Stanford eases past short-handed Washington, 84-74

SEATTLE -- Two days after Washington dismissed 7-foot center Robert Upshaw for an unspecified team rules violation the Huskies clearly were not prepared to face Stanford Wednesday night.

Not the case for the Cardinal. They were ready.

Anthony Brown scored 23 points and Stanford took advantage of Washington's depleted inside game for an 84-74 victory.

"It was different on the defensive end with them going to the basket," Washington coach Lorenzo Romar said. "We had almost been accustomed to, `Oh, they're going to the basket. We're in good shape.' That's not the case now."

Upshaw, who averaged 10.9 points and 8.4 rebounds per game, was cut from the program Monday. Romar admitted that the team did not have enough practice time without him to adjust the defense.

"We have to tighten up defending the perimeter," he said. "We played with some different lineups. We had not been able to even practice with those lineups."

Stefan Nastic, the Cardinal 7-foot center, exploited the inside in the first half. He scored 15 of his 17 points in the half, hitting 7 of 8 shots from the floor.

"You take what the defense gives you, and it worked out," Nastic said. "The big guy was definitely a factor, he's definitely a very good player, but great teams like Washington, they're always going to find players to step up."

Chasson Randle added 20 points and Marcus Allen had 12 for Stanford (15-5, 6-2 Pac-12).

Nigel Williams-Goss had 17 points to lead Washington (14-6, 3-5). Mike Anderson had 16 points and Quevyn Winters added 13.

Stanford led by 12 points, 36-24, at intermission and Washington could draw no closer until pulling within 10 in the final minute. The Huskies trailed by as many as 26 points in the second half.

Nastic, who had been averaging 14.0 points per game, made 7 of 8 attempts in the opening half. The Huskies double-teamed him in the second, holding him to just one basket and he fouled out with six minutes left.

That opened opportunities for Brown, who scored 15 of his 23 in the second half.

"We'd throw it in and if he gets doubled, he kicks it back out," Brown said. "We have some shooters who can put in down.

"I figured, they're kind of doubling on our guy who dominated in the first half, so me and Chasson had to step up in the second half and provide some offense."

The last time these teams met, Jan. 4 in Palo Alto, Stanford won 68-60 in overtime. In that game, the Huskies committed a season-high 19 turnovers. Sloppy play again put the Huskies in a hole early that they never dug out.

Stanford opened with a 7-4 lead by the 17-minute mark before the Huskies turned the ball over on three of their next four possessions and found themselves behind 12-5 with 15:02 left. Washington ended a nearly five-minute scoring drought with a pair of free throws by Andrew Andrews at 12:45 left.

The Huskies reduced the deficit to five points, 29-24, at 2:06, but the Cardinal then scored the final seven points -- five by Brown -- for a 36-24 lead at intermission. The Cardinal shot 55.5 percent in the half.

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TIP-INS

Stanford: Anthony Brown, Chasson Randle and Stefan Nastic combined for 60 points. ... It was Randle's 12th time this season with at least 20 points. ... The Cardinal won in Seattle for the first time since 2008.

Washington: Freshman Donaven Dorsey made his first career start for the Huskies and was scoreless in 15 minutes.

SMALL BALL

The Huskies went with a five-guard offense late in the second half and it paid dividends. The Huskies, who trailed by as many as 26 points twice in the second half, shaved 16 points off the lead to finish 10 behind. Quevyn Winters, who played just 13 minutes, scored 13 points.

UP NEXT

Stanford: visits Washington State on Saturday.

Washington: hosts California on Sunday.