Bears Drag the Cougars up the Hill and Maul Them 42-39, on Senior Day in the East Bay

Cal Bears running back Jaydn Ott leaps into the end zone to score against the Washington State Cougars at Memorial Stadium in Berkeley on Sat Nov 11, 2023 (AP News photo)

By Michael Roberson

BERKELEY, Calif. — The California Golden Bears (4-6, 2-5 Pac-12) honored their senior players with a clawbiter win over conference foe Washington State Cougars (4-6, 1-6 Pac-12) in front of 38,155 fans at Memorial Stadium.

The Bears were generous guest by deferring the ball to the Cougars, after winning the coin toss. Apparently WASU didn’t appreciate the kind gesture and gave the gift right back.

Less tha three minutes into the contest, Cougars’ junior quarterback Cameron Ward fumbled on 4th & 1. Freshman running back and special teamer, Cade Uluave forced the fumble and returned it for a 51-yard TD. That quickly, the Bears were up 7-0 without possessing the ball yet.

When Cal did get their first possession, they absolutely took advantage of their opportunity. Redshirt freshman QB Fernando Mendoza tossed a six yard TD pass to fellow R-FR TE Jack Endries. Less than ten minutes of the first quarter, the Bears were up by two touchdowns, 14-0.

With 17 seconds left in the first, Ward was able to redeem himself a bit. He scored a three yard TD on a QB keeper. At the end of 15, the Cougars cut the deficit in half, 14-7.

Early in the second quarter sophomore RB Jaydn Ott fumbled into the endzone, as he was trying to score, fortuitously his teammate R-JR lineman Brian Driscoll recovered the ball and was awarded the touchdown. They went up 21-7 and scored two touchdowns on two fumbles.

Cameron Ward came back a few minutes later and threw a 13-yard TD to junior TE Cooper Mathers. Washington State got within seven, 21-14, and Ward was in position to actually take the lead, but he fumbled again.

Mendoza hit Ott for a 13-yard TD and Cal was back up by two touchdowns, 28-14. The Bears were expecting to go into the locker room up by 14, but the Cougars scored another touchdown at the end of the quarter..

Redshirt freshman QB John Mateer rushed in for five yards to paydirt, and the Cougars trailed by seven again. At the half, California lead 28-21.

Cal opened up the third with possesion of the ball; however, they did the same thing Washington State did to open the game…FUMBLE!. Mendoza coughed up the ball within the first minute of the second half, and WSU recovered the ball.

Redshirt junior kicker Dean Janikowski nailed a 28-yard field goal, bringing his team within four. At the end of three, California led 28-24.

Early in the fourth, Janikowski missed a FG. Cal took the ball downfield quickly into Cougars’ territry. Ott has a 52-yard run, then scored from the five yard line, putting his bears up by 11, 35-24.

Cameron Ward had the ball in his hands again trying to cut into the double-digit lead, but that did not go as planned. For the second time in the game, he fumbled and a defensive TD occured. This time junior DB Nohl Williams reached the endzone after carrying it for 52 yards. 42-24 Cal.

Ward answered back with a 212-yard TD loft to redshirt junior Josh Kelly, and they converted the two point attempt. The pulled within ten, 42-32.

Cal’s Ott fubled again, but this time the Cougars recovered the ball. Ward came right back and threw a five yard TD to RS FR RB Djouvensky Schlembaker, bringing the road team within three, 42-39.

With a chance to tie the game at 50 seconds left in the game, Janikowski missed a 48-yarder. Cal got the ball back with the chance to seal the game,

Cal could not make the clock hit zero, so the Cougars had one last chance. With :04 left on the clock, Ward’s desperation Hail Mary was picked off by the ubiquitous Cade Uluave. GAME OVER and the Bears win a close one to the cats from the Great Northwest, 42-39.

Cal wii next be in action across the Bay trying to keep possession of the Axe, as they will battle Stanford Saturday November 18 at TBD. The Cougars head back to Pullman, WA to host Coach Prime and the Colorado Buffaloes Friday, November 17 at 7:30 PDT.

Note: Cal’s Jaydn Ott rushed for 167 yards against the Cougars, and has amassed 1016 on the season. QB Fernando Mendoza, who threw two TDs himself, gave praise to his star running back. “He is spectacular, and he will be playing on Sundays.” Uttered Mendoza.

