Stanford Cardinal Aidan Camman (52) throws down against the Eastern Washington Eagles at Maples Pavilion in Palo Alto on Mon Nov 2, 2026 (Stanford Cardinal photo)
By Michael Roberson
STANFORD, Calif. — The Stanford Cardinal (1-0) opened their season with a 74-65 comeback victory over the Eastern Washington Eagles (0-1), Monday Night inside the friendly confines of Maples Pavilion.
Eastern Washington scored the first basket of the contest and led most of the first half (15:3), However, the Cardinal managed to make the best of their minute time in front.
The Eagles from the Great Northwest took control early in the first stanza. As a matter of fact, Eastern Washington led by as many as 13 points, including a 6-0 run in the process. At that point of the game, the Maples faithful were in a daze with a little over six minutes until recess.
However, the Cardinal took it upon themselves to go on an 11-0 run to get within two (28-26) points of the lead. They eventually took the lead (31-30) at the 1:41 mark of the half. They later added three more points, completing a 19-2 run to end the first half, and lead by four points (34-30), after 20 minutes of action.
The first half had five lead changes and three ties. There were also double-digit leads, runs and rebounding by both teams. Only one player reached that plateau individually. Eastern Washington’s senior forward, Alton Hamilton IV scored 10 points, midway through the battle.
The home team shot 48% from the field, 100% from the charity stripe, and an abysmal 17% from beyond the arc. The visitors tally was 43%, 67% and 25% in the same categories.
In the second half, the Cardinal got on the board first with a 3-pointer, immediately extending their lead to seven points. Minutes later, Stanford achieved their largest lead on nine points. Facing their largest deficit, Eastern Washington was not finished battling for a win.
The Eagles went on a 9-0 run to tie the game at 48. Nearly 11 minutes later, Eastern Washington regained the lead, 65-64. Unfortunately for the Eagles, that would be their last points total. Stanford would take the lead back, while scoring 10 straight points to end the game.
After 40 minutes of action, the Cardinal won by nine points, 74-65. Two more lead changes and one tie happened in the second half. The final buzzer ended a game full of action and ebbs and flows.
Five Stanford players scored at least 10 points for the team’s cause. Freshman guard Julius Price led with 17 points, while Aidan Cammann followed with 13 points and Aziz Olajuwon and Nick Townsend both put up 12 points. Freshman guard Isaiah Rogers contributed 10 points,
Only two Eagles fit the same criteria as their counterparts. Senior forward Alton Hamilton IV led all hoopers with 20 points and 9 rebounds, while his teammate Cole Scherer offered 11 points.
The Cardinal will next be in action Friday, November 6 as they host the Oakland Golden Grizzlies at 7 PM PT. The Eagles fly up to the Beaver State on the same date, to take on the Oregon Ducks at # PM PT.
