Stanford Cardinal forward Maxime Raynaud (42) takes aim at the basket against the Kent State Golden Flashes at Maples Pavilion in Palo Alto on Sun Mar 23, 2025 (Stanford Cardinal X photo)
By Michael Roberson
STANFORD, Calif. — The Stanford Cardinal (21-14) were unable to control the Kent State Golden Flashes (24-11) 77-75, and ended their run in the 2025 National Invitation Tournament.
Stanford took the lead early in the contest on a three by Oziyah Sellers. That three point advantage turned out to be their largest of the entire game. Kent State also posted their largest lead (13) of the game in the first half.
The Golden Flashes used a 12-0 run to get their double-digit lead, the Cardinal had an 11-0 run to try to stay close by halftime.. Kent State shot 46% from the field in the initial 20-minute stanza, while Stanford was held to 40%. Both squads shot approximately 39% from beyond the arc.
The Cardinal managed to trim their deficit to single figures (9) by halftime, 43-34 and actively made another run at the lead in the second half. There were three lead changes and one tie before recess.
Jaylen Blakes led the Cardinal in scoring (10) at the midway point of the tourney battle. Jalen Sullinger topped the Golden Flashes with 20 points.
Oziyah Sellers started the second half as he did in the first, with an immediate basket. His layup cut the margin to seven, and the Maples’ faithful were getting excited. Less than five minutes into the final half, Stanford had regained the lead on a left-handed hook by Raynaud The second half produced four more lead changes and an additional tie.
The home team unknowingly was in a prime position to have an upper hand in advancing in the NIT. During the scuffle on the Farm, the #1 seeded San Francisco Dons were losing on the top of the peninsula. That loss put the second ranked Cardinal as the top seed, and guaranteed another home game at Maples. That was contingent on taking care of the task at hand, beating their opponent from Ohio.
Try as they would, with multiple comeback attempts, the Golden Flashes were able to sustain their advantage and knock down the mighty Maples tree and end the home court heroics of the Cardinal. When the final buzzer sounded, after 40 minutes of intense basketball action, Stanford’s season came to an abrupt halt, while Kent State would advance to the third round.
The Golden Flashes won by two, 77-75, and ended two great careers who proudly wore the Cardinal uniform. Although Jaylen Blakes only played one year on the Farm, he cherished his brief time at the university. He finished his last game with 23 points, 4 rebounds and 5 assists. Maxime Raynaud ended his career high on multiple historic lists, including double-doubles, in which he appropriately did on his final game in the pavilion (22 points and 10 rebounds) and blocked 4 shots for good measure
Chisom Okpara offered 13 points and 5 rebounds, while the heir-apparent, Oziyah Sellers delivered 11 points and 6 rebounds. Two players who should have larger roles in 2025-26.
Returning walk-on, Jalen Sullinger led all players with 34 points, but he also added to his impressive stat line, 8 rebounds, 5 assists and 3 steals. Teammate Delrecco Gilespe also produced his own double-double (14 points and 10 rebounds), and VonCameron Davis chipped in 12 points.
The Cardinal will begin their offseason, gearing up for 25-26, while Kent State will be heading to Chicago to take on Loyola – Chicago in Third Round NIT action next week. Gametime will be announce at a later date
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