WSU’s Cameron Ward threw the ball a whopping 59 times, completing 34 for 354 yards and three touchdowns. He also had a rushing TD.

Pacific comes back to down Cal in seesaw battle 87-79 at Haas Pavilion

Cal Bears confer on the floor as they faced the Pacific Tigers at Haas Pavilion in Berkeley on Fri Nov 10, 2023 (photo from calbears.com)

Friday, Nov. 10, 2023

Haas Pavilion, Berkeley, California

Pacific Tigers 87 (1-1)

California Golden Bears 79 (1-1)

By Stephen Ruderman

The Pacific Tigers came back late to defeat the Bears, 87-79, denying Cal a 2-0 start.

The Bears opened the season Monday by barely beating the St. Thomas Tommies, and they looked to build on their momentum with much stronger competition coming in. Cal jumped out to a 15-11 lead with 14:40 remaining in the first period, the Tigers scored eight unanswered points to take a 19-15 lead.

The teams traded leads the remainder of the first period, as the Tigers led 40-38 at the half. The Tigers struck first in the second period with a jumper, but Cal then went on a 16-2 run to open up a 54-44 lead.

Pacific chipped into Cal’s lead, as the game entered the latter half of the second period. Villam Garcia Adsten was fouled and hit a jumper with 7:16 left to tie the game at 62-62, and then he hit a free throw to give the Tigers the lead, and they would not look back.

The Tigers then put the game away, as a 15-0 run gave them a 73-62 lead, and they maintained a healthy lead to close it out.

Cal falls to 1-1, as CSU Bakersfield will come into Haas Pavilion for a 7:00 tipoff Monday Night.

Pacific chipped into Cal’s lead, as the game entered the latter half of the second period. Villam Garcia Adsten was fouled and hit a jumper with 7:16 left to tie the game at 62-62, and then he hit a free throw to give the Tigers the lead, and they would not look back.

The Tigers then put the game away, as a 15-0 run gave them a 73-62 lead, and they maintained a healthy lead to close it out.

Cal falls to 1-1, as CSU Bakersfield will come into Haas Pavilion for a 7:00 tipoff Monday Night.

Cardinal Swats Away Pesky Hornets with Branches, 91-73; Avenges Football Team’s Loss

Stanford Cardinal guard Jared Bynum (1) dribbles against Sacramento State at Maples Pavilion in Palo Alto on Fri Nov 10, 2023 (photo from gostanford.com)

By Michael Roberson

STANFORD, Calif. — The Stanford Cardinal’s (2-0, 0-0 Pac-12) bark was too thick for the swarming Sacramento State Hornets (0-2, 0-0 Big West) 91-73, also preventing them from building a nest inside Maples.

The flying bugs from the California state capital actually scored the first basket of the game, and led twice early. However, the home team was determined to keep them from being in front the rest of the first half.

During the Hornets’ brief lead, they also went on a 7-0 run, but that was subdued by the Cardinal’s 10-0 run. Both teams were perfect from the charity stripe; however, that was a miniscule 4-4. Sac State made 3, while Stanford made the other.free throw.

Stanford Senior forward Spencer Jones got his shooting stroke in motion, after making 0 field goals in the last game. He made two jumpers from beyond the arc, and managed to tally10 points in the first half.

Jones wasn’t the only Cardinal player to reach double-figures in scoring. Fellow senior forward Brandon Angel chipped in 10 points himself within the first 20 minutes of the contest.

Sacramento State was led by junior guard Zee Hamoda (16) as he made four 3s and his senior teammate Brandon Betson (8) drilled two from beyond the line.

Even though the Hornets outrebounded the Cardinal and made more threes, Stanford shot 55% from the field and led by as much as 10 points in the half. They settled for an eight point advantage at intermission, 47-39.

In the second half Stanford’s lead got as large as 19 points. Although the Hornets kept in buzzing distance for a brief time in the final half, the Cardinal was fairly in control of the Northern California battle.

Jones added five more points to his total, but left the game with an apparent ailment. HC Jerod Haase said that his 16+ minutes limitation was for precautionary reasons and possible injury status was undetermined at press time.

Projected Freshman Sensation Andrej Stojakovic, son of former NBA star Peja, had a breakout game in game two of his college career. He garnered 12 points and grabbed 5 rebounds in just under 26 minutes of play. He also shot over 50% from the floor.

Brandon Angel added eight points (18) to his halftime total and junior forward Maxime Raynaud scored 14 points, 7 rebounds and blocked 2 shots.

