STANFORD, Calif. (AP) - Michael Humphrey is already excited about Stanford’s next game and he made sure to do his part in contributing to gaining some momentum heading into it.
Humphrey had 17 points and 11 rebounds, Isaac White added 17 points and Stanford beat Northeastern 73-59 on Friday.
Reid Travis scored 16 points for the Cardinal (3-1), who host defending national champion North Carolina on Monday night.
“Yeah, we’re excited about that game,” Humphrey said. “It’s a big-time opponent and it’s good to go in with a win.”
Donnell Gresham, Jr. scored 15 points to lead Northeastern (2-1), which fell to 0-4 against the Pac-12 in its first-time meeting with Stanford. Bolden Brace added 13 points and a team-high eight rebounds.
Stanford scored 11 unanswered points to open a 54-35 lead at the midpoint of the second half. Northeastern missed seven straight shots over its scoreless 5:27 streak.
“We’re not a championship-caliber team yet,” Cardinal coach Jerod Haase said. “If you want a polished product, you’re not going to get it. This is a step in the right direction. We faced some adversity and the guys responded well.”
The Huskies responded with an 11-0 run of their own to pull within 56-52 with seven minutes left. Gresham, Jr. hit a 3-pointer with 5:42 remaining and Northeastern was within 57-55.
Stanford took over from there, opening a double-digit lead and holding on.
We have so much to improve upon,” Stanford guard Daejon Davis said. “We can’t the dips we had in the second half. We have to keep the energy up for all 40 minutes.”
Brace hit a 3-pointer early in the game to put Northeastern ahead, 10-9. Stanford followed with a 24-9 run over the next 13 minutes to go ahead 33-19.
“We played them pretty well but they hit the shots when they needed them, that was the difference,” Brace said.
Gresham Jr. hit a 3-pointer at the buzzer to bring the Huskies within 33-24 of Stanford at the intermission.
“Stanford stepped up and made big plays when they needed to,” Huskies coach Bill Coen said. “Whether it was making a big rebound, exerting themselves going to the basket or making a big shot, they made the plays.”
BOARD MEETING
One of the things Northeastern did well was to rebound against a taller, physical Stanford team. “It was one of our goals to not get dominated on the boards; they have tremendous size and length,” Coen said. “I thought we did a pretty good job in there.” The Huskies matched Stanford with 36 boards and won the offensive rebounding 14-9. “Our defensive rebounding was abysmal,” Haase said.
BIG PICTURE
Northeastern: The Huskies are participating in the PK80 Invitational, of which this game is included, but will never step foot in Portland for a bracket game. Instead, they will play at Ohio State and then travel to Nashville for non-bracketed games against Utah State and Furman.
Stanford: The schedule gets decidedly more difficult; with North Carolina and Florida the next two games for the Cardinal and a meeting with either Gonzaga or Ohio State the following day. Stanford also has a home game scheduled against Kansas just before Christmas.
UP NEXT
Northeastern: Travels to Ohio State for a Sunday afternoon game.
Stanford: Hosts defending national champion North Carolina on Monday night.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.