For the senior-less Stanford men’s basketball team, there’s just no place like home.

The Cardinal (8-4, 1-0 Pac-10) opened conference play in convincing fashion, beating rival California (7-6, 0-1) 82-68 on Sunday night. With the win, Stanford improved its record in Maples Pavilion to 7-0 on the season.

Junior guard Jeremy Green led the way for the Cardinal, hitting all four of his three-point attempts in the first half to finish the game with 21 points. Freshman forward Dwight Powell added 20 points and seven rebounds off the bench in just 28 minutes in the most dominant performance of his young career.

After avenging a home loss to Cal last season, Stanford head coach Johnny Dawkins was optimistic regarding his team’s ceiling within a puzzling Pac-10 Conference.

“We’re excited,” Dawkins said. “We’re 1-0 in Pac-10 play. Why not us? I think we’ve got a chance to be as good as anybody.”

The two teams battled back and forth in a tale of mirror images in the first half. The Cardinal and Golden Bears shot an identical 48 percent from the field with neither team able to find breathing room. Stanford managed to escape the opening period ahead at 38-34 behind six three-pointers on 50-percent shooting.

Green meticulously worked around the perimeter to start the game, using high screens and dribble-drive penetration by his teammates to find open looks. Despite a strong defensive effort from Cal junior guard Jorge Gutierrez, Stanford’s leading scorer found nothing but net, leading all scorers with 14 points on 5-of-6 shooting at the end of the half.

The Golden Bears hung around behind dominant post play by junior forward Harper Kamp. Using strong moves off the block, Kamp proved too much to handle for the Stanford frontline. He finished with 16 points on the evening, but was underutilized in the second half with his team launching threes in an effort to close the gap.

Kamp blamed Cal’s lack of energy for allowing the game to slip away.

“I’m not surprised [by the outcome],” he said. “I expect every team in this league to come out and be able to whoop you if you don’t play hard.”

Stanford bent but did not break in the closing period, extending its lead to as much as 17 behind the play of its prized freshman trio consisting of Powell, point guard Aaron Bright and combo guard Anthony Brown.

Powell was aggressive when his number was called, leaving the Cal big men without an answer for his wide range of skills. He teamed up with classmates Bright and Brown along the perimeter, and the three peppered a disorganized Golden Bears defense with a barrage from the outside.

Dawkins was pleased to see his recruits elevating their play on the conference stage.

“That was one of the best moments [Powell, Bright and Brown] have had together,” he said. “It’s good to see our guys play that well together.”

Cal head coach Mike Montgomery, who coached the Cardinal from 1986-2004, spoke highly of Powell’s skill set and credited the young forward as the key to Stanford’s success.

“He’s quick with the ball,” Montgomery said. “He pretty much took us where he wanted, and he made some tough shots. That was the best game he’s had in his career, and it just so happened against us.”

Brown finished with 11 points and showed flashes of his shooting stroke that made him one of the prized conference recruits. Bright tacked on 10 to go with his four assists.

Despite a 15-point lead with just 5:39 to play, Stanford was unable to put the game away for good until the closing minutes. Cal freshman guard Gary Franklin hit three shots from deep in the second half to help bring his team within nine at 71-62. Fortunately for Stanford, Franklin cooled off at the right time, and timely free-throw shooting by Powell and Green iced the game for the Cardinal.

“The kids played with a lot of heart and showed a lot of poise,” Dawkins said. “They made the plays they needed to keep us ahead. I’m really proud of all the players.”

Up next for Stanford is its first Pac-10 road trip of the season. The team travels to Arizona State on Thursday night before capping off the weekend against Arizona on Saturday.

The Cardinal will look to find its rhythm on the road for the first time this season when it battles the Sun Devils in Tempe at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday.