STANFORD, Calif. (AP) - Stanford returned to the basketball court Friday night after as many as eight of its players completed final exams in the morning.
“I didn’t have the guts to play a high-level Division I team today,” coach Jerod Haase said after his Cardinal beat Division II Cal State East Bay 79-55.
Reid Travis powered his way to 24 points and 13 rebounds for his fifth double-double of the season and Stanford (7-3) made its first seven shots from the field to take charge from the start.
Haase said scheduling a Division II opponent after a 13-day break for exams made sense for his team.
“Finals is a real thing here. The guys are exhausted,” he said. “We had guys show up for our (12:45 p.m.) shoot around after pulling all-nighters.”
“After a tough finals week it’s good to have a game like this where we can just work on getting better,” senior Grant Verhoeven said. “There was a lot out there that wasn’t pretty at our end of the court.”
Travis shot 9 for 10 from the field, playing just 22 minutes. Dorian Pickens added 11 points for Stanford, which shot a season-best 55 percent, including nearly 70 percent in the first half.
Cal State East Bay played one night after beating Cal Poly Pomona 78-69 on the road in a Northern California Athletic Conference game. The Pioneers (8-2) counted the Stanford matchup as an exhibition.
“Whenever you have an opportunity to play a university like this, you have to do it,” Pioneers coach Guy Argenal said. “For our guys, it’s learning how to play against the highest competition.”
Pierre Carter scored 14 points for Cal State East Bay, which shot 29.7 percent.
BIG PICTURE
Stanford: Haase said the Cardinal had just five full practices during its 13 days off for exams. “I didn’t expect perfect play out there,” he said. “There were certainly some positives, but there’s also a lot of room for growth.” Stanford plays twice more before opening Pac-12 play at home against Arizona State on Dec. 30.
Cal State East Bay: The Pioneers lost for the third time against a San Francisco Bay Area opponent in a game they designated as an exhibition. Previously, they fell 96-80 to San Jose State and 75-50 to Santa Clara.
STAT OF THE NIGHT
Stanford won easily despite shooting 1 for 7 from the perimeter. The Cardinal scored 42 points in the paint, so perimeter shooting wasn’t a priority. But Stanford is converting just 28.7 percent from beyond the arc this year. “The 3-point shot has to be part of our offense,” Haase said. “We have to be more efficient than we have been.”
UP NEXT
Stanford: The Cardinal travels to face SMU (8-3) on Monday. The Mustangs already have faced one Pac-12 opponent, losing 78-73 to USC.
Cal State East Bay: The Pioneers return to Division II competition Monday when they hosts Cal State Los Angeles in a California College Athletic Association game.
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