Cardinal Swarmed by the Ducks 76-61, inside the Shark Tank (San Jose Tip Off)

Stanford Cardinal forward Maxime Raynaud (42) drives on the Oregon Ducks forward Supreme Cook (left) in first half action at SAP Center in San Jose on Sat Dec 21, 2024 (AP News photo)

By Michael Roberson

SAN JOSE, Calif. — The Stanford Cardinal (9-3, 1-0 ACC) were bombarded by the Flying Oregon Ducks (11-1, 1-1 Big 10) 76-61, in the Capital City of the Silicon Valley.

Stanford went scoreless for nearly four minutes to start the game. During that time frame, Oregon had a 4-0 run for their points production.

When the drought finally ended (16:10), it was on a Maxime Raynaud Trey, he added a dunk later, to go on his own personal 5-0 run and give his team their first lead, 5-4. There were six lead changes in the first 20-minute stanza.

The Ducks performed an 8-0 run, as well as a 9-0 one. They led by as many as 17 points before intermission, At the midway point of the game, Oregon led by that same margin, 36-19. Stanford shot a putrid 24% from the field, and worse (18%) from beyond the arc.

Neither team had a player with double-digit scoring; however, Raynaud led the Card with nine points and seven rebounds, while senior center Nate Bittle topped the Ducks with seven points and five rebounds.

Stanford shot considerably better from both perspectives in the second half. However, their deficit was as large as 26 points, despite outscoring the Ducks 42-40. That was assisted by a 10-0 run late in the game, but not close enough to tie, and there were no lead changes during minutes 20:01 – 40:00.

At the final whistle of game one of the San Jose Tip-Off, Oregon defeated the Santa Clara County based Stanford Cardinal by 15 points in the county’s capital city. Final score inside SAP Center, Oregon 76, Stanford 61.

The Cardinal presented two players who reached the 10+ points plateau. Raynaud led all players with 20 points and he also grabbed 13 rebounds, garnering another double-double for the senior forward. Junior guard Benny Gealer added 10 points to the Cardinal total.

The Ducks also produced two players with the aforementioned tally. Sophomore forward Kwame Evans Jr, (13) and sophomore guard Jackson Shelstad (10), while their leader at the half, Bittle, was close, with 9 points and 9 rebounds. Ex-Cardinal Brandon Angel offered a modest 7 points against his former university.

Stanford will next be in action on New Year’s Day in South Carolina, to take on new ACC foe Clemson Tigers at 4:00 PM EST on the ACC Network. The Ducks fly North back to Eugene Sunday, December 29 to host Weber State at 2:00 PM PT on B!G+.

Stanford gets early 19 point lead beat Merrimack by six 74-68

Stanford guard Jaylen Blakes drives the ball against the Merrimack Warriors in the Cardinal six point win at Maples Pavilion in Palo Alto on Tue Dec 17, 2024 (Stanford Cardinal X photo)

By Jerry Feitelberg

The Stanford Cardinal  Oziyah Sellers went on an offensive rampage scoring 19 points and was 8 for 11 shooting from the floor at Maple Pavilion on Tuesday night leading the Cardinal to a 74-68 win over the Merrimack Warriors.

The Warriors almost came back on the Cardinal whittling their 19 point lead down to just six points before time ran out and Merrimack dropped their record to 5-7. Stanford’s always reliable Maxime Raynaud came through leading with 16 points and 16 rebounds.

Jaylen Blakes contributed with 16 points to help improve the Cardinal record to 9-2. Blakes was 5-7 from the floor and was perfect in 3 point shooting going 4-4. Blakes had a pretty good night adding seven rebounds, five assists and two steals.

Sellers and Ryan Agarwal scored 11 points and each player had scored three of the Cardinal 11 pointers. The Cardinal were in control in the first half of the game with a 39-30 half time lead. The Warriors came back and lead the second half 38-35 but it wasn’t enough for Merrimack for the loss.

