Stanford stumbles against Gaels' three-point onslaught

If ever there was a game that was a tale of two halves, the Cardinal experienced it Wednesday night during a 66-51 loss to No. 12 Saint Mary's.

Stanford led 30-26 at halftime and the Cardinal were winning without playing perfect basketball. But Saint Mary's blitzed Stanford in the opening minutes of the second half by going on a 12-0 run and holding the Cardinal scoreless for nearly five minutes.

Stanford clung to the game and cut the deficit to 48-44 with 6:46 left in the game and there was real energy in Maples Pavilion. A well-attended Sixth Man section seemed revitalized and learning on the fly what it meant to cheer at a basketball game. But the Gaels have an abundance of passers and shooters, and maybe none better than Calvin Hermanson.

The glasses and headband-wearing Hermanson launched one three after another from the same corner to sink Stanford. And it establish the second half as the worst stretch of defense played by Stanford in the early goings of the Haase era.

As fans filed out with a couple minutes on the clock, it appeared looking at the players on the bench that they knew they let a chance slip away to skip a few rungs on the program development ladder. Grant Verhoeven, who has been a pleasant surprise on the court after a career often marred by injury, said as much after the game.

"Absolutely (it's a missed opportunity)," he said. "That's a good team. We had the game plan to beat them. (We) didn't execute it. It's a missed opportunity, but we have another one coming on Saturday. We're going to be ready for that."

Stanford travels to Lawrence, Kansas to play the Jayhawks Saturday in a contest that will test the Cardinal's ability to learn and play tough in an overwhelming environment. But before the Cardinal get to the arena in which their head coach had so much success as a player, they will need to evaluate what went wrong Wednesday night.

Haase said of the challenge the Gaels presented: "It's every coaches dream to have that many shooters and great passers on the court at the same time."

And it's every opposing coach's nightmare. Stanford stuck with their game plan to defend "inside-out and try to challenge things late. Obviously it didn't work effectively enough."

Jock Landale, the leading scorer for the Gaels, was held eight points below his season average at 13 points and the Cardinal got him in foul trouble. But Saint Mary's responded by making 11 three-pointers.

Another problem that Haase identified was self-inflicted as the Cardinal tried to adjust to what was happening on the court. Haase said the team played with more "fire" and "grit" in the first half, but in the second the Cardinal's offensive struggles resurfaced and, combined with the run the Gaels went on, it caused a domino effect.

"I thought I over-coached a little bit," he said. "I was trying to give them so many answers to it and at some point it's just got to be, 'Let's play as hard as we possibly can, and play our fundamentals and to our standards and we'll be okay.'"

But credit also belongs to the Gaels for shutting down Dorian Pickens, who came into the matchup confident and with momentum from stellar performances in Orlando. He was held to two points and without a clean look.

And after a strong start to the game, Reid Travis was held to eight points. While Michael Humphrey continues to navigate a rough stretch of play -- and with Marcus Sheffield only just starting to show he's coming out of his own -- there weren't enough reliable scorers for Stanford.

Going forward, Haase described the process of the team's improvement:

"Our team will evolve throughout the season and I think individuals will continue to evolve," he said. "We are going to be true to the idea of getting the ball inside first, getting good touches for our bigs and having offense created for our perimeter guys from that. I think all the guys are going to have different timetables for their comfort level. Obviously we start making shots and good things start happening. Your comfort level goes up quicker. The evolution happens quicker."

"The good part is the intent is there, the investment on their part is there, they are trying to do the right things. But for us to be successful we need multiple guys on the offensive end to be efficient. It can't just Reid or Dorian. We need four or five guys a night that have a chance to get double figures. We're not to that point, yet."

On a positive note, Haase praised the play of Verhoeven, who was the "floor burns" leader against Seton Hall after taking multiple charges and diving on the court for loose balls.

"He's been fantastic and ... he's a warrior in so many ways and I think that sets the tone for the entire team," he said. "I probably need to find a few more minutes for him in the first half. I thought in the second half he was one of the brights spots and there weren't a whole lot."

Clips and note:

Saint Mary's head coach Randy Bennett made a point of saying he hopes to play Stanford and Cal every year and that it's good for Bay Area basketball. When asked if there are plans to play the Gaels next year, Haase said no but they are looking at the schedule for next year and beyond.