Madsen Is Right in Middle of Win

Mark Madsen said he happened to be in the right place at the right time, but Stanford teammate Arthur Lee was quick to point out, “Man, you’re always in the right place at the right time.”

That was evident throughout much of 12th-ranked Stanford’s game against No. 21 Georgia Saturday, but never more so than with nine seconds left when Madsen made a flying tip-in that lifted the Cardinal to a 76-74 victory in the opening game of the John Wooden Classic at the Pond.

“In one respect, we were fortunate to win with that tip-in at the end,” Stanford Coach Mike Montgomery said. “On the other hand, we were in control most of the game.”

Clearly, Madsen--a 6-foot-8 sophomore forward who finished with career highs in points (23) and rebounds (13)--and the unbeaten Cardinal (5-0) seemed to be headed for an easy victory during the first half. They were able to jam the ball inside and take advantage of their height with a flurry of layups and close-in shots and led by as many as 14 points with 5 minutes 19 seconds remaining in the first half.

But Georgia Coach Ron Jirsa made some effective adjustments at halftime and the Bulldogs (5-2) rallied, outscoring the Cardinal, 24-8, at one point and gaining their first lead of the second half when Phenizee Ranson made a three-point basket with 3:55 remaining. Ranson’s 18-footer 40 seconds later put Georgia ahead, 74-71. But Ranson was called for charging on an out-of-control drive, Stanford’s 7-1 center Tim Young blocked a shot by Jumaine Jones and the Cardinal regained the lead after two free throws and Madsen’s tip-in.

Georgia’s Ray Harrison missed a driving layup with five seconds left and Young batted the rebound to Madsen, who was fouled with 1.5 seconds. He made the second free throw and then was in the right place at the right time again to intercept a length-of-the-court Georgia pass at the buzzer.

“They did a good job adjusting their defense and I was getting a little frustrated in the second half,” said Madsen, who had 16 points and six offensive rebounds in the first half. “In the first half, we were able to get the ball into the post players early and very cleanly.”

The more athletic Bulldogs were able to do something no team this season has: outrebound Stanford. Georgia’s 43-39 rebounding advantage was a surprise to Montgomery, who downplayed the statistic by saying, “They spread us out, we’re not used to playing away from the basket, and a lot of those rebounds were the result of them chasing down deep rebounds.”

But no one for Stanford downplayed the importance of the victory.

“This was a really big game for us,” said point guard Lee, who had 14 points and three assists. “We feel we can beat anyone, but we knew they’re a very talented team. . . . Now we know we can win a close one.”