In the first half Blakes was unstoppable in the he hit a key 3 pointer that gave Stanford the lead for the rest of the game and fired up the Cardinal to make a 26-7 run for a31-12 score against the Warriors. The three players who made the difference in scoring Sellers with 19 points followed by Raynaud and Blakes who finished with 16 points each.

Stojakovic leads way with 31 points, and Bears snap Demons with 84-66 win

Cal Bears guard Jovan Blacksher Jr drives on a Northwestern State Demons defender at Haas Pavilion in Berkeley on Sat Dec 14, 2024 (Cal Bears MBB X photo)

Saturday, Dec. 14, 2024

Haas Pavilion, Berkeley, California

Northwestern State Demons 66 (4-6)

California Golden Bears 84 (7-4)

By Stephen Ruderman

BERKELEY–Andrej Stojakovic dominated with 31 points, as the Bears snapped their three-game losing streak with an 84-66 win over the Northwestern State Demons.

The Bears came into today’s game after losing their last three. They were not blowouts, and the Bears were competitive in all three games, but three-straight losses following a 6-1 start had to wear on them.

Fortunately for the Bears, they would draw the Northwestern State Demons, and yes, there is a Northwestern, and a Northwestern State The Demons are from the lesser-known Southland Conference, and they are based out of Natchitoches, Louisiana.

Despite an easier matchup, the Bears could not get complacent, but it seemed like they did in the early going. A three by Landyn Jumawan and a layup by Willie Williams staked the Demons out to an early 5-0 lead. The Demons wouldn’t pull away with it, but they remained ahead for much of the first half.

The Demons led 22-16 with 9:05 left in the first half, but that was when the Bears—and really, Andrej Stojakovic—finally came charging. Cal came back to tie it at 26-26 with 5:39 to go. Joshua Ola-Joseph then put the Bears ahead with a three with exactly five minutes remaining.

The Bears would stay ahead for the remainder of the first half, but not by much, as they went into the half up 36-33. Stojakovic carried the way for the Bears, as he scored 16 points in the first half.

Cal then finally pulled away in the second half, as they opened up their lead to 19 points at 61-42 with 10:37 to go. Stojakovic continued to help lead the way, but he also got some help from Jeremiah Wilkinson, who came in off the bench.

The Demons did not give up, as they chipped away at Cal’s lead with a 15-6 run to close it to a 10-point game at 67-57 with 7:57 left. However, the Bears kept their lead at double digits the rest of the way, and won fairly comfortably by a final of 84-66.

Despite his high point totals, Stojakovic has often struggled with field goals in the early going this season, but that was not the case today. Stojakovic was 10-for-14 in field goals, including 4-for-6 from beyond the arc, and 7-for-8 from the line.

Wilkinson has another strong performance with 18 points, 16 of them in the second half. Ola-Joseph scored 13 points, and Jovan Blacksher Jr. scored 12.

The Bears improve to 8-4, and following a week off, they will travel down to San Diego to take on the San Diego State Aztecs for a game next Saturday night. Tipoff will be at 7:30 p.m.

FYI, it will be almost four weeks until the Bears are home again. Cal’s next home game will be on Jan. 8 against the Virginia Cavaliers. Tipoff for that game will be at 8 p.m.

Stanford Cardinal MBB podcast with Michael Roberson: Cardinal host Merrimack Tuesday; Stanford has won eight of last ten

Stanford Cardinal Forward Maxime Raynaud acknowledges the crowd as he and the Cardinal took on the Cal Bears on Sat Dec 14, 2024 at Haas Pavilion in Berkeley (Stanford Cardinal photo)

Stanford Cardinal MBB podcast with Michael Roberson:

#1 Last game for the Stanford Cardinal it was their first Big Game of the season battling the Cal Bears at Haas Pavilion on Saturday afternoon. The Cardinal came away with a 89-81 win in a game they led for most of the way.

#2 Stanford is rolling they improved to 8-2 with the win and they had their way with Cal with five Cardinal finishing in double figures.

#3 The Cardinal Maxime Raynaud has been hard to stop, Raynaud has scored 20 points in his last seven games.

