Tag: ACC

Cal Women Play Big: Bears Win ACC Tournament Opener 75-58 Over Virginia

Published on by moepeaLeave a comment

Cal Bears Marta Suarez is double teamed by the Virginia Cavaliers in ACC Tournament action in Greensboro NC on Thu Mar 6, 2025 (Cal Bears X photo)

By Morris Phillips

The Bears’ 30 points in the first 13 minutes of their ACC Tournament opener emphatically stated that they were more than happy to participate in a conference tournament 3,000 miles from campus.

And from that point, things got better still.

“I was really proud of how we started the game,” coach Charmin Smith said. “We came out with the intensity that we needed and were able to jump on Virginia right away and then kind of never looked back.”

The Cal women played fast from the start, and were forceful in getting the ball into Michelle Onyiah against a Cavaliers’ defense that was light in the post. The higher-seeded Bears hit just two 3-pointers in their opening run, but finished with nine, which demonstrated how their early aggressiveness opened up their complete attack.

Four Bears finished with double digits in points, including Lulu Twidale, Marta Suarez and Onyiah, who each scored 16. Cal again enjoyed a healthy edge on the glass, outrebounding Virginia 46-28.

The Bears advance to Friday’s quarterfinal round and a meeting with Notre Dame at 2pm.

Virginia was led by Kymora Johnson with 18 points and Paris Clark with 15. They finish the regular season at 17-15 and will be eligible for an invitation to the WNIT.

Stanford Cardinal podcast with Michael Roberson: Cardinal and Cardinals face off in Louisville Saturday in regular season finale

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

Stanford Cardinal Maxime Raynaud goes up for the finger roll against three Notre Dame Fighting Irish defenders at the Purcell Center at Notre Dame (Stanford Cardinal X photo)

Stanford Cardinal podcast with Michael Roberson:

#1 It was a tough, tough loss for the Stanford Cardinal (19-11) who got edged by a very competitive and competent Notre Dame Fighting Irish club (13-17) 56-54 at the Purcell Center at Notre Dame.

#2 Stanford’s Maxime Raynaud led with 20 points and every one of those points made the difference in a tight game like this despite the two point loss.

#3 Stanford Jaylen Blakes followed up Raynaud in scoring with 13 points he’s had a great season and has been key for some of the Cardinal wins this season.

#4 Stanford’s Benny Gealer was third in scoring with 11 points and was valuable when you consider the Stanford nearly came back to win the game and getting outscored by the Irish in the second half 35-30.

#5 The Cardinal next up face the Louisville Cardinals in Kentucky this Sat Mar 8th for a 11:00AM PDT. Louisville are third in the ACC at 24-6. 13-3 at home and have won eight in a row. The Cardinal are seventh and are struggling on the road at 3-7.

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

Stanford Cardinal podcast with Michael Roberson Sat Mar 1, 2025: Cardinal open up road trip with 2 games left; Tip off against Notre Dame Wednesday night

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

All SMU Mustangs guard Chuck Harris (3) and forward Matt Cross (33) can do is just look as the Stanford Cardinal forward Donavin Young (3) goes for the throw down at Maples Pavilion in Palo Alto on Sat Mar 1, 2025 (Stanford Cardinal X photo)

Stanford Cardinal podcast with Michael Roberson

#1 Big win for the Stanford Cardinal (19-10) they pick up their fourth win in their last six games defeating the SMU Mustangs (21-8) this win coming at Maple Pavilion in Palo Alto earlier today.

#2 Stanford’s Maxime Raynaud played hero again with a game winning slam dunk with 8.7 second left in the ball game as the Cardinal just got by the Mustangs in a tag team game 73-68.

#3 The Mustang ran off a 13-0 score after they were down ten points and took the lead 60-57 in the middle of the second half. Chuck Harris with 3:35 left in the game hit a jump shot and it was the last of the Mustang’s 68-67 for the rest of the contest.

