STANFORD -- Dorian Pickens has scored more in his last four games than his first seven, an indication of the strides he's made this year.
Pickens made three 3-pointers and scored 18 points to help Stanford beat Carroll College 83-38 on Sunday night.
"We feel confident in the whole squad," Pickens said. "We're all capable of producing."
Pickens, a former high school state player of the year, averaged 10 points through seven games, including four with double-digit scoring, on 36 percent shooting.
He's averaging 19.5 points since, coinciding with a dramatic improvement in shooting percentages. Pickens is at 52.3 percent shooting during his current streak, including 62.5 percent from 3-point range.
"We believe in Dorian and what he is capable of," Cardinal coach Johnny Dawkins said. "And he's not where he's going to be. He's hitting his stride. We watch it in practice and now we're seeing it translate."
Rosco Allen and Marcus Allen each added 15 points for the Cardinal (7-4), who have won five of six games heading into Pac-12 Conference play. Marcus Sheffield added a career-high 10 points.
"I was feeling good," Sheffield said. "My teammates did a great job of putting me in position."
Lorel Johnson and Sam McMahon each scored eight points to lead the Fighting Saints, who played without leading scorer Zach Taylor for a third straight game due to injury.
Taylor averages 19.9 points a game and is a 49 percent shooter for Carroll, which had a five-game winning streak snapped in its last outing.
"We looked a little out of synch," Carroll coach Carson Cunningham said. "We didn't get anything going and credit Stanford, they made it tough on us."
The Fighting Saints played their fourth Division I school, with two of losses by less than 10 points.
"Right now, we're at a good point in our conference, and a lot of things ahead of us," Cunningham said. "We have played a lot better."
The game was never in doubt as the Cardinal opened a 17-2 lead. A layup from Allen gave the Cardinal a 36-5 advantage with 7:16 left in the first half.
"We got off to such a good start, it changed the game right away," Dawkins said. "It was a good win for us coming off the holidays."
Ryan Imhoff hit a layup at the buzzer to pull the Fighting Saints to within 44-18 at halftime.
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TIP-INS
Carroll: Cunningham has Pac-12 roots. He spent his freshman season at Oregon State, where he established the freshman scoring record with 403 points (14.9 points per game) in the 1996-97 season. He scored 18 points in his debut, the second-best debut in Beavers history. Cunningham transferred to Purdue, closer to his home, the following year. In his senior season, he averaged 11.0 points and 4.1 assists for the Boilermakers.
Stanford: Golden State Warriors public address announcer Matt Hurwitz filled in behind the microphone at Maples Pavilion. Hurwitz, who also works in television production, has been the voice for several sports at Menlo College, a NAIA school and Carroll opponent earlier this year. Menlo is located a few miles north of Stanford. ... Reid Travis missed his third straight game with a stress reaction in his left leg.
UP NEXT:
Carroll College hosts Yellowstone Christian on Monday, Jan. 4.
Stanford hosts Utah on Friday to open Pac-12 play.