#4 Jaylen Blakes had six assists and two blocked shots. It should be also mentioned that Raynaud had a career best five blocked shots.

#5 Stanford gets back into action against the Merrimack Warriors on Tue Dec 17th a 7:00pm PST tip off at Maples Pavilion. The Warriors are third place in the Metro Atlantic Athletic and have won three in a row.

Join Michael Roberson for the Stanford Cardinal podcast Thursdays at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Cal Bears WBB podcast with Morris Phillips: Cal hopes to continue undefeated home record against Stanford Friday

Cal Bears forward Marta Suarez (7) drives on the Alabama Crimson Tide on Thu Dec 5, 2024 at Haas Pavilion. Suarez finished with 21 points against the Stockton Tigers on Sat Dec 7, 2024 at Alex Spanos Center in Stockton (Cal Bears X photo)

Cal Bears WBB podcast with Morris Phillips:

#1 Cal Bears (9-1) guard Ioanna Krimili and Marta Suarez led the way with 22 points and 21 points respectively as they defeated the Pacific Tigers (5-5) 74-66 last Sat Dec 7th at the Alex Spanos Center in Stockton.

#2 Cal is rolling and they pick up another road win. Cal shut down Pacific’s offense in the second quarter allowing them only seven points and coming away with a 17-7 second quarter establishing their defense to hold off the Tigers.

#3 Cal chalked up their eighth straight win with the win over the Tigers and it matches the Bears best start since the 2018-19 season when they went 9-1.

#4 The Tigers tried to keep it close edging Cal in the third quarter 19-18 and Cal won the fourth quarter 20-19 for a 74-66 win for Cal.

#5 The Cal women get after once again as they host the Stanford Cardinal at Haas Pavilion for a 7:00pm PST tip this Fri Dec 13th. The Cardinal have struggled on the road losing two road games and this will be their third road game against Cal. Cal are 5-0 at home. Morris how do you see this match up this Friday night in Berkeley?

Cal Bears podcasts with Morris Phillips can be hear Thursdays at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Stanford Cardinal game wrap: Cardinal Trapped the Bears in Battle of the Bay & ACC Opener, 89-81; 1st conference game for both

Stanford Cardinal guard Jaylen Blakes (21) directs his teammates against the Cal Bears at Haas Pavilion in Berkeley on Sat Dec 7, 2024 (Stanford Cardinal X photo)

By Michael Roberson

BERKELEY, Calif. — The Stanford Cardinal (8-2, 1-0 ACC) opened their inaugural Atlantic Coast Conference season with a victory over their Cross-Bay rival California Golden Bears, 89-81, on Saturday Afternoon in the East Bay.

The Cardinal came out aggressively in Bear Territory and carried that all throughout the 40-minute contest. They also achieved the coveted 50/40/90 statline. They shot 53% from the field, 48% from beyond the Arc, and 90% from the charity stripe.

They opened the game on a 7-0 start., in which senior forward Maxime Raynaud had five of them. He hit a three to produce the game’s first points, then added another bucket during their initial run.

Stanford led by as much as 16 points; however, Cal actually tied the game at 29, at the 4;53 mark of the first half. Stanford immediately responded to that with a 9-0 run on three 3-pointers by Jaylen Blakes (2) and Oziyah Sellers (1).

The Cardinal extended that advantage by seven by the end of the first 20 minutes/ At intermission, Stanford led 47-31. The Cardinal defense (tree) forced the Bears to shoot 38% from the field and 0% from Threeland. Cal also had 0 assist in the first segment of the game.

Three Stanford players reached double-figures by recess. Blakes (14), Raynaud (11) and Sellers (10) were the select few to eclipse that plateau. In a bit of irony, Cal’s only player to join the 10+ club, was former Cardinal hooper, Andrej Stojakovic. He transferred across the Bay after one year on the Farm. Coincidentally, his present coach, Mark Madsen, is also a former Stanford Cardinal.

