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STANFORD, Calif. (AP) — Anthony Brown and his senior teammates Chasson Randle and Stefan Nastic knew they had to set the tone Saturday night after a tough loss the last time out. They accomplished their mission and then some.
Randle, Brown and Nastic each recorded at least 20 points and Stanford ran away from Arizona State 89-70, two nights are dropping a close game to No. 7 Arizona.
"The seniors set the tone and after Thursday's loss we wanted to make sure and set the tone early," Brown said. "We made a lot of connecting plays and guys were hitting shots."
Stanford made over 70 percent of its shots in the first half and cooled off ever so slightly to end the game shooting nearly 59 percent.
"It's one of the best second halves we've had all year," Cardinal coach Johnny Dawkins said. "When you come off a tough loss, you expect your most experienced players to set the pace and they came out and set the tone from the start."
Randle and Brown contributed 21 points apiece and Nastic added 20 as the Cardinal (14-5, 5-2 Pac-12) won their eighth in 10 games. Rosco Allen had 12 points for Stanford.
Savon Goodman came off the bench to score 18 points for the Sun Devils (10-10, 2-5), who were coming off their second largest conference road victory in school history, a 79-44 pasting at California on Thursday night.
"We really had no answer for their big three," Arizona State coach Herb Sendek said. "We knew going in those three seniors were among the best players in the country, and they lived up to that here this evening."
Stanford had three players score at least 20 points in the same game for the first time in at least 18 years according to school records.
Stanford has won nine of its last 11 meetings with the Sun Devils, who have not won in Maples Pavilion in five years.
The Cardinal improved to 10-1 at home, marking the 22nd consecutive season with at least 10 wins at home.
The Sun Devils closed to within seven points midway through the second half on Goodman's 3-pointer. Stanford regained a double-digit advantage minutes later and never looked back.
"We were scoring, especially early, and stayed neck-and-neck with them for the most part," Sendek said. "But our defense wasn't what it needed to be."
Nastic hit a jumper with 7:15 left to play to give the Cardinal a 20-point edge as Arizona State went scoreless for over five minutes.
"He stabilizes us," Dawkins said. "He's a low post threat and balances us out."
Randle played 18 minutes in the first half to become Stanford's all-time leader in minutes played. He needed 12 to surpass Todd Lichti's 4,107 minutes.
The game was tied at 37 with 4:53 remaining in the half before Brown and Randle sparked an 8-0 run that eventually led to a 51-41 halftime lead for the Cardinal.
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TIP INS:
Arizona State: The Sun Devils' bench players are averaging 26.6 points per game and have outscored their opponent's bench in 15 of the first 19 games. Jon Gilling and Bo Barnes have combined to average 14.2 points. Gilling earned his start of the season against the Cardinal.
Stanford: Elliott Bullock scored his first points for Stanford since the 2009-10 season. ... The last Cardinal player to record at least 10 assists was Jarrett Mann in 2011. Former Cardinal All-American and NBA star Brevin Knight had 10 games of at least 11 assists for Stanford.
UP NEXT:
Arizona State: The Sun Devils, who have played five of their last seven games on the road, return to Tempe to host Oregon State on Wednesday.
Stanford: The Cardinal, who have played six of their last nine at home, travel to Washington on Wednesday.
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