#4 With the Mustangs missing their last four shots and turning over the ball over in a critical situation the Cardinal turned the game around. Ryan Agarwal shot a desperation shot that hit the rim and Raynaud came in without being defended from behind the 3 point line got the ball and slammed it in for the game winner.

#5 Two more regular season games left on the Stanford Cardinal (20-9) schedule both are on the road. The Cardinal take on the Notre Dame Fighting Irish (12-17) Wed Mar 5th for a 6:00pm tip. The Irish have lost their last two games and are 9-5 at home. The Cardinal are seventh and have now won three straight games.

Michael Roberson podcasts Stanford Cardinal basketball Thursdays at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Stanford Cardinal game wrap: Cardinal Corralled the Mustangs 73-68, on Senior Day inside Maples Pavilion

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

Stanford Cardinal forward Maxime Raynaud (42) takes a jump shot against the SMU Mustangs at Maple Pavilion on Sat Mar 1, 2025 (Stanford Cardinal X photo)

By Michael Roberson

STANFORD, Calif. — Senior forward Maxime Raynaud’s points and four blocks helped his Stanford Cardinal (19-10, 11-7 ACC) close out their home schedule with a bang, by taming the Southern Methodist Mustangs (21-8, 12-6 ACC) 73-68, on the Farm. The Cardinal come away with a nail biter 73-68 on Saturday night at Maples Pavilion.

The Stanford Senior Trio (Maxime Raynaud, Jaylin Blakes & Cole Kastner) were determined to end their playing careers on the Tara VanDerveer Court at Maples with a bang. Raynaud tallied his obligatory double-figure (11) scoring during the initial 20 minutes of game action. Blakes on the other hand, had a tough first half with 3 fouls midway through the half, including a technical foul. Kastner did not play a minute in half number one.

SMU scored the first points of the game with a three pointer. That margin was the ,ost they led by in the first half They also had runs of 6-0 and 8-0. Stanford had a lead as high as 13, with runs of 7-0 and 9-0.

Even with Stanford’s big lead at one point, it was a very competitive first half. There were 7 lead changes and 6 ties. After all the smoke settled, the home team had a six point lead at recess, 45-39.

Raynaud’s 11 points led the Cardinal, while Matt Cross’ 10 points and Chuck Harris’ 11 paced the Mustangs.

The second half was just as competitive, as the Mustangs overcame the 6-point halftime deficit and turned it into another three points lead midway through the second half. Minutes later they extended their advantage to five.

Stanford was not going to be denied, and they forged their own comeback. There were an additional 4 more lead changes and two more ties to the conference tussle. A total of 11 lead changes and 8 ties was the tally after 40 minutes of action. The Cardinal parlayed that into a five point win, 73-68.

The Cardinal held the Mustangs to a miniscule 39% shooting in the second half, which helped them avoid the stampede from the Dallas horses. Stanford’s 20:7 assist ratio versus SMU was a huge reason they were the victors.

Raynaud finished off his last game at Maples with campus shaking thunderous tip-dunk that sealed the contest. He finished the game with 26 points, and an underwhelming 4 rebounds. However, showed a great defensive front, with 4 blocked shots. Benny Gealer contributed with 17 points and some clutch 3-pointers. Oziyah Sellers chipped in 10 points, and Jaylin Blakes had a disappointing finale with 2 points, but a quality win.

The Mustangs had four players in double-figures. Chuck Harris led the way with 17 points, while Kario Oquendo put up 15, and Matt Cross offered 13, in addition to Yohan Traore offering 10

Stanford will next be in action in South Bend, IN, Wednesday March 5, as they take on the Notre Dame Fighting Irish at 9 PM ET/6 PM PT, on ESPNU. SMU heads back to Dallas to host the Syracuse Orange, on Tuesday, March 4 at 8:00 PM CT, also on ESPNU

Cardinal Grounded the Eagles 78-60 inside Maples; Raynaud School’s Double-Double King

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

Stanford Cardinal forward Chisom Okpara (10) takes a jump shot against the Boston College Eagles at Maples Pavilion in Palo Alto on Wed Feb 26, 2025 (Stanford X photo)

By Michael Roberson

STANFORD. Calif. — Maxime Raynaud’s record breaking 21st Double-Double helped his Stanford Cardinal (18-10, 10-7 ACC) preserve Palo Alto as a NO-FLY Zone for the visiting Boston College Eagles (12-16, 4-13 ACC) 78-60, while maintaining their home-court conference dominance (8-1) on the Farm..