In the second half, Cal scored the first bucket, but Stanin into a single digit deficit.ford was able to balloon the lead all the way to 20 points.late in the second half. The Bears did claw their way back into again in the second 20 minutes. They had a 9-0 run of their own to get them within a single digit (6) deficit. They also outscored the Cardinal by eight in half number two. However, wihen they trailed by 16 at intermission, making up eight points only cuts the gap in half.8-point win.

At the final whistle, Stanford settled for a victory of less than 10 points, but imitated their football brethren (Syracuse) and won their first ACC game ever on the road in a hostile environment.

The Cardinal are 1-0 in the opposite coastal ACC, and also has bragging rights for capturing the first half of the Battle of the Bay, 89-81.

Raynaud produced 20 points and prevented 5 shots with his hands. Blakes pitched in 20 points, 6 assists and 2 blocks. Sellers offered 16 poins, while both Ryan Agarwal (7 rebounds) and Chisom Okpara both gave 11 points to the team.

Stojakovic led all scorers with 25 points against his former school, while Jovan Blacksher Jr. scored 14 and Mady Sissoko tallied 11 points and 8 rebounds.

Stanford will next be in action Tuesday, December 17 at Maples hosting non conference opponent Merrimack Warriors at 7:00 PM PDT on ACC Extra/ESPN+.

Cal; will host the Cornell Big Red on Tuesday, December 10, at 7:00 PM PDT. also on ACC Extra/ESPN+

Cal Bears game wrap: Stanford beats Cal 89-81 in wild and hectic first all-ACC game between two historic rivals

Cal Bears forward Lee Dort (31) and guard Jovan Blacksher Jr (10) talk it over as they battle the Stanford Cardinal at Haas Pavilion in Berkeley Sat Dec 7, 2024 (Cal Bears X photo)

Saturday, Dec. 7, 2024

Haas Pavilion, Berkeley, California

Stanford Cardinal 89 (8-2 Overall; 1-0 ACC)

California Golden Bears 81 (6-3 Overall; 0-1 ACC)

By Stephen Ruderman

BERKELEY–The Bears fell short in a weird and wild game against their hated rivals in their first all-ACC game, as the Stanford Cardinal came to Haas Pavilion to beat Cal 89-81.

It was only fitting that the Bears’ first ACC game would be against their longtime hated rivals, and the only other team that moved over with them from the Pac-12. During his announcement that this was the first all-Atlantic Coast Conference game for the Bears, Public Address Announcer Matt Foley could have made fans aware of the view of the Pacific Ocean from the upper level of Haas Pavilion, but with the smog outside, that would have been meaningless.

Anyway, it was a matchup between two evenly-matched teams that were off to great starts. Cal came into today’s game at 6-2, following a tough 98-93 loss at Missouri on Tuesday night. Stanford is also off to a great start this season, as they came into today at 7-2. As evenly matched as this matchup was, the game would be both evenly matched and far from it.

Stanford just took it to the Bears out of the gate, and Maxime Raynaud hit a three to open the scoring. Oziyah Sellers then slammed one down after intercepting a pass from Jovan Blacksher Jr., and Raynaud hit a jumper.

Just a minute and 20 seconds in, Stanford already held a 7-0 lead. Stanford extended their lead to 14-4 three minutes and 40 seconds in, and they would remain comfortably ahead throughout most of the first half.

However, the Bears suddenly caught fire in the latter part of the first half. Andrej Stojakovic made a pair of layups, and Mady Sissoko dunked one to close the deficit to just four at 27-23.

Raynaud made a jumper to extend Stanford’s lead to 29-23, but Joshua Ola-Joseph hit a jumper and a layup, and Stojakovic made a layup. In just three minutes and 12 seconds, the Bears went on a 12-2 run to suddenly come back and tie the game.

However, in just under two minutes, Jaylen Banks hit a pair of threes, and Sellers hit a three of his own to put Stanford back ahead 38-29. It was a very interesting five-plus minutes to say the least, but Stanford was back in control of the game.

