Tag: Arizona Wildcats

Arizona Wildcats tight end Tanner McLachlan (84) goes airborne over Stanford safety Alaka i Gilman at Stanford Stadium on Sat Sep 23, 2023 (AP News photo)

By Michael Roberson

STANFORD, Calif. — The Stanford Cardinal (1-3, 0-2 Pac-12)  could not attain their first conference win and/or home victory with a 21-20 defeat at the paws of the Arizona Wildcats (3-1, 1-0 Pac-12) on a nice evening in the Bay.

The Cardinal got themselves on the scoreboard first, (10:35) early in the initial quarter, on a 35-yard field goal by Josh Karty.  He kept his consecutive FG streak alive at 26, without a miss.  Stanford was up 3-0, with plenty of time left in the period.

Unfortunately for the Cardinal and Karty, as the whistle blew to end the first 15 minutes of play, his streak (26) ended on a 51-yard attempt wide right of the uprights.  After one, Stanford retained their three point lead, 3-0 SU.

Early in the second block of play, Arizona got themselves in the scoring column.  Junior quarterback Jayden de Laura tossed a 36-yard TD pass to redshirt senior TE Tanner McLachlan, giving the desert cats the temporary lead, 7-3.

Arizona held that advantage for more than eight minutes; however, Stanford eventually had an answer for their feline guests.  The Cardinal performed a jet sweep with WR Bryce Farrell taking the ball into the end zone for a two yard touchdown.  Stanford back on top, 10-7.

The Cardinal took that three point margin into the locker room at intermission.  It also seemed they had the momentum after the 30-minute Pacific 12 battle.  However, there would be at least 30 more minutes to contest.

The second half did not produce immediate action, but with nearly six minutes left in the third, the Wildcats scratched their mark.  Jayden de Laura scored an uncontested seven yard TD on a QB keeper misdirection play.

Stanford got in on the action with less than two minutes left in the 3/4 mark of the contest.  Freshman RB Sedrick Irvin maneuvered around the defensive line after nearly being stymied at the line of scrimmage, made his way into pay dirt for a one yard TD.  Cardinal back in the lead, 17-14.

That was the advantage they took into the last stanza.  The Cardinal managed to have the lead (3) after every quarter, thus far in the game.  Will that be the case after four?

The Final chapter started off inauspiciously for the Cardinal; as the previously consistent FG kicker missed another 51-yard attempt wide right.  Karty went from 26 in a row without a miss, to two consecutive misses from the same distance.  The off target attempt did not affect the score adversely for the home team.  They still led by three (17-14) with more than ten minutes left in regulation time.  They have to hope those two missed field goals (six points) don’t come back to haunt them after 60 minutes of conference action.

Unfortunately, four minutes later, the Wildcats clawed their way back into the lead when graduate senior running back DJ Williams rushed into the end zone for a two yard TD.  Now the frisky guests are back on top by four, 21-17 AZ.

Karty somewhat redeemed himself with a little more than three minutes left in the game.  He avoided the “Hat Trick” of missed field goals by successfully booting one from 46 yards away.  This feat by his foot, brought the Cardinal within one of the Wildcats, 21-20.  The attempt of an onside kick did not work, and Stanford had no other choice but to try and force a turnover.

That did not come to fruition, as Arizona converted a first down and kneeled keeping possession of the ball until the scoreboard clock hit zeros and the final whistle was sounded.  The Wildcats scaled the Tree and took a one point victory into their visiting locker room.  21-20, Arizona.

Stanford will stay on the Farm and face the high flying Oregon Ducks next Saturday, September 30 (3:30 pm PDT).  Arizona heads back to the desert (Tucson) to host the Washington Huskies on the same date (7 pm Local Time).

Note:  Joshua Karty’s impressive FG streak ended at the end of the first quarter; however, he was 2-4 on the night and brought them within one point of a tie.