Sacramento State was led in scoring by Hamoda (21) and Betson (17). They also had two other players eclipse double-digits, Duncan Powell (14) and Bowyn Beatty (10)

At the final horn, the Cardinal was on top by 18 points, 91-73. Stanford stayed consistent in the second half, by remaining perfect (5-5) from the free throw line and shooting just under 56% from the field for the whole game.

Stanford will next be in action Tuesday, November 14 at Maples hosting the Santa Clara Broncos at 6 pm PDT. Sac State heads back to the capital city to host Pacific Union on the same date at 6:30 pm PDT.

Note: Graduate transfer Jerod Bynum has recorded 17 assists and 1 turnover (17:1) in his two games as a Cardinal hooper.

He also explained that he always wanted to be a Stanford player, but it didn’t work out until now. In addition, he is excited to be a part of the last year of the Pac – 12.

Coach Haas does not think his win against Sac State will provide a sense of redemption for his fellow head coach (Troy Taylor) of the football team of whom suffered an upset loss to them (Former Team) earlier in the school year.

San Jose State Smashes Bethesda 117-72 To Go 2-0

San Jose State Spartans and the Bethesda Flames battled it out in San Jose on Thu Nov 9, 2023 (San Jose State Spartans photo)

Thursday, November 9th, 2023

By Troy Ewers

It’s the second game of the season for the Spartans and it’s San Jose State facing off against the Bethesda Flames. This is a home game before they go to Texas Tech and then a tournament in the U.S. Virgin Islands. Bethesda drove up from Anaheim in vans and showed up 3 hours before the game. 

The first half started with a dominant outing on offense with Tibet Gorener having nine of the Spartans first 11 points and holding a lead halfway through the first. The Spartans were scoring mostly in the paint and had second chance points that made the difference for them as the first half went on.

Bethesda tried to stay in the fold keeping the score as close as they could, but there weren’t enough runs for the Flames. With five minutes left in the half, Bethesda had cut the lead to eight and were looking to go on their first run.

The nine total turnovers SJSU had brought Bethesda within two points, but a 6-0 run from the Spartans in the last 1:22 of the half put them up going into the locker room 56-47. The biggest problem for Bethesda were fouls. The Flames had 13 team fouls and SJSU took full advantage of these opportunities making 13-15 free throws in the first half. 

The Spartans started the second half the way they were supposed to getting a 20 point lead 5 minutes into the half. The Flames hit a drought where for 4:39 they didn’t score a point and that was the halfway point of the half in the game.

SJSU went on a terror run leading by 32 with eight minutes left and Gorener leading the team in points with 26. It was a complete runaway for San Jose State, beating their season high score from last season that was also against Bethesda. This is the third most points in San Jose State basketball history and the game was well in the books, SJSU winning 117-72. 

The game after halftime was a complete blowout, but it was something that is going to give the Spartans a lot of confidence going to Lubbock, TX where SJSU will face Texas Tech on Saturday. The three standout players for SJSU were Gorrener with 26 points, Alvaro Cardenas with 14 points and 8 assists, and Trey Anderson with 13 points. The Spartans are 2-0 and look to keep this party going into this ongoing season.

Stanford Cardinal basketball with Michael Roberson: Raynaud and Jones getting some good production

Stanford’s Spencer Jones (14) shoots against Arizona during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game in the quarterfinal round of the Pac-12 tournament Thursday, March 10, 2022, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/John Locher)

On the Stanford Cardinal basketball podcast with Michael Roberson:

#1 Stanford Cardinal Maxime Raynaud led with 23 points, 23 rebounds, three blocks and two steals in the Cardinal win over Cal State Northridge on Monday night 88-79 in the season opener on the Hill.

#2 The Cardinal Michael Jones followed up Raynaud in scoring with 20 points, what was also convincing was Stanford scored the last 13 points of the game to put the kibosh on CSUN’s evening.

#3 Michael talk about Brandon Angel who scored 17 points, eight rebounds, and got three blocks for the Cardinal.

#4 Keonte Jones hit a three point shot at 2:59 left in the game that put Northridge up by four but after that the Northridge was 0-4 and the Cardinal scored the rest of the way for the win.

#5 Next up for the Cardinal, Sacramento State Hornets, the Hornets opened up their season against the Nevada Wolfpack on Tuesday and this is their second game. The Cardinal did show a good exhibition of offense in their game against Northridge last Monday.

