STANFORD, Calif. (AP) – Stanford sophomore Dorian Pickens has scored more in his last four games than in 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 .363 shooting (.259 from long range).

He's averaging 19.5 since, coinciding with a dramatic improvement in shooting percentages. Pickens is at .523 shooting during his current streak and from 3-point range it is even more distinct, to .625.

"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, including 41 percent from 3-point range, 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 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.

UP NEXT: 
Stanford begins the new calendar year with its Pac-12 Conference opener on Friday, Jan. 1, 2016 against Utah at Maples Pavilion. Tip-off is slated for 6 p.m. PT