Tag: Pac-12

Not Much Difference: Cal competitive early then wilts at Oregon in 73-62 loss

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By Morris Phillips

Cal’s high point was also the beginning of the end for the Bears on Wednesday at Oregon’s Matthew Knight Arena.

A 7-0 run capped by Justice Sueing’s three-point play gave the Bears a 15-13 lead with 9:32 remaining in the first half.  It would be the final lead for the Bears on the evening, one they would have two opportunities to extend. But like Cal’s two previous, early leads, the Duck responded with a 3-pointer to regain an advantage.

This time–after Payton Pritchard’s 3-pointer– the Ducks took off.

A 17-2 Oregon run put Cal in a double-digit hole at the half. And Oregon methodically maintained their advantage after the break in a 73-62 win.

The Ducks shot 65 percent from the floor after the break, on their way to becoming the 14th Cal opponent to shoot better than 50 percent from the floor. And while lack of defense was Cal’s biggest issue, it wasn’t their only one.

The Bears got outrebounded 33-23, and while they got to the foul line, and converted (16 of 19), that wasn’t nearly enough to overcome horrid 39 percent shooting from the floor.

The result? Another loss, just not one stuffed with embarrassment. The Bears never let the Ducks run away, but they never caught up either, trailing for the game’s final 30 minutes. Now with an 0-10 record in conference play, the Bears must remain vigilant or confront being the first Pac-12 team to go winless in league play since Oregon State in 2008, a year before Utah and Colorado joined the conference.

Without looking ahead, the Bears don’t want to look back either: they’ve dropped 13 consecutive, conference road games and 18 overall dating back to last season.

Pritchard paced Oregon with 20 points, 10 rebounds, and three other starters scored in double figures led by Louis King with 12.

“I liked our pace in this game,” Pritchard said. “Defensively, we got some steals to easy looks. We were running it up. Guys were attacking in the seams and it allowed everyone else to get open.”

Justice Sueing led Cal with 17 points, and Paris Austin and Connor Vanover added 12 each.

The Bears continue their Northwest swing on Saturday at Oregon State with the tipoff at 2:30 pm.

Stanford stops by Oregon State on Thursday

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By: Ana Kieu

The Stanford Cardinal, coming off a two-game winning streak, made sure to pay the Oregon State Beavers a visit inside the Gill Coliseum in Corvallis, Ore. Thursday night. The tipoff has been set to 7:00 pm PT on the Pac-12 Network.

The Cardinal’s last two wins occurred at Cal in a 84-81 thriller on February 3rd and at home–Maples Pavilion–versus the Colorado State Buffaloes 75-62 on January 26th. The Cardinal has been a wishy-washy team this season, but at least they aren’t in the abyss like my alma mater, San Jose State Spartans, or some other hapless men’s basketball team out there.

Anyways, the Cardinal and Cal Bears were more of a Bay Area rivalry than anything else. The Cardinal has to be focused on the road ahead in the Pacific Northwest as the Beavers and Ducks will likely be tough customers. And, of course, the home court advantage that often shifts the game in favor of the home team.

Cardinal head coach Jerod Haase told the local media that Bryce Wills has been making plays and growing each game. Wills currently holds a career-high of 16 points. That’s definitely a good thing as the Cardinal need all the help they can get.

Before the Stanford vs. Oregon State game, it was announced that KZ Okpala was named one of ten finalists for the Julius Erving Small Forward of the Year Award. Okpala was joined by Gonzaga’s Rui Hachimura, Virginia’s De’Andre Hunter, Kentucky’s Keldon Johnson, Nevada’s Caleb Martin, Michigan’s Charles Matthews, Tennessee’s Admiral Schofield, Iowa State’s Marial Shayok, Oregon State’s Tres Tinkle, and Belmont’s Dylan Windler.

Okpala leads Stanford in scoring (18.1 points per game), rebounding (6.1 rebounds per game), three-point field goal percentage (.410), free throws (87) and minutes (33.0 mpg). He ranks third in the Pac-12 in scoring, fifth in three-point field goal percentage, and 14th in rebounding. In conference play, the forward is averaging 20.4 points per game (ranks second) and 6.1 rebounds per game.

Okpala scored a career-high 30 points at Cal and leads the Pac-12 with 12 games of 20 points or more this season. He’s one of 10 individuals in the nation to average 21.0 points per game or better in their last six games.

“KZ has been a rock for us,” said the Cardinal’s Anne and Tony Joseph Director of Men’s Basketball. “He’s a foundational piece for everything we do. There’s so much more for him to grow, but he’s really developing very quickly. He certainly deserves the recognition. It is great to see him among the 10 candidates for this prestigious award.”