Join Michael for the Stanford Cardinal podcasts at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Cardinal were Bullish Against Visiting Matadors, Pushing through their Cloak and Sword, 88-79

The Stanford Cardinal guard Jared Bynum (1) and forward Maxime Raynaud (42) both finished in double digits against Cal State Northridge at Maples Pavilion in Palo Alto on Mon Nov 6, 2023 (@StanfordMBB photo)

By Michael Roberson

STANFORD, Calif. — The Stanford Cardinal (1-0, 0-0 Pac-12) Red Attack could not be avoided by the California State University – Northridge Matadors (0-1, 0-0 Big West), as they won a back and forth contest, 88-79.

Stanford got out to an early lead the first couple minutes of the game, but that was short-lived.  CSUN was in front through the bulk of the first half. 

Both teams had eight point leads, while the Matadors managed a 9-0 run and the Cardinal topped that with a 10-0 one of their own.  Although CSUN had the lead three times as long as Stanford, they managed to regain the lead before the end of the first 30 minutes of play.

Stanford senior Brandon Angel and junior Maxime Raynaud both were perfect from the field (4-4) in the first half, scoring 11 and 8 points respectively.  Newcomer and senior guard Jared Bynum also chipped in for his squad, tallying 7 points and 3 assists.

At recess, the home team had a five-point advantage, 43-38.  Stanford had to fight back and overcome the 3:1 ratio of not being the frontrunner, but they managed to take a slightly comfortable lead into the locker room.

Nearly three minutes into the second half, Stanford increased their lead to nine, and was looking to blow the game open.  However, the Matadors still had something under their muleta or cape.

CSUN fought back valiantly twice.  The first occasion they took a 63-62 lead near the midway point (9:43) of the second half.  Approximately four and a half minutes later they climbed the tree again to take a 2-point lead (73-71).

Now with about five minutes left in regulation, the Cardinal had to duplicate their late comeback in the first half leading at the whistle.  Stanford also performed a 13-0 run during the second stanza.

Senior Michael Jones was able to make that process come to fruition a little sooner (2:20) as his deep jumper put them up for good (80-79) and eventually added eight more to win by nine.  After 40 minutes of play, Stanford was the victor on the Farm. 88-79.

The Cardinal had ample contribution from the team.  Raynaud led the way with 23 points, 15 rebounds and 3 blocks.  The aforementioned Jones had 20 points and Angel blessed the team with 18 points and 7 rebounds.  The new guy Jared Bynum gave 13 points and dropped 7 assists, with 0 turnovers in his Cardinal debut.

Graduate senior De’Sean Allen-Eikens led the Matadors with 22 points and 8 rebounds.

The Cardinal are next in action back at Maples Friday, November 10 (6 pm PDT) hosting Sacramento State.  The Matadors travel to Moscow, Idaho Thursday November 9 (6 pm MST) to take on the Idaho Vandals.

Bears barely edge out Tommies in Season Opener 71-66 at Haas Pavilion

Haas Pavilion home of the Cal Bears who hosted the St Thomas Tommies on Mon Nov 6, 2023 (photo by Stephen Ruderman)

Monday, Nov. 6, 2023

Haas Pavilion, Berkeley, California

St. Thomas Tommies 66 (0-1)

California Golden Bears 71 (1–0)

By Stephen Ruderman

BERKELEY–The California Golden Bears beat the St. Thomas Tommies, in a 71-66 in a nail-biting season opener at Haas Pavilion.

Following a brutal 3-29 2022-2024 Campaign, Cal Basketball got their 2023-2024 Season started with new head coach, Mark Madsen at the helm, as they welcomed in the Tommies for the opener.

This was also the debut game for Freshman Vladimir Pavlovic, who has come with a lot of excitement. Pavlovic, a native of Serbia, played for the 18U Serbian National Team, before playing for Hoosac School in Hoosick New York last year.

“Vladimir’s talent, character and basketball IQ make him a great addition to our roster,” Madsen said over the summer, when Pavlovic committed to play for Cal.

The Bears started the game by committing a backcourt violation, and it was just the first of many turnovers Cal gave away. Meanwhile, the Tommies opened with a pair of three-balls. It seemed they shot a third one at the buzzer to open a 9-3 lead, but the call was overturned upon review, as the ball was fired after the buzzer.

