Stanford Cardinal Oscar da Silva (13) takes it to the hoop against the Cal Bears defense at Haas Pavilion in Berkeley on Thu Feb 4, 2021 (photo from San Francisco Chronicle)

By Daniel Dullum
Sports Radio Service
Tuesday, February 2, 2021

Oscar da Silva’s all-around effort sparked Stanford to a 70-55 Pac-12 men’s basketball victory over archrival California Thursday night at Haas Pavilion in Berkeley.

Da Silva led the Cardinal with 24 points (8 of 17 field goals, 8 of 8 free throws), 11 rebounds, four assists, a blocked shot and two steals.

Jaiden Delaire was next for the Cardinal with 14 points, hitting 5 of 7 from the field, including a pair of 3-pointers. Noah Taitz scored 10 points off the bench.

Stanford (11-7 overall, 7-5 Pac-12) outscored the Golden Bears 40-22 in the paint, and held a 30-28 rebounding edge.

Spencer Jones and Michael O’Connell each had four assists, and Lukas Kisunas pulled down seven rebounds. Jones also had three steals, as the Cardinal scored 19 points off of Cal’s 16 turnovers.

Matt Bradley paced the Golden Bears (7-13, 2-11) with 24 points, followed by Andre Kelly with 15 points and seven rebounds. Both players fouled out.

Bradley sank his fifth 3-pointer, was fouled, and converted the four-point play as Cal cut the Cardinal’s lead to 46-43 with a six-minute 14-4 run to open the second half. Taitz and da Silva hit back-to-back baskets to stop the run and Stanford went on to re-establish its double-digit lead within the next three minutes.

Stanford played without starters Ziaire Williams, Bryce Wills and Daejon Davis for the second straight game, all of them out due to COVID-19 protocol.

Stanford will host the Golden Bears at Maples Pavilion on Sunday, with a 7 p.m. tipoff.