Mustangs can’t be caught

Coming off a 34- point win over Charleston Southern, Stanford was brought back to earth Thursday night.

SMU, a team that just missed being ranked in the Top 25, parlayed crisp ball movement and a tough defense into a 85- 70 win over the Cardinal at Maples Pavilion.

Nic Moore, a 5- foot- 9 guard who was the American Athletic Conference Player of the Year last season, and slashing forward Ben Moore ( no relation) each scored 17 points to lead SMU.

The Mustangs ( 2- 0) were without Hall of Fame head coach Larry Brown. He is two games into his nine- game suspension for an NCAA rules violation. Associate head coach Tim Jankovich led the team.

The Mustangs didn’t seem to miss the boss. They were too quick and too athletic for the Cardinal ( 2- 1). They outshot Stanford 56 percent to 46.

“They outexecuted us, and I thought they made a lot of big- time basketball plays tonight on both ends of the floor,” Stanford head coach Johnny Dawkins said.

He called Nic Moore “one of the best guards we’ll face this year and one of the best guards in the country. He showed a lot of poise, a lot of maturity.”

Center Markus Kennedy, who played just two minutes in the first half because of foul trouble, scored four baskets early in the second half as SMU opened a 58- 38 lead. He finished with 14 points, banking in a three- pointer to beat the shot clock in the final minute. Jordan Tolbert, a transfer from Texas Tech, added 10 points.

“They were collapsing our defense with their penetration,” Dawkins said. “Also, we blew some coverages, and that’s what I’m disappointed about.”

Stanford twice cut the lead to nine in the closing minutes, the second time on a three- point play by Marcus Allen to make it 79- 70 with 1: 22 left. That’s as close as the Cardinal got.

Allen, who sat out Stanford’s first two games with a foot injury, had a teamhigh 18 points off the bench, hitting 9 of 13 foul shots. “I’m happy to have him back,” Dawkins said. “He’s our best perimeter player. ... He was terrific tonight.”

Stanford’s Rosco Allen hit three of five treys for 14 points. Michael Humphrey had 10 points, six rebounds and three blocks although he was hampered by fouls. Reid Travis added 12 points.

In the first half, SMU put together a 17- 3 run to take a 31- 19 lead. Ten of SMU’s points in the spurt were scored by Ben Moore.

Stanford couldn’t get many open looks against the SMU man- to- man defense. The Cardinal also committed 10 of their 13 turnovers in the first half, and the Mustangs scored 17 points off them.

Marcus Allen checked in eight minutes into the game and quickly scored on a layup, but the Cardinal were outscored in the paint 28- 18 in the half.