Ben and Nic Moore Lead Mustangs Past Stanford, 85-70

Ben Moore had no problem adjusting to a different time zone. Neither did his teammates.
  
Ben Moore and Nic Moore each scored 17 points and Southern Methodist beat Stanford 85-70 on Thursday night.
  
"We just wanted to come out strong and be ready to play," Ben Moore said. "Coach keeps telling us there are going to be runs and we have to respond."
  
Markus Kennedy added 14 points for the Mustangs (2-0), who won their road opener by handing the Cardinal their first loss of the year. Jordan Tolbert had 10.
  
"Right when I thought we were going to break the game open, we got sloppy," SMU associate coach Tim Janovich said. "They started hitting shots. It's never easy but all in all, once we got the lead, we held it."
  
Marcus Allen scored 18 points to lead Stanford (2-1), which had won two previous meetings against the Mustangs, though they haven't played each other in 17 years. Rosco Allen added 14, Reid Travis had 12 and Michael Humphrey 10.
  
"We're looking to build," Marcus Allen said. "I'm looking forward to practice."
  
SMU, which reached the second round of last year's NCAA tournament, scored 17 points on 10 Stanford turnovers in the first half while turning the ball over twice. The Mustangs had a 21-9 advantage overall.
  
The Mustangs shot nearly 56 percent for the game and were able to get the ball inside for a healthy 46-34 advantage in points in the paint.
  
"We played exceptionally well on offense," Jankovich said. "It's the defense we need to work on."
  
Freshman Jarrey Foster hit a 3-pointer midway through the second half, putting the Mustangs ahead, 58-38.
  
Ben Moore scored 11 of his 12 first-half points during a 17-3 run over a 5:34 span that gave the Mustangs a 31-19 lead with 6:11 remaining in the opening period.
  
SMU took a 39-31 advantage into the intermission.
  
TIP-INS
  
SMU: Nic Moore, named to the preseason John Wooden watch list, was one of two non-Kansas players to participate at the World University Games in Gwangju, South Korea over the summer. He started all eight games and helped the American team win the gold medal. "Nic is having an amazing career," Jankovich said. "He's one of the best clutch players I've seen."
  
Stanford: Marcus Allen, a key figure in the Cardinal's run to the NIT title last year, made his season debut after recovering from a stress reaction in his foot. He missed nearly a month of action. "I've been inching to get back on the court," he said. "It feels good to be on the court with my teammates."
  
FROSH ON THE GO
  
Jankovich particularly liked the play of freshmen Shake Milton and Foster, who combined for 15 points, four rebounds and a pair of assists. "I have so much confidence in them," Jankovich said. "They rarely make mistakes, their defensive positioning is outstanding. It didn't feel like they were freshmen. I didn't want to take them out."
  
UP NEXT
  
SMU: The Mustangs return home to play Yale on Sunday.
  
Stanford: The Cardinal travels across the bay to St. Mary's for a nonconference game on Sunday.