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Santa Barbara, Stanford battle for Travelers Classic title

Nov 11, 2007 - 2:15 PM UC Santa Barbara (2-0) at No. 21 Stanford (2-0) 6:00 pm EST

PALO ALTO, California (Ticker) -- Stanford looks to open the season with three straight wins for the first time in four years when it hosts UC Santa Barbara in the finale of the Basketball Travelers Classic on Sunday.

After consecutive blowout victories over Harvard and Northwestern State, the No. 23 Cardinal figure to get pushed a bit more by the Gauchos, who have also routed both of those same teams in this round-robin tournament.

Stanford has not begun the season with three straight wins since a school-best 26-0 start in 2003-04.

The Cardinal have relied on balanced scoring thus far, as five players have finished in double figures in each of the first two games, led by sophomore guard Drew Shiller, who is averaging 18 points per game.

The balanced attack has helped Stanford cruise despite the absence of 7-0 Brook Lopez, who was ruled academically ineligible during the fall quarter.

Meanwhile, the Gauchos continue to lean heavily on the scoring of Alex Harris, who averaged 21.1 points to lead the Big West in scoring last season. The 6-6 senior guard has not slowed down through two games, averaging 25.5 points in their double-digit victories over the Crimson and the Demons.