Tag: NCAA MBB

Cardinal Won ACC Home Opener over the Hokies 70-59; stopped losing streak on the Farm

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Virginia Tech Hokies guard Rodney Brown Jr (4) takes a shot against the Stanford Cardinal forward Maxime Raynaud (42) at Maples Pavilion in Palo Alto on Wed Jan 8, 2025 (Stanford Cardinal X)

By Michael Roberson

STANFORD, Calif. — The Stanford Cardinal (10-5, 2-2 ACC) ended their 3-game losing streak, while winning their Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) home opener, 70-59, against the Virginia Tech Hokies (6-9, 1-3 ACC), on a Wednesday Evening inside Maples Pavilion.

The Cardinal overcame a 12-point deficit, and performed a 23-point turnaround during their 40-minute conference battle versus their new rival Hokies. VA Tech took the lead a little over three minutes into the game, after trailing by two twice.

Virginia Tech not only took the lead, they went on a 14-0 run, amassing their largest advantage of the contest, 12 points. They accomplished that margin midway through the first half. Stanford did chip away at the lead, and managed to get within single digits of the lead.

The Hokies managed to hold onto the lead going into recess, but felt the comeback momentum of the Cardinal. VA Tech led by five at the half, 30-25. They had one player reach double figures, while the home team had none, Senior forward Ben Burham led all players with 12 points, while Stanford’s leader was junior guard Qziyah Sellers with 9 points.

In the second half, the Cardinal made their move, with two 9-0 runs and finally taking the lead in just under five minutes into the final half. The second stanza had two ties and seven lead changes. After the 56-56 tie, Stanford put on the second 9-0 run and pretty much sealed the game.

Virginia Tech only managed to add three more points from that final tie, while the Cardinal put up 14 more tallies. Their defense was also a lot better during the second 20-minute block. VA Tech shot 50$ from 2 and 3 in the first half. Their percentages were 43% & 0% respectively in the second half. They also outrebounded their cross-country visitors 21:11 in the second stanza.

With all of those statistical advantages, VA Tech not only relinquished the lead, but essentially conceded the game. Stanford went on to win the conference contest by 11 points, 70-59.

Three Cardinal hoopers accomplished the 10+ points plateau. Senior forward Maxime Raynaud grabbed 14 rebounds and he and Sellers both led with game high 19 points. Senior guard Jaylen Blakes contributed 17 points and 6 assists to the cause.

As for the Hokies, Burnham finished with a team high 18 points, while his teammates Tobi Lowal chipped in 15 points and 5 rebounds and Mylyjael Poteat offered 12 points to his squad.

Stanford will next be in action Saturday, January 11, as they host the Virginia Cavaliers, at 1:00 PM PT on ESPNU. Virginia Tech heads across the Bay to Berkeley to take on Cal on the same date, at 3:00 PM PT on the ACC Network.

Stanford Cardinal podcast with Michael Roberson: Stanford gets convincing win against Virginia Tech; Cardinal tips off against Virginia Saturday

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Stanford Cardinal guard Jaylen Blakes(21) had 17 points scored against the Virginia Tech Hokies at Maples Pavilion in Palo Alto on Wed Jan 8, 2025 (Stanford Cardinal X photo)

On the Stanford Cardinal podcast with Michael Roberson:

#1 Michael, the Stanford Cardinal (10-5) played a solid game Wednesday night against the Virginia Tech Hokies (6-9). Stanford started out behind the Hokies in the first half 30-25 but caught on later with a 45-29 second half.

#2 The Cardinal forward Maxime Raynaud and guard Oziyah Sellers both wound up with 19 points and when you get a tandem like that your going to win some ball games.

#3 Michael, in that first half was it a matter of Stanford just getting out of the gate a little slow on offense.

#4 Jaylen Blakes provided some offense as well finishing with 17 points he was a key distributor for Stanford getting some good looks.

#5 Stanford hosts the Virginia Cavaliers who just got done playing the Cal Bears on Wednesday night. Virginia is 12th in the Atlantic Coast. The Hokies are just above .500. This game is at Maples Pavilion this Sat Jan 11 and Stanford is coming off that win against Virginia Tech how do you see this match up?

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

SJSU MBB extend losing streak, falling 85-78 to Utah State

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Robert Vaihola touching the net during their game on Tuesday January 7th at Provident Credit Union Center against Utah State (Via SanJoseStateMBB)

By Madison Montez

SAN JOSE–Coming into today’s game, San Jose State was fighting against a losing streak losing their last two, most recently on the road against UNLV, a 79-73 loss at Provident Credit Union Center.

After the 1st half, the Spartans went into the locker room trailing the Aggies 45-36. In the first half, it was all Utah State with a 46.2% 1st FG going 12-26 while San Jose State went 13-34 with a 38.2%. “Ultimately I think our first half defense let us down, it was too easy for Utah State” said HC Tim Miles.