St. Thomas’ lead was back down to 6-3, and a pair of threes gave Cal their first lead of the night at 10-8 with over 14 minutes to go in the first period.

Both teams traded threes early on, as Cal led 17-13 with 10:34 remaining in the first period. The two teams were pretty back and forward throughout the first period, as neither team got off to greater than a five-point lead.

Eventually it was a 29-29 game with 2:30 left, as the Bears had a hard time shaking the Tommies off, and Cal led 35-34 at the half.

The second period opened with the teams trading threes, and the Bears giving more turnovers to the Tommies, as well as some fouls mixed in. Cal missed several opportunities, and the Tommies.

Cal led 51-50 half way through the second, as both teams missed several opportunities to pull away.

Pavlovic missed a crucial three with Cal trailing 58-56 with less than seven minutes left in the second, and the Tommies were immediately gifted two points after Cal center, Fardaws Aimag, was called for goaltending.

The Tommies led 62-61 with 3:40 remaining, as the game came down to the wire. It was 64-64 with 1:30 left when Devin Askew was on the receiving end of an offensive foul by the Tommies, which gave Cal the ball.

Another foul sent Jalen Calestine to the line for Cal, but he missed his only free-throw, giving the Tommies the ball with 1:15 left.

Askew laid one in to give Cal a 66-64 lead with less than a minute remaining, and the Tommies were unable to respond, as a foul sent Jalen Cone to the line, and he nailed both shots to expand Cal’s lead to 68-64.

After a lengthy final minute in which the Tommies tried every trick they had, the Bears held on to win 71-66.

Cal has won their season opener for the first time in four years, as they are 1-0, and they will welcome the University of Pacific Tigers for an 8:00 tipoff Friday night.

Kings Continue Slump Demolished By Rockets 122-97; Houston sweeps two game series

Houston Rockets guard Jalen Green (center) struggles with the basketball with the Sacramento Kings forwards Harrison Barnes (40) Keegan Murray (right) at the Toyota Center on Mon Nov 6, 2023 (AP News photo)

By Barbara Mason

There are no words in Webster’s dictionary to describe how terrible this game went for the Sacramento Kings (2-4). It would seem that they are completely helpless without superstar De’Aaron Fox who remains out with the ankle injury.

It would also appear that there are no players that can step up in his absence. That does not bode well for this team. As this game reached the seven minute mark in the fourth quarter it could not have ended quickly enough for these guys. The final score was 122-97 Houston Rockets (3-3) at the Toyota Center in Houston in game 2 of the series.

Monday night the Kings continued to play without superstar De’Aaron Fox taking on the Houston Rockets at Toyota Center. He was ruled out hours before tipoff missing his third game in a row. The Kings are missing everything that he brings to the court and are struggling.

The Kings lost to the Rockets on Saturday night, an 18 point loss 107-89, a very embarrassing loss. A big part of the Kings future was thought to be Keegan Murray but he has not shown up so far.

Murray finished the Saturday night game with the Rockets shooting for seven points and going 3-12. His shot is not falling and he is not delivering at all and needs to have more of an impact. Another player not carrying his load is the newly signed Sasha Vezenkov.

The excitement surrounding Vezenkov’s signing has now fallen flat when he scored nada in their last game. While Domantas Sabonis was not awful he was not at his usual best which is roughly 18 points per game.

With Fox still remaining out of action this team has to step up and Sabonis is a huge part of this. Their defense has been stale and they need to add another star to their core. As we have seen early in this season injury can play havoc with a team.

The Kings need Fox who is the heart of their offense. It is early in the season and not the worst time for a team to suffer injury, but that being said, Sacramento does not want to lose a third game in a row.

The opening quarter of Monday night’s game went very poorly for the Kings. They lost the first quarter 32-22. It really went sideways in the second quarter with the Rockets topping the Kings 35-20 taking a 67-42 lead into the locker room at the half. The first half of this game was a disaster for Sacramento but unfortunately the worst was still to come.

After three quarters the writing was pretty much on the wall. It was a horrific showing by the Kings. It could not have been any worse with some lackluster shooting and terrible defense allowing the Rockets to walk all over them.

The starters were MIA for the first three quarters. Harrison Barnes had three points after three quarters, Davion Mitchell had five, Domantas Sabonis with eight points. It was a nightmare. Even the energetic Malik Monk off the bench only managed five points. After three quarters Houston had a 95-60 lead in a monster embarrassment. It was like taking candy from a baby for Houston in this lopsided game.

