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Stanford stops streak Cardinal ends losing streak at two games by beating 'CatsPosted: Friday March 01, 2002 1:23 AMUpdated: Friday March 01, 2002 1:57 AM
TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) -- After two discouraging losses at home, Stanford turned tough on the road. Curtis Borchardt scored 28 points, one shy of his career-high, to pick up the slack from an injured Casey Jacobsen as the 17th-ranked Cardinal beat No. 14 76-71 Thursday night. "Everybody is talking about us being in the NIT, and I didn't buy that for a minute," Jacobsen said, "and I actually find that insulting. We are a much more quality basketball team than that." The home losses dropped Stanford into a tie with UCLA for fifth place in the Pac-10 going into Thursday's game. The Cardinal hadn't lost three in a row in five years. "We had to come in here and give it our all," Borchardt said. "If that wasn't enough, then so be it. We just had to put it all on the line." The 7-foot junior, who also had nine rebounds, scored 10 points over the final 1:44, including going 6-of-6 from the free throw line in the last 15 seconds. He got a crucial offensive rebound after teammate Teyo Johnson missed two free throws with six seconds to go and Stanford (18-8, 11-6) leading 74-71. Borchardt, who finished 11-for-11 from the line, was fouled by Salim Stoudamire on the play, and made two free throws with 4.2 seconds left to seal the victory. "This is going to sound corny, but I've been struggling with my free throws lately," Borchardt said. "My fiancee's father talked to me about what to do at the free throw line. He told me to think about certain things while I'm on the line. I was shooting flat, but they were going in." Jason Gardner scored 33 points for the Wildcats (18-7, 11-6), whose loss ended any shot at a share of the Pac-10 title. "I would have rather scored five and won the game," Gardner said. "We fought so hard. We had a chance to share the league title." Jacobsen, the Pac-10's leading scorer at 23.8 points per game, left the game with 4:07 to go in the first half with a cut above his right eye. He received five stitches and returned early in the second half, but a more extensive medical exam was planned after the game. "It bled a ton," Jacobsen said. The junior, who was an All-American last season, finished with a season-low six points on 2-for-7 shooting. Stanford, which blew a 15-point lead in an overtime loss to Arizona on Feb. 2, trailed only once in the second half, 51-50, but never led by more than six points. "Our team played like they had nothing to lose," Stanford coach Mike Montgomery said. "We seemed a little more relaxed." Defense was a big part of the Cardinal's victory. With Stanford leading 68-66, Johnson's pass was intercepted by Gardner, who threw it to Rick Anderson streaking to the basket. But Johnson blocked Anderson's layup as the crowd booed loudly, believing a foul should have been called. Tony Giovacchini made two free throws with 29 seconds left to put the Cardinal ahead 70-66. Julius Barnes added 13 points for Stanford. Luke Walton scored 14 points for Arizona but committed nine turnovers was just 4-for-11 from the foul line. "I really didn't do anything well tonight, and that just can't happen," Walton said. Gardner scored 20 points in the first half, going 4-of-5 from 3-point range. His fourth 3, at the halftime buzzer, tied the game, at 37. Arizona outrebounded Stanford 23-13 in the first half and was outrebounded by the Cardinal 25-11 in the second. "Rebounds and turnovers were the story of this game," Wildcats coah Lute Olson said. During a second-half timeout, the Arizona Diamondbacks showed off their World Series trophy. Manager Bob Brenly, bench coach Bob Melvin and players Luis Gonzalez, Steve Finley and Tony Womack made an appearance. The Diamondbacks' spring training facility is in Tucson.
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