quarterfinals against fourth-seeded UCLA.
The fifth-seeded Cardinal held Cal to 28 percent shooting and had a 30-18 advantage in the paint. Travis hit 7 of 11 shots and Dorian Pickens scored 16 points.
“A big emphasis for me is playing with the motor and just trying to get us started the right way when we start the game,” Travis said. “So the more I can do that, the more guys got to start helping down and trying to make the right reads, the right passes.”
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