The nation has been taking notice of Okpala, including ESPN College Basketball Analyst Jay Bilas.

Stanford’s KZ Okpala leads the Cardinal to a 84-81 win over the Cal Bears

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By Jerry Feitelberg

The Stanford Cardinal tipped off against the Cal Bears Sunday afternoon at Haas Pavilion. The Bears have been struggling all season long and the Cardinal entered the game with a mediocre record of 10-10. As followers of both schools know, records do not count when the two teams meet in any type of athletic competition. The Bears, 0-8 in Pac-12 play, wanted desperately to beat the Cardinal. Conversely, The Cardinal did not want to be the first Pac-12 team to be beaten by the Bears.

The teams went at it tooth and nail in the first 20 minutes of action. The lead changed hands several times and the game was tied at least three times in the first half. The Bears led 29-24 when Justice Sueing made a bucket and was fouled on the play. He then made the free throw. The Cardinal’s Cormac Ryan hit a three and Lukas Kisunas followed with his first basket of the night to tie the score at 29. The teams tied again at 31 and 35 each. Cal’s Matt Bradley knocked down a three to make it 38-35. Stanford made a basket and the first half finished with the Bears ahead 38-37. Okpala led the Cardinal with 11 points. Oscar da Silva and Daejon Davis each had 5. Sueing led the Bears with 10. Big Connor Vanover, who is 7 feet 3 inches tall contributed 8. Paris Austin had 6.

It was more of the same in the second half. Neither team would give an inch. If one team went on a small run, the other team fought back to either tie the game or take the lead. Stanford led early, but Cal came back to tie. The Bears tied at 58. The Bears led 66-51 but Stanford kept coming back and the Cardinal, led by KZ Okapala’s 30 points, was able to hold off the Bears as the won 84-81.

Here’s how the game ended. he Bears’ Matt Bradley drove the baseline for an apparent tying bucket. The Cardinal’s big Josh Sharma appeared to have fouled Bradley on the play. After a review, the call was reversed and the ball given to the Cardinal. Had Bradley been awarded the free throws, he could have tied the game. The Cardinal had the ball and ran out the clock to win the game 84-81.

Game Notes: The loss was the Bears tenth in a row and matches the longest streak in school history. The Bears are 5-16 for the season and 0-9 in the Pac-12. The Cardinal’s record is now 11-10 and they are 4-5 in the Pac-12.

Okpala had a career-high of 30 points to lead Stanford. Bryce Wills had 16, Daejon Davis 14, Oscar Da Silva 7 Cormac Ryan, 7. Justice Sueing paced the Bears with 23. Paris Austin had 15, Matt Bradley 13, and Connor Vanover 15.

While this is the third year in a row that the Cardinal is having a so-so season, there is a reason to have hope that the future will be brighter for Stanford as 11 of the 15 players on the squad are either freshman or sophomores. That should bode well for Cardinal coach Jerrod Haase.

Up Next: The Cardinal return to action Thursday night when they face the Oregon State Beavers in Corvallis, Ore.

What Now?: Late game, reversed call prevents Cal from ending losing skid

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By Morris Phillips

BERKELEY, Calif. — The made shots, assists, team effort and the coaching staff’s approval all leaned heavily toward the Cal Bears on Sunday afternoon.

The critical, late game calls made by the officials did not.

The Bears appeared to gain an 83-83 tie on Matt Bradley’s physical drive for a bucket and a foul, but a video replay compelled the referees to reverse the call, wipe out the basket, and put Stanford in the driver’s seat with 13 seconds remaining.

Both coaches weighed in on the critical call, and both admitted the situation left them powerless and in hope that the whistle simply went their way.

“First of all, I didn’t know that you would overturn a call,” coach Wyking Jones said. “Mike Reed is a great official and he went to the monitor and saw something different, so I have to respect the call.”

“It was some kind of a dire situation so I felt very excited when they went to the monitor that there was still hope,” Stanford coach Jerod Haase admitted.

Instead of Cal tying the game and getting an opportunity at the foul stripe to establish a one-point lead, Stanford’s KZ Okpala made one of two free throw attempts to increase Stanford’s lead to three. Seconds later, Paris Austin’s 3-point attempt fell woefully short and the Cardinal escaped.

The Bears fell to 0-9 in Pac-12 conference play, and lost for a school-record tying tenth, consecutive time. The Bears last lost 10 straight in 1962.

Stanford won for the third time in their last four outings, and stayed above .500 at 11-10.

Okpala, Stanford’s emerging sophomore who is gaining interest from the NBA, led the Cardinal with 19 of his career-best 30 points after halftime.

