Shut out in opener, Humphrey delivers
Stanford forward Michael Humphrey didn’t score in the team’s opener Friday, so head coach Jarod Haase told the senior that he planned to get him the ball more Sunday against Pacific.
Humphrey took full advantage in the Cardinal’s 89-80 win at Maples Pavilion, scoring a game-high 26 points, one shy of his career high, and recording a career-high 18 rebounds.
“Two totally different games, the first game and the second game,” Humphrey said.
He had told Haase there was no need to run plays for him.
“He said, ‘Coach, why would you even say that?’ I told him, ‘Well, we need to get you more shots,’ ” Haase said. “He said, ‘Don’t even think about it. I’m not worried at all about it.’ That’s something a captain says ... and it’s genuine. It’s not just talking.”
Much of the night was spent on the line; 50 fouls were called, and the Cardinal (2-0) were superb, making 35 of 39 freethrow tries, including their first 19 in a row. They led by as many as 25 in the second half, but Pacific crept back into it when the game turned sloppy midway through the half, outscoring Stanford 22-7 during one stretch.
“We just kept fouling and fouling over and over again, and if you want to be in any game, you can’t foul that much,” guard Robert Cartwright said. “And the energy wasn’t the standard that we have. We’ll address that.”
“In the second half, we weren’t the hardest-playing team,” Haase said. “That was the root of the problems we had. ... Fouling was a result of not guarding the basketball and just an easy way out. I was really disappointed we put them on the line too much.”
As the game wound down, Pacific guard Roberto Gallinat made two baskets, including a three-pointer, and Lafayette Dorsey added a jumper to cut it to 85-80 with 2:04 left, but Stanford didn’t allow Pacific to score again. The Tigers (0-1) missed three shots in the final two minutes, and the Cardinal made four of six foul shots, the last two by Cartwright.
Humphrey was 12-for-14 from the line and Reid Travis went 9-for-10. Travis finished with 23 points and six rebounds.
Miles Reynolds scored 20 and Anthony Townes had 10 rebounds for Pacific, coached by 1995-96 NBA Rookie of the Year Damon Stoudamire.
The Cardinal got off to a sluggish start, missing their first four shots and committing five turnovers in the first four minutes. Stanford’s first field goal didn’t come for more than five minutes, but after Cartwright’s steal and a lay-in by Dorian Pickens, the Cardinal whirled off 25 of the next 31 points. At halftime, Stanford held a 53-31 lead, with Humphrey recording 16 points and 10 rebounds.
Pacific had just four freethrow attempts in the first half and made two. The Tigers also struggled from long range, making one of nine three-point tries. They went 4-for-14 for the game.
With Daejon Davis recovered from neck spasms, the Cardinal started an all-freshman backcourt with Davis and Isaac White. Freshman forward Kezie Okpala remained out after failing to meet agreedupon academic requirements.