Stanford handles short-handed Washington 84-74

SEATTLE - Anthony Brown scored 23 points and Stanford took advantage of Washington’s depleted inside game for an 84-74 victory Wednesday night.

It was Washington’s first game since dismissing 7-foot center Robert Upshaw for unspecified violation of team rules.

That left little inside resistance for Cardinal 7-foot center Stefan Nastic, who scored 15 of his 17 points in the first half.

Chasson Randle added 20 points and Marcus Allen had 12 for Stanford (15-5, 6-2 Pac-12).

Nigel Williams-Goss had 17 points to lead Washington (14-6, 3-5). Mike Anderson had 16 points and Quevyn Winters added 13.

Stanford led by 12 points, 36-24, at intermission and Washington could draw no closer until pulling within 10 in the final minute. The Huskies trailed by as many as 26 points in the second half.

Nastic, who had been averaging 14.0 points per game, made 7 of 8 attempts in the opening half. The Huskies double-teamed him in the second, holding him to just one basket and he fouled out with six minutes left.

That opened opportunities for Brown, who scored 15 of his 23 in the second half.

The last time these teams met, Jan. 4 in Palo Alto, Stanford won 68-60 in overtime. In that game, the Huskies committed a season-high 19 turnovers. Sloppy play again put the Huskies in a hole early that they never dug out.

Stanford opened with a 7-4 lead by the 17-minute mark before the Huskies turned the ball over on three of their next four possessions and found themselves behind 12-5 with 15:02 left. Washington ended a nearly five-minute scoring drought with a pair of free throws by Andrew Andrews at 12:45 left.

The Huskies reduced the deficit to five points, 29-24, at 2:06, but the Cardinal then scored the final seven points - five by Brown - for a 36-24 lead at intermission. The Cardinal shot 55.5 percent in the half.