Stanford went into the half up 47-31 after closing out the first half with a remarkable 18-2 run. The Bears started the second half with an 8-2 run, and the raucous crowd at Haas Pavilion was certainly feeling it. However, Stanford remained in command throughout most of the second half.

However, to the Bears’ credit, they never gave up, and fought until the bitter end. Stanford extended their lead to 20 points at 77-57 with 5:37 to go, but Cal made one last charge in the final minutes.

A three by Rytis Petratis closed it to 81-71 with 2:47 to go. 34 seconds later, Ola-Joseph hit a three to make it 81-74. In a game of many dominant scoring drives, the Bears were on a 17-4 run, and in position to pull off a comeback for the ages.

The crowd at Haas Pavilion was on fire and ready to bring the place down. Chisom Okpara was fouled and hit two from the line, but Stojakovic hit a three to make it 83-77 with 1:21 remaining. It was certainly more than enough time for the Bears to tie the game, or even take the lead, considering the crazy drives the two teams went on throughout this game.

However, it was not meant to be. After the score stagnated for the next 29 seconds, a foul by Ola-Joseph sent Sellers to the line. Sellers made both shots, and that pretty much did it. Stanford won by a final of 89-81.

Cal has now dropped two-straight to fall to 6-3, and they are 0-1 in ACC play. However, as tough of a loss as this was for the Bears, they should hold their heads high. They never gave up, and they believed that they were going to come back and win this game until the bitter end.

Stojakovic led the scoring with 25 points for the Bears, as he was 11-for-25 in field goals, and 3-for-7 from beyond the arc. Blacksher scored 14; Sissoko scored 11; and Ola-Joseph and Petraitis both scored nine.

Raynaud and Blakes led the scoring for Stanford with 20 points each. Sellers was not too far behind with 16 points.

The Bears will have another non-conference game against the Cornell Big Red at Haas Pavilion on Tuesday night. Tipoff will be at 7 p.m.

Stanford Cardinal basketball podcast with Michael Roberson: Cardinal tip off against Cal Saturday at noon in Berkeley

Stanford Cardinal guard Oziyah Sellers (4) drives on Utah Valley Wolverines guard Kylin Green (3) at Maples Pavilion in Palo Alto on Tue Dec 4, 2024 (Stanford Cardinal photo)

On the Stanford Cardinal basketball podcast with Michael Roberson:

#1 The Stanford Cardinal’s Jaylen Blakes led with 18 points and had a career high of six rebounds, four assists, and three steals and is in the top ten in the nation with with free throws.

#2 Oziyah Sellers scored 15 points while going 6-11 shooting and Maxime Raynaud scored 14 points and tied his career high in rebounds with 17.

#3 Stanford’s defense held the Utah Valley Wolverines to just 36.9 points and 29.4 from behind the three point arc.

#4 The Cardinal who were down by six points down 12-6 in the first 4:45 of the game came back 12-3 and got scoring from Blakes, Sellers, and Raynaud for the 77-63 win at Maples Pavilion.

#5 It’s the basketball version of the Big Game this Saturday at Cal for a 12pm PST tip off. The Cardinal are 7-2 and are 1-0 on the road. The Bears are 6-2 and are 5-0 at home. Michael how do you see this match up Saturday at 12 noon at UC Berkeley.

Michael Roberson is a Stanford Cardinal beat writer at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Cal Bears WBB podcast with Morris Phillips: Can Cal stop undefeated Alabama tonight at Haas?

Cal Bears center Michelle Onyiah goes for the shot against the Arizona Wildcats guard Jada Williams (2) at the McHale Memorial Center in Tucson AZ on Tue Dec 3, 2024 (Cal Bears photo)

Cal Bears podcast with Morris Phillips:

#1 This Cal Bears (7-1) team is up for the challenge as take on the undefeated Alabama Crimson Tide (9-0) as they head into Haas Pavilion Thursday night for a 6:00pm PST tip. At first a lot of people didn’t like the idea of the break up of the Pac 12 but getting a chance to see the various different teams in the ACC does add an interesting aspect for Cal to play different teams for the first time?

