Travis scores 26 as Stanford holds off Utah 81-75

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There was a bull on the loose at Maples Pavilion on Saturday afternoon, and his name was Reid Travis.

Limited to eight minutes and seven points in the first half because of foul trouble, the 6-foot-8 junior forward was unstoppable in the stretch drive against Utah. He scored 13 of his 26 points in the final 8:13 as Stanford snapped a three-game losing streak with an 81-75 win.

“We’ve taken too many losses this season,” Travis said after his highest point total of the Pac-12 season. “So every game we go into is a must-win for us. Our backs are against the wall the rest of the season.”

The crowd of 4,447 included 1,000-win women’s coach Tara VanDerveer, who received an ovation when she was introduced to the crowd.

Men’s coach Jerod Haase, referring jokingly to her milestone, said, “I think I’ll get there. It’s only 900 and some odd wins more.”

Haase was very happy with his defense throughout the game and with Travis in particular down the stretch.

Stanford’s Reid Travis looks for a shot as Utah’s Devon Daniels, left, and David Collette converge in the first first half. Stanford’s Reid Travis looks for a shot as Utah’s Devon Daniels, left, and David Collette converge in the first first half. Photo: Ben Margot, Associated Press Photo: Ben Margot, Associated Press Image 1 of / 3 Caption Close Travis scores 26 as Stanford holds off Utah 81-75 1 / 3 Back to Gallery

“We were able to get him some different looks and positions to attack from,” he said. “He was very aggressive, very talented and very tough finishing those plays.”

The win lifted Stanford to 12-11 overall and 4-7 in the Pac-12 going into Wednesday’s game at No. 5 Arizona. The Wildcats, who buried Stanford in a blizzard of threes 91-52 on New Year’s Day, probably will be stewing from Saturday’s 85-58 shellacking at the hands of No. 13 Oregon.

For the time being, the Cardinal can enjoy their taste of success. Dorian Pickens and Robert Cartwright scored 14 points each and Marcus Allen 13, and the guards put up a 12-2 assists-to-turnovers ratio.

“It’s not that our guard play has to be phenomenal for us to be successful, but it needs to be solid,” Haase said. “The assist-turnover ratio, if that’s a good positive number, is a huge help to us.”

Reserve forward Tyler Rawson scored 20 points and Kyle Kuzma 18 ( with 11 rebounds) for the Utes (15-8, 6-5), who were swept on their Bay Area trip. They lost in double-overtime to Cal on Thursday night.

Utah’s David Collette, who scored 12 points, went down hard in a fierce rebounding scuffle with just under six minutes left. He walked off under his own power and returned a few minutes later.

Utah held a 60-58 lead with 7½ minutes left, but the Cardinal went on a 12-2 run. Pickens hit two three-pointers, and Travis pretty much did the rest. The Utes couldn’t contain him on the low block.

Travis said the difference between this game and Thursday’s 81-74 loss to Colorado was “our defensive intensity and energy. Guys were flying around there on the floor. You could see the bench even had energy. There was just a different emotion on the team this game that we haven’t had the last few.”

The Utes were on the other end of the intensity spectrum, according to head coach Larry Krystkowiak. “We had some low energy today — not as high energy as we had at Cal. It was a short turnaround for an afternoon game.”

Tom FitzGerald is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: tfitzgerald@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @tomgfitzgerald