Cardinal QB Ashton Daniels threw for 202 yards, with 0 TD’s.  RB Sedrick Irvin and WR Bryce Farrell each scored touchdowns.

Arizona Wildcats Cedric Henderson (45) drives on the Stanford Cardinal at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas at the Pac 12 Tournament on Thu Mar 9, 2023 (USA Today photo)

By Daniel Dullum
Thursday, March 9, 2023

Second-seed Arizona had its hands full with stubborn Stanford, but in the end, the No.8-ranked Wildcats held on and eliminated the Cardinal 95-84 Thursday in the Pac-12 men’s basketball tournament quarterfinals at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

The win avenged the Cardinal’s 88-79 victory over U of A on Feb. 11.

Oumar Ballo led the Wildcats (26-6) with 24 points, followed by Cedric Henderson Jr. with 23, Azuolas Tubelis with 20 and Courtney Ramey with 15. Tubelis also had eight rebounds and four assists, Plle Larsson had seven rebounds and five assists, and Ballo grabbed six boards. Henderson added three assists and three steals.

Spencer Jones topped the Cardinal (14-19) with 22 points and six rebounds, Brandon Angel was next with 19 points and seven rebounds, Michael Jones had 13 points and Harrison Ingram added 12 points and five assists. Michael O’Connell had eight points, two steals and four assists.

Stanford connected on 14 of 29 from 3-point range with Spencer Jones, Michael Jones and Angel each hitting three from behind the arc.

The Wildcats led 47-43 at the half. Stanford took a 57-56 lead four minutes into the second half on a O’Connell 3 and extended that lead to 59-56 on an Ingram jumper. Arizona responded with a layup by Ballo and surged ahead 62-61 on a short jumper by Tubelis at 14:26.

Arizona used a six-point run to pull away 68-63. The Wildcats’ biggest lead was 95-81 with 34 seconds to play.

The Wildcats move on the tournament semifinals.

Stanford Cardinal had lots to celebrate after defeating the Arizona State Sun Devils at Desert Financial Arena in Tempe on Sun Feb 11, 2023 (photo from gostanford.com)

By Daniel Dullum
Sunday, February 12, 2023

No. 6 Stanford completed a women’s basketball sweep of its Arizona road swing on Sunday, as the Cardinal routed Arizona State 96-64 before an announced crowd of 1,759 at Desert Financial Arena in Tempe, Ariz.

Reserve Agnes Enna-Nnopu led the Cardinal (24-3 overall, 12-2 Pac-12) with 18 points, as Stanford’s bench outscored injury-depleted ASU’s 52-14. Lauren Betts also had 13 points in 16 minutes and Francesca Belibi scored nine points and grabbed eight rebounds as every Cardinal reserve saw action.

As for the Stanford starters, Cameron Brink scored 15 points on 5-for-9 shooting, along with eight rebounds, three assists and one block in 12 minutes. Hannah Jump and Kiki Iriafen each scored 12 points. Talana Lepolo had four assists, and Haley Jones had five assists, five rebounds and four blocks in 21 minutes.

Stanford held a 58-35 rebounding advantage, and scored 38 points in the paint, 20 points off of 12 ASU turnovers, and 24 fast break points.

Tyi Skinner played all 40 minutes and scored a game-high 21 points to go with four steals and five assists to lead the Sun Devils (7-16 overall, 0-12 Pac-12). Jadden Simmons scored 13 points, and Isadora Sousa, Treasure Hunt and Meg Newman each had five rebounds. The Sun Devils used only eight players.

Stanford never trailed in the game, leading 29-13 after one quarter and 54-23 at halftime. The Cardinal’s biggest lead was 42 points at 3:47 of the third quarter.

Next weekend, the Cardinal return home to host USC on Friday and UCLA on Monday.

