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Former Orlich player ruins Stanford’s opener

The Associated Press and Tribune reports

SAN DIEGO – De’Jon Jackson and Brandon Johnson scored 18 points apiece to lead San Diego to a 77-64 win over Stanford in the season opener for both teams Friday night.

San Diego held the Cardinal to just two field goals in the final seven minutes, winning its season opener for just the second time in seven seasons.

Jackson, who played for former South Tahoe High coach Tom Orlich at Clovis West near Fresno, helped seal the win with two straight baskets to give the Toreros a 69-58 lead with 2:18 remaining. Johnson scored 14 of his points in the second half when San Diego shot 60 percent from the field.



Landry Fields scored a career-high 25 points for Stanford, which shot only 37.5 percent from the floor. Jeremy Green added 13 points.

San Diego won despite the Cardinal’s big advantage at the free throw line. Stanford had 24 attempts to 12 for the Toreros heading into the final two minutes. Stanford finished just 17 of 26 while San Diego was 14 for 20.



Chris Lewis finished with 15 points for the Toreros. Lewis scored San Diego’s first seven points of the game before foul trouble limited his time to five minutes in the half.

The Cardinal erased a 35-32 halftime lead by scoring off two straight steals on San Diego’s first two possessions of the second half. The Toreros turned over the ball four straight times to open the half.

Fields was tough inside, scoring three times and getting fouled in the first 12 minutes of the second half. But the senior, who had a game-high nine rebounds and had five steals, made only 9 of 15 free throws.

Fields scored his final basket to cut the San Diego lead to 57-56 at the 8:01 mark. By the time Stanford scored its next basket, it trailed 70-60 with 1:41 left.

The Toreros used a 15-6 run to take a 31-23 lead at the 4:43 mark of the first half. Robert Mafra had two conventional 3-point plays and Jackson added five points in the run. Drew Shiller scored Stanford’s only basket in the stretch on a 3-pointer.

Fields, who led the Cardinal with 14 points in the first half, helped cut the San Diego lead to three at halftime by scoring the final four points in the last 1:42 of the half.

Stanford, coming off a 20-14 record last season, opened on the road for the second straight season after not having played a road opener previously since 2001. The Cardinal were one of three Division I schools that went undefeated (13-0) last season in non-conference games.


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