Raynaud was on a mission right away from the scoring side of his game.  He not only converted the first bucket of the game, but the initial seven points for the Cardinal.  He was on fire from beyond the Arc, and making hook shots from either hand.

Stanford’s defense was also steller and sturdy as their mascot (Tree).  They held their Massachusetts opponent to a putrid 27% from the field, and 18% from threeland, in the first 20 minutes of gameplay.  The Cardinal, on the other hand, shot 54% & 46% respectively for the home squad.

When the recess horn went off, the Cardinal held their largest lead of 18 points, 37-19.  This was assisted with an 8-0 run and controlling the clock, by leading for more than 18 minutes (90%) of the first stanza,

Raynaud led all players with 16 points, and was the lone player in double figures.  However, he had a low count of rebounds (3), possibly interrupting his chance to eclipse school history.  Junior guard Dion Brown led the Eagles in scoring with a mild five points.

In the second half, Stanford scratched first again with a Jaylin Blakes bucket.  That immediately put the Cardinal up by 20 points.  By the end of the conference battle, Stanford increased their advantage to as high as 27 points, but settled for an 18-point victory (78-60), after 40 minutes of regulation action.  This was also the same margin at halftime.

Boston College shot an impressive 50% from the field in the second half, while hitting a sizzling 56% from behind the 3-point line.  They equaled the Cardinal in points production (41) in the last half; however, being down by 18 midway through the contest, that effort will keep you in the same hole, down by 18 after 20 minutes.

Several players joined Raynaud in the double-figures stratosphere, including three of his teammates.  Maxime totaled 23 points, and grabbed 10 rebounds (7 in 2nd Half), placing him on top of the Cardinal’s list of double-doubles in a single season. Twenty-One D-D’s surpasses Stanford legend Adam Keefe, with several games still left in the season’

Oziyah Sellers (18), Chisom Okpara (15) and Jaylin Blakes all joined their Senior record-breaker in double-digit scoring.  As for Boston College, two players reached that plateau.  Senior Chad Venning led the Eagles with 13 points, while his fellow senior teammate Roger McFarlane chipped in 11 points of his own efforts.

The Cardinal will next be in action, Saturday, March 1, as they host the Southern Methodist Mustangs at 2:00 P M PT on the ACC Network.  Boston College heads across the Bay on the same date to take on Cal at 7:00 PM PT on ESPN2/U.

Cal Bears podcast with Morris Phillips: Cal tips off against Georgia Tech Thursday nite in the battle for seventh place

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

Cal Bears guard Lulu Twidale (10) takes the ball up the floor against the Virginia Tech Hokies at Cassell Coliseum at Blacksburg Virginia on Sun Feb 23, 2025 (Cal Bears X photo)

On the Cal Bears podcast with Morris Phillips:

#1 Tough loss for Cal last Sunday at Virginia Tech a close game 87-84.

#2 The Hokies just wouldn’t bend in that crucial fourth quarter edging out the Golden Bears 23-21 was just a matter of Cal having an off night or the Hokies hit the books on Cal and studied film and were prepared?

#3 How surprising was it that the Bears who had the better record at 22-8 were turned back by a Hokies team that was 18-10. Sometimes those records just don’t matter on any given night in the NCAA.

#4 Morris hard as they tried lets take a look at some of Cal’s top scorers from Sunday’s game Marta Suarez 20 points, Ioanna Krimili 19, and Kayla Williams with 17 points talk about their efforts to try and keep up with the Hokies on Sunday.

