STANFORD, Calif. (AP) - Michael Humphrey wasn’t close to scoring in the first game of the season. He came back in the second game with a chip on his shoulder.
Humphrey scored 26 points and grabbed 18 rebounds to help Stanford beat Pacific 89-80 on Sunday night.
“Those were two totally different games,” Humphrey said. “I had to play harder and I have to keep playing well.”
Reid Travis added 23 points for the Cardinal (2-0), who improved to 32-5 against the Tigers in a series that dates to the 1916-17 season, which was the last time Pacific won at Stanford. This was their first meeting in six seasons.
Anthony Townes had nine points and 10 rebounds for the Tigers (0-1) before fouling out with 10:53 remaining to play in the game. Miles Reynolds led Pacific with 20 points and Roberto Gallinat added 15 points.
Humphrey was 6 of 12 from the field, including 2 of 3 from 3-point range, and made 12-of-14 free throws.
“He was fantastic,” Stanford coach Jarod Haase said. “He competed as hard as he could and things went his way.”
Namdi Okonkwo, who later fouled out with 10 points, dunked with 5:27 left to bring Pacific within 77-70 and Lafayette Dorsey hit a driving layup about three minutes later to make a five-point game. The Tigers didn’t get any closer.
“You regroup, and the guys came out and played great in the second half,” Pacific coach Damon Stoudamire said. “I have no qualms about the effort. We have a lot to hang our hats on. To be honest, we weren’t playing tough enough in that first half and in the first five to six minutes of the second half. Stanford was the stronger, tougher team.”
Reynolds helped give Pacific a 6-2 lead, but Stanford responded with a 16-2 run over the next four minutes, punctuated by 3-pointers from Humphrey and Robert Cartwright.
The Cardinal led by as many as 25 points before settling for a 53-31 edge at halftime.
KEY STAT
Stanford was 35 of 39 from the foul line, with Humphrey and Travis combining on 21-of-24. “When you shoot that well from the line, I don’t care what game it is, it will make a difference,” said Humphrey. Haase added: “The first part is getting to the line. We did a nice job of getting to the line.”
BIG PICTURE
Pacific: In his second season as Tigers coach, former Arizona and NBA star Damon Stoudamire will be starting over as seven new players take the court this season. … Pacific lost its third straight season-opener to a Pac-12 school. … The last time an opponent scored at least 40 points against Stanford was Stoudamire, with 45 on Jan. 14, 1995 while at Arizona.
Stanford: Three seniors and two freshmen started for the Cardinal against the Tigers, an indication of how important recruiting is for coach Jarod Haase as he starts to bring in his own players. … Freshman Kezie Okpala remains unavailable for the Cardinal as he continues to work toward completing schoolwork from high school.
UP NEXT:
Pacific: Hosts UC Davis on Wednesday night.
Stanford: Hosts Eastern Washington on Tuesday night.
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