Dons Edged Out on the Road vs. Nevada by Eric He

Ded 15, 2012; Palo Alto, CA, USA; Stanford Cardinal guard Chasson Randle (5) drives to the basket past UC Davis Aggies guard Ryan Sypkens (25) during the second half at Maples Pavilion. The Stanford Cardinal defeated UC Davis 75-52. Mandatory Credit: Ed Szczepanski-USA TODAY Sports

Dwight Powell scored all of his 20 points in the second half as the Stanford Cardinal defeated the UC Davis Aggies 75-52 in a blowout.

The Cardinal advance to 7-3 despite a 4-13 shooting night from Chasson Randle.

Stanford built a double-digit lead at the midway point of the first half and never looked back, taking a 40-29 lead into halftime.

The Aggies would never get within nine points, thanks to the fabulous efforts of Powell in the second half. He sat most of the first half on the bench due to foul trouble, but made his first eight shots of the second half, and a layup gave Stanford a 70-46 lead with 5:55 to play.

“Coach told me to stay ready. I sat because of fouls,” said Powell. “He told me to keep my head in the game and cheer my teammates on. I stayed engaged as much as possible throughout the first half. I tried to keep myself ready.”

The Cardinal played excellent defense, outrebounding UC Davis 37-29 and forcing 14 turnovers from the Aggies.

“For us, our defense is ahead of our offense right now,” said head coach Johnny Dawkins. “I believe in our guys, I know we have some good shooters. Look, if we’re defending like we’re defending right now, I’ll take it. The way we’re defending, we’re giving ourselves a chance to win against everyone every night.”

