Stanford Cardinal guard Oziyah Sellers (4) is the post game guest on the ESPN ACC Network after leading the Cardinal with 27 points defeating the Florida State Seminoles at Maples Pavilion in Palo Alto on Sat Jan 25, 2025 (Stanford Cardinal X photo)

By Michael Roberson

STANFORD, Calif. — Led by Oziyah Sellers’ career high 27-point performance, Stanford Cardinal (12-6, 6-3 ACC) remain unbeaten at home (Maples) and the Bay (Haas) in Atlantic Coast Conference play, after they defeated the Florida State Seminoles (13-7, 4-5 ACC) 78-71, on an overcast afternoon in Palo Alto.

Stanford scored the first points of the game, on a Ryan Agarwal layup. FSU tied it up at two, but trailed until a little more than six minutes into the contest.

Florida State took their first and only lead (10-9) on a dunk by redshirt-senior Jamir Watkins. Stafford went on a 9-0 run directly after that, with Oziyah Sellers providing seven and Maxime Raynaud chipping in the other two. The Cardinal held on to the advantage on the scoreboard all the way to recess.

Standord’s lead reached as high as 10 points, but settled at eight after 20 minutes of gametime play, 33-25.

Sellers was the only player with 10+ points (13), and he converted three treys for his beloved Cardinal. Watkins led the Seminoles with 8 points and 5 rebounds.

Sellers got the second half started off right for the Cardinal, as he made a layup less than 30 seconds into the second stanza. Stanford also increased the lead back into double-digits (13), and managed to hold on for the rest of the game, despite FSU’s efforts.

The Seminoles did lessen the deficit below ten points several times, but the home team was not as hospitable enough to give up the entire lead for their Sunshine State guests. The tree bent, but was not broken. They finished the conference battle with 7-point advantage, 78-71.

Sellers led all scorers with his 27, while Jaylen Blakes and Benny Gealer both offered 13 points to the equation. Although the double-double French King (Raynaud) was a little below stellar, he tallied eight points and and 14 rebounds.

The Seminoles also had three players with double-figure scoring. Jamir Watkins (20) and 8 rebounds, Malique Ewin (16) and 7 rebounds, in addition to Daquon Davis’ (14) contribution to their cause.

The Cardinal will next be in action, Wednesday, January 29, as they host the Syracuse Orange at 8:00 PM PT. on ESPNU. The Seminoles go back to Tallahassee to host the Virginia Tech Hokies on the same date, at 7:00 PM ET, also on the ACC Network.