Stanford guard Michael O’Connell (5) celebrates after making a 3-point basket during the second half against the Arizona Wildcats at Maples Pavilion in Palo Alto on Sat Feb 11, 2023 (AP News photo)

By Michael Roberson

STANFORD, Calif. — Michael O’Connel’s career-high 22 points helped his Stanford Cardinal (11-14, 5-9 Pac-12) upset and brake the #4 Arizona Wildcats (22-4, 11-43 Pac-12) inside a crowded Maples Pavilion, 88-79.

Stanford took charge after the opening tip-off and led for the first six minutes of the game. However, the desert cats of Arizona clawed their way back to take the lead

Both teams battled the rest of the half, with Stanford orchestrating a 7-0 run and 5-point lead, while Arizona put on a 13-0 run and garnered a 9-point advantage.

After 20 minutes of action, the Wildcats were in front by three, 44-41.

The Cardinal had no player in double-figures, but Maxime Raynaud scored nine. Arizona’s top baller was senior guard Courtney Ramey (14) with four 3’s made.

Part 2 of the contest demonstrated more of a conference scuffle, as both teams exchanged leads, but the Cardinal really took charge at the 3:28 mark, establishing a 10-point lead.

Although scoreless in the first half, Cardinal senior forward Spencer Jones contributed an impressive 18 points in the second stanza.

The Farm Faithful energized the home team to perform a 10-0 run and lead by as much as 11 points and they finished off the felines from the Grand Canyon State by nine, 88-79.

Stanford’s entire starting lineup was in double-figures: Michael O’Connell (22) Spencer Jones (18) and six rebounds Brandon Angel (14) Maxime Raynaud (13) and five rebounds Harrison Ingram (12), nine rebounds and seven assists Arizona produced four double-digit scorers: Courtney Ramey (26) on eight treys, six rebounds and five assists. Cedric Henderson Jr. (12), Pelle Larsson (12) and Kerr Krisa (10).

The Cardinal travel downstate to take on the UCLA Bruins Thursday, February 16 at Pauley Pavilion, while Arizona heads back to Tucson to host the Utah Utes on the same date.

Spencer Jones has his Kansas City Chiefs winning SB LVII.

Arizona guard Lauren Fields, left, ties up Stanford forward Cameron Brink (22) during the first quarter at Maples Pavilion in Palo Alto on Thu Feb 9, 2023 (AP News photo)

By Daniel Dullum
Thursday, February 9, 2023

Cameron Brink and Hayley Jones each scored 18 points for Stanford Thursday, as the No. 6 Cardinal bounced back from last Sunday’s loss at Washington to rout No. 17 Arizona 84-60 in Pac-12 women’s basketball at McKale Center in Tucson, Ariz.

It was the Cardinal’s sixth consecutive win over U of A (18-6 overall, 8-5 Pac-12), a streak that includes the 2021 NCAA championship contest. Stanford (23-3 overall, 11-2 Pac-12) moved into first place in the conference standings, a half-game ahead of No. 7 Utah.

Jones hit 8 of 11 field goal attempts while pulling down 12 rebounds and dishing out six assists. Brink, playing 21 minutes, had eight rebounds, one block and one steal as the Cardinal outrebounded Arizona 45-27. Lauren Betts added 12 points and Talana Lepolo had four assists.

Paris Clark, Esmery Martinez and Cate Reese each scored 10 points to lead the Wildcats, who were coming off their first road sweep of UCLA and USC since 2002. Martinez had six rebounds and Clark had four assists.

Arizona shot 35.8 percent from the field, and the defeat was the program’s most lopsided loss since Kansas beat them by 27 in December. Stanford, meanwhile, scored 50 of its points in the paint.

Stanford led 38-27 at halftime, outscored the Wildcats 24-10 in the third quarter. Hannah Jump’s 3-pointer gave the Cardinal a 21-point lead midway through the period. The Cardinal led by as many as 37 in the fourth quarter.

The Cardinal concludes their four-game road trip in Tempe, visiting Arizona State on Sunday afternoon.