Justice Sueing paced Cal with 23 points. Paris Austin and 7’2″ Connor Vanover contributed 15 points each.

Jones vowed that his Bears would respond with a better effort following a full week of preparation, and they did give Stanford fits with pressure defenses that forced the majority of the Cardinal’s 18 turnovers. The Bears led by one at the half, and extended their lead to 56-49 with 12:44 remaining.

But Stanford–which countered their issues holding on to the basketball with 57 percent shooting from the floor–responded with a run at that point and forced the Bears to beat them with late game execution.

The result was a devastating loss decided in the final seconds, but the effort was laudable, far more than in the nine losses that preceded Sunday.

“They emptied the tank today,” Jones said. “I felt they gave us everything they had. They played together. They looked like a cohesive group. I’m very proud of the effort and the fight that they showed today, but we came up short.”

Cal heads to Oregon for a Wednesday night game at 6:30 pm PT.

Stanford Cardinal basketball podcast with Joey Friedman: Cardinal come out swinging, hold a lead in 75-62 win against Colorado

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Photo credit: @StanfordMBB

On the Stanford Cardinal podcast with Joey:

#1 The Cardinal (10-10) came off a loss to the Utah Utes prior to last Saturday’s game. With the Colorado Buffaloes (11-8) and the Cardinal, who came in with some motivation, pulled off a win 75-62.

#2 Dorian Pickens was key for Stanford’s last season’s lead as he led with 18 points and the Cardinal who behind 16 points came back against Colorado showing the Cardinal trying win these games against Colorado. The Buffaloes rattled off six points with Tyler Bey’s help.

#3 Cormac Ryan did not play. He continues to sit out with ankle concerns.

#4 Sophomore Oscar Da Silva scored all of Stanford’s first eight points, which included a pair of threes in the first five minutes.

#5 The Cardinal next head to Berkeley to take on Cal on February 3rd in the first of three road games.

Joey Friedman does the Stanford Cardinal basketball podcast each Friday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Stanford erupts in the second half to beat the Buffaloes 75-62

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By Joey Friedman

PALO ALTO — Coming off a disappointing four-point loss to the Utah Utes at home two nights ago, the Stanford Cardinal (10-10, 3-5 Pac-12) hosted the Colorado Buffaloes (11-8, 2-5 Pac-12) at Maples Pavilion for a Saturday evening tip and won by a score of 75-62 in front of 3,648 fans.

Stanford looked to avenge last year’s close loss to Colorado on the road. Down by 16, they roared back with help from then-senior Pickens when he scored a game-high 18 points before Colorado bounced back with 6 straight points, mostly from then-freshman Tyler Bey) to close out the win.

Cormac Ryan did not play. He continues to sit out with ankle concerns.

Sophomore Oscar Da Silva scored all of Stanford’s first eight points which included a pair of threes in the first five minutes. He would add another three and top out at 13 points to pair with 5 rebounds in the first half. His third first-half three-pointer gave Da Silva his 20th three in the last 12 games.

KZ followed up his conference-leading 11th 20+ point game on Thursday night against the Utes by failing to score in the first half for the Cardinal, despite playing 12 minutes.

With about four minutes to play in the first half, freshman Jaiden Delaire and junior Marcus Sheffield nailed consecutive threes to bring the Colorado lead down to 6. Stanford would head to the locker room at half down by the same margin with the score 37-31 in favor of the Buffs. Ahead of the Colorado game, Stanford was just 1-9 on the season when trailing at the half.

Colorado spread out their scoring in their first half, making it difficult for Stanford to defend. Sophomore G/F Tyler Bey, junior forward Lucas Siewert, and senior guard McKinley Wright each finished with 8 points in the first half. The first two of whom also collected 4 rebounds respectively. Junior guard Shane Gatling also finished the first half with 7 points.

Stanford stifled the Buffaloes with three minutes of shutout defense at the beginning of the 2nd half and was able to crawl within 2 points with the score 43-41. A number of possessions later, a Daejon Davis alley-oop to Josh Sharma got the Cardinal within a single point before Sharma threw another dunk down to give Stanford the lead. Immediately after, Daejon Davis hit a three to put the Card up by four with just under 11 minutes left in the game and the score 50-46.

With four minutes left in the game, sophomores Daejon Davis and Oscar Da Silva collected consecutive three-point plays on and-one layups to put Stanford up 68-56. Stanford would go on to win by a score of 75-62. In the second half, Stanford shot 72% from the field and outscored the Buffs by 19 points.

