By JANIE McCAULEY
AP Sports Writer
STANFORD, Calif. (AP) - For some reason, Stanford performs even better when players are injured.
"It focuses us," coach Mike Montgomery said.
That sure seemed to be the case Thursday.
Rob Little had 17 points and six rebounds, and the second-ranked Cardinal won big despite being short-handed, easily defeating Arizona State 81-51 to stay unbeaten.
The Cardinal (19-0, 10-0 Pac-10) beat the Sun Devils for the 13th straight time and sixth in a row at Maples Pavilion, where a raucous sellout crowd of 7,391 watched an inspired Stanford team dominate without two important players.
"We knew we had two key guys down and we had to step up," senior guard Matt Lottich said. "We got out defensively and set the tone early. We were the aggressors."
Matt Haryasz, a 6-foot-10 sophomore forward, sprained his right ankle during practice Tuesday. He was supposed to start in place of injured power forward Justin Davis, out at least three weeks with a bruised bone and partially torn medial collateral ligament in his left knee.
Haryasz was on crutches and is doubtful for Saturday's game against No. 12 Arizona.
Nick Robinson started instead, finishing with six points, four rebounds, three assists and three steals. Lottich and Josh Childress added 11 points apiece and 11 different Stanford players scored.
Ike Diogu scored 14 points as Arizona State (8-11, 2-8) lost its third straight game. Diogu was whistled for two offensive fouls, picking up his third personal just 24 seconds into the second half. Moments later, he was called for goaltending, giving Little two points.
"We just got a little stagnant in our zone and they took advantage," Diogu said. "But we hold ourselves accountable. We should have played better than this. I feel that we're tough. We just need to put together a solid 40-minute game. We haven't done that all season."
During one stretch, Stanford's lineup included seldom-used forward Fred Washington, reserve forward Joe Kirchofer and backup point guard Jason Haas. And they produced a big run that put the game out of reach early.
The Cardinal are one of only two remaining undefeated Division I teams along with third-ranked Saint Joseph's (19-0).
If Stanford beats the Wildcats on Saturday, the Cardinal will match the best winning streak in school history, accomplished by the 2000-01 team that began 20-0.
On a night Stanford needed a solid inside presence more than ever, Little provided it.
The 6-10, 230-pound center - he shed 30 pounds in the offseason - scored 10 points during a 23-4 first-half run over a span of 7:08. He also had a blocked shot and a steal.
Stanford relied on a last-second basket by Childress to beat the Sun Devils 63-62 in Tempe last month, relinquishing a 13-point lead. At halftime, Montgomery told the Cardinal not to let the Sun Devils back into the game this time.
Arizona State was held to 32.3 percent shooting, to Stanford's 50.8 percent.
"It's just a mind-set," Little said. "If we knew, we'd do it every time. There was a lot of emotion in this game. We couldn't afford to let down. When we feel threatened, we come together."
Students are planning to camp out starting Friday afternoon to secure the prime seats for the Arizona game. There are only about 500 courtside seats for students and the ones who don't get seats there are placed in an overflow area high above the west basket.
Arizona State started the game 5-for-22 and shot 31.3 percent in the first half to fall behind 43-22 at the break. Lottich scored seven straight points during a 13-0 run that gave the Cardinal a 24-10 lead 5:52 before halftime.
The Sun Devils had nine turnovers and only two assists in the first half.
"We just didn't have the confidence to fight back after that (first-half run)," Arizona State coach Rob Evans said. "We had a nice long talk about it. That will remain confidential. Now we'll move on."