#5 Next up for the Cal Bears the Georgia Yellow Jackets who aren’t no slouch at 21-8. The Jackets are eighth and are just one game behind Cal in the ACC for seventh place. Do you see the Bears regrouping and coming after the Jackets at Haas Pavilion on Thursday night which could be a real battle?

Join Morris Phillips for the Cal podcasts Thursdays at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

What Did Coach Smith Say At Halftime?: Bears Come Roaring Out Of the Locker Room To Capture 76-70 Win Over Virginia

Published on by moepeaLeave a comment

By Morris Phillips

You bring your shooters, we bring our shooters. That’s a scenario the Cal women prefer.

That scene materialized on a blustery, cold Thursday night at Virginia, and Cal capitalized with a crucial 76-70 road win over the host Cavaliers.

Ioanna Krimili made the most of what the Virginia defense offered with season highs in 3-point attempts (13) and makes (6). The graduate senior led Cal with 18 points along with Michelle Onyiah. Lulu Twidale had 15, and Kayla Williams 14 as the Bears starters spread the wealth from a scoring perspective.

Cal came roaring out of the locker room at halftime after a sluggish first half that saw them trailing 35-30. The turnaround was immediate with Cal scoring the first 17 points after the break to take their first 10-point lead of the night. Virginia responded at that point with a 12-point burst to get even, but Cal’s balanced attack won out in the fourth quarter.

“The beginning of the third quarter, they went on like a 17-0 run or something like that and you know that killed me,” Virginia coach Amaka Agugua-Hamilton said. “I think I called two timeouts during that time because we just weren’t clicking.”

The Bears (22-6, 10-5) now have their most wins in a season since 2017. They also moved closer to securing a first-round bye in the upcoming ACC Tournament in Greensboro, NC which takes place the second week of March.

Kymora Johnson led Virginia with 24 points. Paris Clark had 12 for the hosts, and Edessa Noyan added 11.

The Bears conclude their road swing at Virginia Tech on Sunday. The Hokies were involved but not resolved in the ACC game of the night, losing at home to Stanford, 75-74 in overtime.

Cal Bears podcast with Morris Phillips: Cal gets back in win column with 72-63 win over Boston College; Onyiah leads with 21 points for Bears

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

Cal Bears center Ugonne Onyiah (0) attempts to block a shot against the Boston College Eagles at Haas Pavilion on Thu Feb 13, 2025 (Cal Bears X photo)

On the Cal Bears podcast with Morris Phillips:

#1 Cal head coach Charmin Smith picked up her first 20 game win that improved Cal’s record to 20-6 for the season it was exciting for coach Smith to pick up the win but also for the players to help get that win.

#2 The Cal starting five played some potent basketball against the Boston College Eagles for a 72-63 win at Haas Pavilion on Thursday night.

#3 Top scorer for Thursday night for Cal Michelle Onyiah with 21 points she is one of the most improved players at Cal.

#4 Cal’s defense in the second quarter was impressive holding the Eagles to just ten points but the Eagles had a break out fourth quarter scoring 22 points to Cal’s 21 none the less it wasn’t enough as the Bears win it by nine points.

#5 Cal could win another one as they take on the Syracuse Orange on Sun Feb 16th for a 3:00pm tip off at Haas Pavilion. Syracuse is 10-14 and are 13th in the ACC. How do you see this one this coming Sunday?

Join Morris Phillips for the Cal Bears podcasts each Thursday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Stanford Cardinal podcast with Michael Roberson: Cardinal will have hands full at Duke on Saturday

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

Stanford Cardinal forward Cameron Grant (20) takes some pre game shots in preparation for the game against the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets at McCamish Pavilion in Atlanta on Wed Feb 12, 2025 (Stanford Cardinal X photo)

Stanford Cardinal podcast with Michael Roberson:

#1 The Stanford Cardinal suffered a tough loss to the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets in an eight point loss 60-52 Wednesday night in Atlanta. Stanford now drops their road record to 3-5.

