Pickens’ smooth shooting leads Cardinal to victory
LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. — Dorian Pickens had 21 points and Reid Travis added 16 as Stanford beat Seton Hall 66-52 Sunday in the fifth-place game at the AdvoCare Invitational.
Pickens picked up nine points in a 15-1 second-half surge as Stanford (6-1) grabbed a 43-31 advantage with 12:30 to play.
“Dorian is so smooth, so confident, so fluid,” Stanford head coach Jerod Haase said.
Pickens averaged 18.3 points in the three tournament games.
“Our whole thing was how good Pickens is,” Seton Hall head coach Kevin Willard said. “He’s really picked it up from last year. He’s just a consistent, solid player.”
Khadeen Carrington scored 20 points for Seton Hall (4-2). His layup cut the Pirates’ deficit to 48-42 with eight minutes remaining, but they would get no closer down the stretch.
Seton Hall shot 28 percent (7-for-25) in the second half, and 38 percent overall (19for-50).
Stanford made 24 of 57 shots (42.1 percent), and went 16for-17 from the free-throw line.
Travis and Pickens had four points each during an 8-0 run that pulled Stanford even at 26-26 at halftime.
“They punched us in the mouth the first 10 minutes and we kind of stumbled back,” Haase said. “I challenged them. I’m so proud of how they bounced back and contained it for the last 30 minutes.”
Travis had seven rebounds for Stanford. After missing the final 22 games last season with a leg injury, the junior’s performance bodes well for the rest of the season.
Stanford, closed the tourney with two wins after losing 67-53 to Miami in the opening round. The Cardinal beat Indiana State 65-62 for their other win.