When asked about if there was a message given to the team between halves, Miles put it simply. “It’s not repeatable”, then after chuckling he responded, “I just think we had to commit to playing harder, just effort level, and intensity, and defensive edge. I just think we didn’t have that and I let them have it at halftime”

Coming out of the gates strong, Yap Jr started the second half with a steal, drew a charge, and shot a three. That really fueled the bench and set the tone for how the rest of the game was going to go after going into the locker room down. “That was a big momentum boost for us as a group so you know, we could have that type of energy in the second half every game” said Teammate Josh Uduje.

San Jose State was able to stay in the game because of a career-high night by Donovan Yap Jr. He registered 22 total points, four assists, one steal, and went 6-10 on three pointers, his best offensive game of the season. “Coach was really preaching for us to come out playing harder defensively and I just wanted to set the tone for my team, make sure I was doing what it took to try to come out and win the game.”

Their record now falls to 7-10 but although their record isn’t the best, it doesn’t define the type of team that they are. “I feel like we’re better than the record displays, we’ve had some up and downs throughout the season but I do feel like we should have won some of those games for sure” said Yap Jr.

The Spartans will be back in action on Saturday January 11th traveling to Colorado to take on the Air Force.

Stanford Cardinal podcast with Michael Roberson: Cardinal ring in New Year at Clemson on Wednesday night

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

On the Stanford Cardinal podcast with Michael Roberson:

#1 Michael, last game for Cardinal tough loss 76-61 against the Oregon Ducks the Cardinal just couldn’t get any offense going in the first half scoring just 19 points.

#2 Maxime Raynaud has been the key to this offense all season and he led with 20 points against Oregon. He’s had successes before this loss in leading the offense.

#3 Was there any disadvantage that you could see in this being a neutral site game for Stanford it’s practically in their own backyard what difference did you see in playing at SAP Center on Saturday night?

#4 Raynaud did get his tenth double double of the season in this one. There is no doubt after college he might get some attention from G League and NBA scouts?

#5 The Cardinal get after at Clemson on Wed Jan 1 New Years Day. The Tigers are no slouch at 10-3 and are third in the Atlantic Coast. The Tigers did lose two of their last three games but the Cardinal can’t let their guard down and also on the road in Clemson?

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

SJSU falls to Boise state in heartbreaking 73-71 loss

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Robert Vaihola (22) for San Jose State playing in a game against Boise State at Provident Union Center on Saturday December 28th. (via SanJoseStateMenMBB/Instagram)

By Madison Montez

SAN JOSE- After transferring to Boise, Alvaro Cardenas returned to San Jose playing three seasons here and leaving a big impact. Cardenas scored seven points which was fifth in scoring for the Spartans as San Jose State came up short losing the the Boise State Broncos on Saturday afternoon 73-71.

Starting the game off 7-0, San Jose State went the locker room up 35-28 after the first half. Josh Uduje led the Spartans with 11 points 4-5 FG, Will McClendon second with 9 points, and Robert Vaihola with 4 points, 5 rebounds. The Spartans defense got to work forcing 10 turnovers.

However in the second half, Boise State cleaned that up only allowing 2 turnovers. Degenhart and Meadows had combined 6 longballs accounting for 18 points. Up until that point, Degenhart was the only one shooting three’s going 1-11 in the first half. With the game nearing the end, Donovan Yap Jr made a corner three that didn’t count because Yap Jr’s foot hit the line. That was a turning point in the game because San Jose would have been up.

With about 5 minutes left, it stopped being a game of runs with each team with back to back scoring. Will McClendon got fouled and took his first free throw. After making the first one, HC Tim Miles called a timeout to formulate his plan. McClendon intentionally missed the second free throw and Sadaidriene Hall jumped to get the rebound. After grabbing the ball, he took one dribble, went for the reverse layup, and right before shooting it, Buchanan blocked the shot to secure the Boise State win.

San Jose State will be back in action on December 31st hosting Colorado State.

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

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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

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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.

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

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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 podcast with Stephen Ruderman: Cal just couldn’t surpass Stanford’s lead in 89-81 loss at UC Berkeley

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Cal Bears forward Rytis Petratis (31) drives on Stanford Cardinal guard Jaylen Blakes (21) at Haas Pavilion in Berkeley on Sat Dec 7, 2024 (Cal Bears X photo)

On the Cal Bears podcast with Stephen Ruderman:

#1 Stanford Cardinal (8-2) Maxime Raynaud converted almost 50% of his shots leading the Cardinal with 20 points he was getting the open shot quite often today against the Cal Bears (6-3).

#2 The Cardinal pretty much were having their way in the first half outscoring Cal 47-31.

#3 The Cardinal defense held the Cal Bears to single digits the Bears Andrej Stojakovic and and Javon Blacksher were the only two players to get into double figures.

#4 Talk about Stanford’s defense they were able to keep the Bears at arms length for most of the game. The closest that Cal got they tied the game but just couldn’t take the lead at any point in the contest.

#5 Cal hosts the Cornell Big Red (5-3) in their next game here at Haas Pavilion for a 7:00pm PST tip on Tuesday night. Cornell won their last game against Colgate 84-57. Cornell has won three of its last five games. How do you see this match up this Tuesday?

Stephen Ruderman is a Cal Bears beat writer at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

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

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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.