March 13, 1998

Box Score

CHICAGO (AP) - Just when it seemed the College of Charleston would pull off another first-round upset, Stanford was saved by Mark Madsen inside and Ryan Mendez on the perimeter.

Madsen had 16 points and 17 rebounds and Mendez made two big 3-pointers, including the tiebreaking basket with 3:05 to play Friday, as third-seeded Stanford defeated 14th-seeded Charleston 67-57 in the NCAA Midwest Regional.

Stanford (27-4) advanced to Sunday's second-round game against 11th-seeded Western Michigan (21-7), which upset Clemson 75-72.

Danny Johnson scored 15 points off the bench for Charleston (24-6), which upset Maryland in last year's first round before losing by only four points to eventual champion Arizona.

The Cougars looked ready to shock another big-time opponent Friday, effectively neutralizing Stanford's decisive height advantage and taking a 52-48 lead on Johnson's three-point play with 6:51 to go.

Madsen tipped in a basket, Mendez made a free throw and Madsen scored on another rebound to put Stanford ahead. After a tip-in by Johnson, Mendez made a 3-pointer from the left baseline to put Stanford up 56-54.

Carl Thomas tied it for Charleston before Mendez swished an NBA-length 3-pointer to put the Cardinal ahead to stay. Johnson's free throw with 2:43 was the Cougars' final point as Stanford scored the final eight on baskets by Arthur Lee and Tim Young and two free throws each by Madsen and Young.

Mendez finished with nine points in 12 minutes.

Charleston, the Trans America Athletic Conference champion, has no starter taller than 6-foot-7. Nevertheless, it was able to play with a Stanford team that includes the 7-1 Young.

Lee and Young scored 14 points each for Stanford, which has the second-most victories in school history. Only the 1941-42 NCAA championship team had more, 28.

Stanford shot 44 percent while holding Charleston to 36 percent. The Cardinal also had a 43-34 rebounding advantage.

The losses by Charleston and Clemson in the Midwest meant that none of four South Carolina teams survived the first round. South Carolina State fell Friday to Kentucky and South Carolina was upset Thursday by Richmond.

Charleston shot 39 percent in the first half and was outrebounded 23-16 but stayed in the game by forcing nine turnovers. Sedric Webber, who is 7 inches shorter than Young, outscored his center counterpart 9-6.

Webber hurt his leg while going for a rebound with 13:56 to play and Young took advantage of his absence, scoring on a rebound to put Stanford ahead 48-43. But a 9-0 Charleston run gave the Cougars their 52-48 lead.

Stanford is 6-0 on neutral courts this season.