#2 How impressive was it for Cal to be down by nine points in the first quarter against the Arizona Wildcats but came back in the second quarter and never looked back in a contest they won 74-62 at the Acrisure Classic in Palm Springs Tuesday .

#3 Michelle Onyiah had a career night on Tuesday in Arizona with a team leading 25 points talk about her success in offense and how important a role she will have in tonight’s game against the Crimson Tide?

#4 Onyiah also picked up a second game in a row double double, also with 13 rebounds tops for the season so far. Morris the win also snaps Cal’s seven game losing streak against Arizona.

#5 Cal is competitor and they will take on their toughest task of the season against the Crimson Tide of Alabama. Some of the players the Bears have to look out for are Alabama leading scorers Zaay Green, Essence Cody and Sara Ashlee Barker. How do you seen Cal’s chances of handing Alabama their first loss of the season?

Morris Phillips is a Cal Bears beat writer at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Cardinal end Mini losing streak and Stymie Wolverines 77-63 on the Farm

Stanford Cardinal guard Ryan Argarwal (11) drives on the Utah Valley Wolverines forward Ethan Potter (35) at Maples Pavilion in Palo Alto on Tue Dec 3, 2024 (AP News photo)

By Michael Roberson

STANFORD, Calif. — The Stanford Cardinal (7-2) halted their 2-game losing streak, with a resounding victory over the Utah Valley Wolverines (4-4), 77-63. Tuesday Night inside Maples Pavilion.

Utah Valley put Stanford behind the eight ball, as they scored the first bucket of the game, and took a six point lead early. During that juncture of the game, they also performed a 5-0 run.

However, the Cardinal were determined to avoid a third loss in a row, despite their sluggish start. At the 12:49 mark of the half, they finally took the lead (14-12). There were three lead changes and two ties during the initial 20-minute interval.

Stanford went on an 8-0 run themselves, and led by as many as 12 points.by the midway point of the contest. At recess, the Cardinal led 38-26. No players for the home squad had double-figure scoring, while the visitors produced one.

Graduate senior guard Jaylen Blakes the Card with 9 points, while senior forward Maxime Raynaud and junior guard Oziyah Sellers both scored eight points. Redshirt-Sophomore Tanner Toolson paced the Wolverines 11 points.

Stanford took the 12-point lead into the locker room, with thoughts of maintaining the advantage over the second 20-minute block of gametime. Stanford’s defense forced the Wolverines to shoot a 29% from the field, and the average 33% from beyond the 3-points Arc.

In the second half, Stanford got on the board first on Blakes’ two free throws, and immediately increased their lead to 14. They would widen the margin by as many as 19 points, with a 12-0 run incorporated in their push to dominate the game.

Utah Valley still fought like their moniker represents, narrowing the deficit two single digits midway through the final half. Unfortunately for them, Stanford was on a mission to get back into the winning column. At the end of the 40-minute battle, the Cardinal had won by 14 points, 77-63.

Stanford presented four players with at least 10 points at the end of the game, Blakes led the host team with 18 points, 6 rebounds and 4 assists. Sellers chipped in 15 points, Raynaud contributed another double-double (14 points and 17 rebounds), while redshirt-sophomore Ryan Agarwal offered 10 points, 6 rebounds and 4 assists.

Utah Valley added another double-figure hooper to the aforementioned Toolson. Junior guard Dominic Nelson not only emerged in the second half, but he led all scorers with 22 points, and grabbed 7 rebounds. Toolson remained pat at 11 points, but did snatch 8 rebounds.

Stanford will next be in action Saturday, December 7, across the Bay at Haas Pavilion to take on Cal in both teams initial ACC game, in addition to the Battle of the Bay continuing in another conference (ACC). The big game has an afternoon start ai 1:00 pm PT. on the ACC Network

Utah Valley travels across the country to Virginia to face James Madison University, also on 12/7, at 4:00 ET. on ESPN+.