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STANFORD, Calif. (AP) — Reid Travis scored 15 of his 19 points in the first half and Stanford made coach Jerod Haase a winner in his home debut with a 96-69 victory over Cal State Northridge on Tuesday night.
Haase, who began his college playing career at Bay Area rival Cal, came to Stanford after four seasons as coach at Alabama-Birmingham. He replaced Johnny Dawkins, who got Stanford to the NCAA Tournament just once in eight seasons.
"It means everything to give him a win," Travis said, "especially all the work we've put in, just building that relationship with him and the coaching staff."
Haase called the experience "awesome."
"Had a blast. The thing that continues to stand out in my mind is how much I enjoy coaching these guys," he said. "They're so willing to learn and do what we ask of them."
Travis missed the final 22 games of last season with a stress fracture in his leg but has come out of the blocks fast. He had career highs of 24 points and 17 rebounds in the Cardinal's opening win over Harvard on Friday in Shanghai, China.
Against CSUN, the 6-foot-8 junior made 6 of 9 shots from the field and converted 7 of 10 free throws, a big improvement from his 10-for-19 effort at the foul line vs. Harvard.
Travis also showed the kind of hustle Haase was known for during his playing days at Cal and Kansas when he knocked over a half-dozen seats on the baseline while scrambling for a loose ball.
"It's definitely what he tries to instill to us," Travis said of the hustle. "Toughness is one of our standards. When we get on the court, it's full speed ahead."
Marcus Sheffield added 17 points, Josh Sharma scored a career-high 15 and Dorian Pickens had 14 for Stanford (2-0).
CSUN coach Reggie Theus said 20 turnovers were more than his team could overcome.
"We did a poor job of handling the double teams early in the game. That really got us off in the wrong direction," said Theus, adding that the Matadors' defense was sporadic. "A lot of times when things are not going well offensively, your defense suffers. That's the mark of a team still trying to become a good team."
Kendall Smith, who grew up an hour away from the Stanford campus, scored 17 points to lead CSUN (1-2).
BIG PICTURE
CSUN: On the heels of an encouraging performance in a 102-87 loss at No. 16 UCLA — a game that featured 14 lead changes — the Matadors gave the ball away 20 times and were outscored 28-5 off turnovers.
Stanford: The Cardinal made the long trek back from Shanghai, where it opened its season with an 80-70 win over Harvard, and showed little travel hangover. The Cardinal led by as many as 18 points in the first half and was up 31 points with less than 8 minutes left in the game.
STAT OF THE NIGHT: Stanford was last in the Pac-12 last season in both 3-point percentage (.320) and 3-pointers made (.172) and was a quiet 1-for-6 from the arc against Harvard in its opener. But the Cardinal made eight of its first 12 shots from 3-point range and finished 9-for-16 against CSUN. Six different players made at least one, led by Sheffield, who was 3 for 4.
UP NEXT
CSUN returns home to play Saturday against Northern Illinois, which puts its 2-0 record on the line Wednesday against Idaho before heading to California.
Stanford continues its three-game, weeklong home stand Thursday against Weber State, which dropped to 1-1 after a 69-68 loss at Pepperdine on Tuesday. Stanford better enjoy the home cooking while it can because it hits the road again for a Thanksgiving week tournament in Orlando, Florida beginning with a matchup vs. Miami on Nov. 24.
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