#2 Jackets guard Nathan George delivered leading in scoring with 22 points with seven rebounds and five assists. The Cardinal had a tough time containing him.

#3 Another Jacket the Cardinal had a tough containing was forward Baye Ndongo who was second in scoring with 15 points.

#4 The Cardinal leading scorer was guard Jaylen Blakes with 12 points and for Maxime Raynaud he finished with a surprising eight points as the Jackets were able to contain him.

#5 Stanford has a tall order facing the Duke Blue Devils on Saturday at 1:00pm PST at Cameron Indoor Stadium in Durham North Carolina. Duke is the toughest in the conference first place at 21-3 and is undefeated at home at 14-0.

Michael Roberson does the Stanford Cardinal podcasts each Thursday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Cardinal Pushed Back the Wolfpack, 74-73, on a Late Afternoon on the Farm; Agarwal the Hero

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

Stanford Cardinal forward Donavin Young (2) is seen here in a game against North Carolina State Wolfpack on Sat Feb 8, 2025 at Maple Pavilion in Palo Alto (Stanford Cardinal X)

By Michael Roberson

STANFORD, Calif. — Ryan Agarwal’s game-winning layup helped the Stanford Cardinal (16-8, 8-5 ACC) regain the Maples Pavilion advantage, after defeating the North Carolina Wolfpack (9-14, 2-10 ACC) 74-73 in the Sunny Bay Area.

Stanford junior guard Oziyah Sellers put his squad on the scoreboard first from the “charity stripe.” He calmly converted two free throws, putting the Cardinal up 2-0. There would be three ties and three lead changes within the first 20-minute stanza.

Within that time frame, Stanford led by as much as three points, and went on a 4-0 run. The Wolfpack, on the other hand/paw, took a seven point advantage, and had a 6-0 run of their own.

Sellers led the Cardinal at recess, with 10 points. He was also the ony one on his team with double-digit scoring. Freshman sensation Trey Parker had the same distinction for his pack; however, his 12 points came on a sizzling 4-4 shooting from beyond the arc.

The Wolfpack managed to keep a four point distance between themselves and the Cardinal. Leading 33-29 midway through the conference contest,

Free throws once again were the path for digital movement on the scoreboards in the beginning of the second half. This time it was performed by the visitors. Senior Dontrez Styles put his team up by six, their largest lead of the second half.

The back and forth the first half produced between the two ACC foes more than double itself in the second half. There were five more lead changes and four additional ties.

NC State had their largest 2nd half lead with the aforementioned free throws. The Cardinal, on the other hand, had 6-0 and 9-0 runs, while leading by as many as nine points.

Stanford did everything they could to protect home-court advantage, but the Wolfpack were ungrateful guests and attempted to put Stanford in a home losing streak. However, the Cardinal were able to avoid the Wolfpack’s bite, by the bark of their tree. Stanford won by one, 74-73.

Agarwal’s layup with :08 left in regulation, despite the hot handed Trey Parker attempting a potential game-winning…his first name. The shot did not go in, and it may have not been released in time either. It was a scary momen, because Parker was 5-8 from Three Land, including that final miss.

Maxime Raynaud produced his 20th double-double (25 points and 12 rebounds) of the season, tying a Stanford record held by Adam Keefe. Oziyah Sellers finished with 12 points, whileEvan Stinson and Chisom Okpara both chipped in 10 points apiece. Although he finished below double-figures plateau, Agarwal made the most importatnt basket at the end. He tallied 9 points and 8 assists.

The Wolfpack were led by Parker’s 19 points. Dontrez Styles added 18 points and 7 rebounds to the cause, while Marcus Hill Jr. chipped in 14 points. . Stanford won a conference thriller, 74-73!

Stanford will next be in action Wednesday, February 12 in Atlanta, as they will take on the Georgia Tech YellowJackets at 7 PM ET/ 4:00 PM PT on the ACC Network. NC State heads back to Raleigh on the same date, to host the Louisville Cardinals at & PM ET on ESPN2/U.