Cardinal deliver Goods

STANFORD, Calif. – Washington State proved once again on Saturday how tough it will be to beat this season, but on this day Stanford had the Goods.

Anthony Goods, who beat WSU last season with a tip-in just before the buzzer, did it again to the Cougars this year. The sophomore guard had 30 points, including a 3-pointer with 2.8 seconds left in overtime, to give the Cardinal a 71-68 basketball win.

In the process, he denied WSU (15-3, 4-2 Pac-10) a start that would have been the school’s best since 1948-49. The Cougars hadn’t swept California and Stanford on the road since 1993, either.

“I’ll take the victory Thursday because we played good ball, but I’m still a little stung by this one and I expect us to come out and play,” WSU coach Tony Bennett said. “(Goods) had a special game. He shot the ball well. He got by us. We didn’t do a good job on him defensively.”

Stanford (11-4, 3-2) could have easily won the game in regulation, but the Cougars overcame a nine-point deficit with less than three minutes to go, knotting the game at 60 when the buzzer sounded.

WSU had the ball as time expired, but Kyle Weaver was unable to get a shot off after running the length of the floor. Weaver did notch a triple-double, which had not been accomplished in recorded school history, scoring 14 points to go with a career-high 13 rebounds and 10 assists. Weaver also had six steals.

“It always hurts to lose, but the triple-double is a nice stat line,” Weaver said, turning his attention to the run late in regulation. “We fought like dogs to get to where we were. We put ourselves in position to win the game.”

Aside from Goods’ big night, the Cougars were done in by an off night shooting the ball, going 4 of 16 from 3-point range and barely faring better than 40 percent from the floor overall.

WSU had another chance in overtime to take the lead late, but Ivory Clark missed a free throw with 33 seconds left after getting fouled on a made layup. Stanford then took the ball, setting up Goods’ final shot.

Weaver and Derrick Low had guarded Goods for the entire game, but at the last moment the Cougars switched Clark onto Goods, hoping the forward’s length would bother the Stanford guard. It didn’t, and the Cougars were sent home with the loss.

“I just pulled back with a little hesitation and let it go,” Goods said. “I didn’t expect Clark to come out there. I knew I wasn’t going to get by him with that wide body.”

It remains to be seen if the loss will cost WSU its ranking. The Cougars were tied for 22nd in the AP poll and alone in 23rd in the coaches poll, their first appearance since 1983. Should WSU remain ranked Monday, it’ll be the first time it’s earned the honor in consecutive weeks since 1950.

From the start Saturday, Stanford posed more matchup problems for WSU than most teams have done so far this season. Aside from Goods, the Cardinal’s size in the low post forced WSU to trap more aggressively, often allowing Stanford to find open players elsewhere on the floor.

Freshman 7-footers Brook and Robin Lopez combined for only 13 points, but their presence seemed to bother the Cougars, especially when the two played together. Stanford sat both players for the last 3 minutes of overtime.

“It’s always disappointing to grind it out so long and (in) overtime, to come so close and end up on the short end,” Low said. “We just have to put it past us and keep on working.”

Notes

Next up for the Cougars is a much-anticipated matchup on Friel Court against Washington on Saturday. That game is nearly sold out. … Clark and Low led the Cougars with 16 points each. … Robbie Cowgill fouled out with 2:29 remaining in regulation. … The Cougars lost despite turning the ball over just six times.

Stanford 71, WSU 68 (OT)

Percentages: FG .406, FT .615. 3-Point Goals: 4-16, .250 (Harmeling 4-8, Koprivica 0-1, Weaver 0-2, Low 0-5). Team Rebounds: 2. Blocked Shots: 3 (Clark 2, Weaver). Turnovers: 6 (Weaver 3, Low 2, Clark). Steals: 7 (Weaver 6, Cowgill). Technical Fouls: None.

Percentages: FG .448, FT .591. 3-Point Goals: 6-14, .429 (Goods 5-8, Hill 1-3, Fields 0-3). Team Rebounds: 4. Blocked Shots: 5 (B.Lopez 3, Washington, Fields). Turnovers: 14 (R.Lopez 4, B.Lopez 3, Washington 2, Johnson 2, Finger 2, Hill). Steals: 3 (Washington 2, Weatherby). Technical Fouls: None.

Halftime–Washington State 27, Stanford 26. Regulation–Washington State 60, Stanford 60. A–7,283.