Jan. 10, 1998

Stanford Ties Mark With 14-0 Start

Cardinal Beats Cal, 84-74

By ROB GLOSTER
AP Sports Writer

STANFORD, Calif. (AP) - Rather than celebrating his team's record-tying 14th straight win to start a season, Stanford coach Mike Montgomery was treating the streak as just the beginning of something bigger.

"Got 16 more to win. That's how I look at it," Montgomery said, referring to the regular-season games left for the No. 7 Cardinal. "Right now, it's a nice foundation to have."

Arthur Lee had 18 points and Tim Young added 16 as Stanford (14-0, 3-0 Pac-10) beat California 84-74 Saturday night.

Kris Weems added 16 points for Stanford, which also tied a school record by winning its 18th straight home game. The Cardinal have not lost at Maples Pavilion since Feb. 22, 1996.

Geno Carlisle had 22 of his 25 points in the second half for California (5-6, 1-2), which had won five of its last six. Thomas Kilgore added 19 points for the Bears, who have not won at Stanford since 1993.

Stanford also won 14 games at the start of the 1936-37 season, a streak that ended with a 42-39 loss at Southern California. This year's Stanford team will try to break the school record Thursday at home against Southern California. Two days after that, Stanford hosts No. 10 UCLA.

Weems said the 14 straight wins to begin the season will mean little by the time the Cardinal resume practice on Monday.

"It's great to tie that record, but it's not something we'll think about for very long," he said. "The coach will direct our attention to USC and UCLA on Monday morning."

The Cardinal also will try to break the school mark for consecutive home wins on Thursday. The 18 straight victories at Maples Pavilion by this year's team match the mark that bridged the 1988-89 and 1989-90 seasons.

Stanford became just the second team this season to score more than 70 points against California. The only other team was North Carolina, which defeated the Bears 71-47 in late November.

Even though Stanford relies on its inside strength to dominate games, California coach Ben Braun said the Cardinal's success depends on Lee - an understudy at point guard to Brevin Knight, now with the Cleveland Cavaliers, the past two seasons.

"Arthur Lee had a solid game and did the things he needed to do for his team," Braun said. "Three years of playing against Brevin Knight (in practice) really paid off. That's where things really start for Stanford."

Young had 10 points as Stanford took a 41-33 halftime lead, outscoring the Bears 21-8 over the last 8 1/2 minutes of the half.

The Cardinal built their lead to 51-37 early in the second half, and held a margin of at least nine points until an 8-0 run pulled Cal within 64-59 with 8:22 remaining.

But Stanford responded with an 11-2 run that included a 3-pointer and two free throws by Lee, and was not threatened the rest of the game.

Braun said his team played well in spurts, but that Stanford's experience showed when the game was on the line in the final minutes.

"You've got to make a stand, you have to make it long enough," he said. "That's the thing our team needs to do, sustain the offensive and defensive intensity for longer periods of time."

Stanford University Men's Basketball