The fourth quarter was more of the same and early in the final quarter the Rockets had taken a forty point lead 107-67. If you think that Saturday night’s loss was an embarrassment think again. The Kings did win the fourth quarter but this game was a done deal at half time. The Kings came around in the fourth quarter winning the quarter 37-25. The final was 122-97.

Wednesday night the Kings will take on the Portland Trail Blazers at Golden 1 Center. Hopefully the crowd can get this team energized and an even more importantly get Fox back on the court.

The Kings, of course, does not want to put Fox back on the court until he is completely ready. They cannot afford to risk further injury to Fox’s ankle. This team is going through some discouraging times and they need to pull it all together and come out the other side. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:00 PM.

Cal Bears basketball podcast with Stephen Ruderman: Fresh new start with head coach Mark Madsen

Cal Bears head coach Mark Madsen, guard Keonte Kennedy, and forward Grant Newell address the press at media day on Oct 11, 2023 at Haas Pavilion in Berkeley (AP News photo)

On Headline Sports podcast with Stephen Ruderman:

#1 Stephen, It’s the first game back for the Cal Bears with a new head coach Mark Madsen. Madsen led Utah Valley last season to the Semi Finals for the 2023 NIT.

#2 Madsen was named the 2023 Western Athletic Conference Coach of the Year and led the Wolverines to a pair of conference titles during his four seasons at the helm.

#3 Madsen has been well-recognized for his efforts during the 2022-23 campaign as he was named District Coach of the Year by both the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) and the United States Basketball Writers Association (USBWA).

#4  Mark is a person of high character, high energy, high intensity, and he’s done it the right way. He’s intense. He’s passionate. He loves his student-athletes, and he loves competing. 

#5 Coach Madsen wanted to see what his players will do in this first game against St. Thomas tonight at Haas Pavilion. Madsen said when he was first brought on by Cal “I am extremely grateful to Chancellor Carol Christ and Director of Athletics Jim Knowlton for their belief in me, and for the tremendous opportunity to lead Cal’s men’s basketball team back to its winning tradition.”

Join Stephen Ruderman for Cal Basketball commentary at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Karty field goal lifts Cardinal past Washington State 10-7

Stanford Cardinal cornerback Tshawn Frausto-Ramos (bottom) Tobin Phillips defensive lineman (right) put the tackle on Washington State Cougars wide receiver Kyle Williams (2) at Martin Stadium in Pullman on Sat Nov 4, 2023 (AP News photo)

By Daniel Dullum

Saturday, November 4, 2023

Joshua Karty kicked a 31-yard field goal with 5:56 remaining in the fourth quarter, providing Stanford with a 10-7 Pac-12 football victory Saturday at Martin Stadium in Pullman, Wash,

The Cardinal (3-6 overall, 2-5 Pac 12) have a 41-31-1 edge in the series, which may or may not continue after this season due to the dissolution of the Pac-12 Conference. One year ago, the Cougars (4-5 overall, 1-5 Pac-12) defeated Stanford 52-14

Washington State opened the scoring with 6:18 left in the second quarter with a 9-yard touchdown pass from Cameron Ward to Josh Kelly.

Stanford tied the game at 7-7 on a 1-yard touchdown run by Justin Lamson with 2:55 remaining in the third quarter. Lamson led Cardinal ballcarriers with 54 rushing yards on 20 carries.

Ashton Daniels completed 15 of 31 passes for 115 yards, no touchdowns and one interceptions. He also carried nine times for 18 yards and was sacked once.

Sam Roush caught seven passes for 61 yards to lead the Cardinal, followed by Elic Ayomanor with four catches for 53 yards.

Tristan Sinclair paced the Cardinal defense with nine total tackles, four solo. Scotty Edwards added an interception and the defense also had three sacks.

Ward completed 24 of 40 passes for 241 yards and a touchdown. Djouvensky Schlenbaker was the top Cougars rusher with 34 yards on 13 attempts.

Lincoln Victor caught a game-high 12 passes for Washington State, gaining 66 yards. Kelly finished with four receptions for 82 yards.

Washington State outgained the Cardinal in total offense 245 yards to 217. Stanford had a slight edge in first downs 18-16.

Next week, the Cardinal travel to Corvallis, Ore., to face No. 16 Oregon State. Kickoff is at 2:30 p.m.