Stanford finished by shooting 55% from the field, 35% from beyond the arc, and an impressive 88% from the free-throw line. Colorado shot 41% from the field, 19% from beyond the arc, and a disappointing 54% from the free-throw line. By the end, Stanford finished almost or exactly even with Colorado in rebounds (29-29), points in the paint (42-40 advantage to the Buffs), and assists (14-13 advantage to the Card). Stanford and Colorado finished with 16 and 11 turnovers, respectively.

Individually for the Cardinal, Oscar Da Silva missed tying his career high in points by 2 when finished with 21 alongside 7 rebounds. Daejon Davis scored 16 points, 6 assists, and 4 rebounds. Bryce Wills missed tying his career high in points by 1 when finished with 12 points, 7 rebounds, and 5 assists. KZ Okpala finished with five points (2-8 from the field), 2 rebounds, and an assist.

For the Buffaloes, Tyler Bey finished with 17 points, McKinley Wright finished with 14 points, Lucas Siewert finished with 13 points, and Shane Gatling finished with 10 points.

Jerod Hasse credited tonight’s game as the best performance he’s seen from his young team in terms of playing simple and controlled basketball once they penetrate and get into the lanes. He, Oscar Da Silva, and Daejon Davis all said playing with joy tonight allowed for every facet of the game to flow better, especially in the second half.

What’s next?
The Cardinal will play three consecutive road games: first, they will battle the rival California Bears on February 3rd at 1:00 PM PT before they take on the Oregon schools on the road on February 7th and 10th.

The Buffaloes will host the Oregon schools on January 31st and February 2nd. Before traveling to face the Los Angeles schools.

Utes outlast Cardinal 70-66 in crucial Pac-12 matchup

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By: Eric Epstein

PALO ALTO, Calif. — The Stanford Cardinal men’s basketball team hosted the Utah Utes on Thursday night in a crucial Pac-12 matchup. The Cardinal ended up falling to the Utes in Palo Alto for the first time since 1971, with a final score of 70-66.

Utah gained some separation in the crowded Pac-12 with their win as they move up to join the Arizona State Sun Devils for third in the conference. Stanford slides to 2-5 in conference play, where they now occupy the ninth spot in the conference standings.

The first half was played at a blistering pace, with a total of two free throws attempted in the half and with each team attempting close to 30 field goals. Stanford missed their first 5 three-point attempts and finished the half 1-6 from deep. On the other end, Utah closed out the first half with a three-point barrage en route to an incredibly efficient 5-7 clip from downtown. Utah went 7-9 for their last 9 field goal attempts of the half, and freshman forward Timmy Allen’s last-second layup stretched the Utes’ lead to 5 at the half.

Sophomore forward KZ Okpala opened the half off right for the Cardinal, slamming down a thunderous dunk on Stanford’s first second-half possession.

Despite Utah’s hot first-half shooting, they did not attempt a three-point shot until halfway through the second half.

After sophomore guard Daejon Davis hit a mid-range floater with 16:08 left in the game to give Stanford a 1-point lead, the Cardinal held the lead until senior Utah guard Sedrick Barefield got an extremely fortunate bounce on his 3-point attempt to give the Utes the lead with 2:12 remaining. The next possession, Okpala responded with a three-point basket of his own to even the score.

Senior Utah guard Parker Van Dyke finished a tough layup around senior center Josh Sharma to give Utah a 2-point lead with less than a minute left. After that basket, the Cardinal had to play the foul game in attempt to catch up with the Utes. However, Barefield cooly hit all 4 of his free throws down the stretch and Stanford could not make up the deficit.

Okpala led the game in scoring with 22 points on 7-15 shooting, but with a shaky 7-11 free throw performance. Davis, who started the game 0-6 on field goals, turned his night around in the second half and finished with 17 points on 7-16 shooting along with 4 assists and only 2 turnovers.

Sharma, who is very susceptible to getting in foul trouble, did not get into serious foul trouble until the final minute of the game. He ended up seeing the court for 34 minutes and finished with 12 rebounds and 9 points on 3-6 shooting.

Sophomore forward Oscar da Silva, who started the game, did not record a single point on 3 field goal attempts, despite seeing 28 minutes of playing time. Freshman forward Jaden Delaire picked up the offensive slack dropped by da Silva by scoring 7 points on 3-4 shooting.

Utah had three double-digit scorers in Barefield (18), Van Dyke (10), and sophomore forward Donnie Tillman (11). The Utes finished with a very impressive 64.3% of their 3-point shots falling and a respectable 47% general field goal percentage.

Stanford finished with more offensive and defensive rebounds, assists, fast break points, and points in the paint. The Cardinal also blocked Utah 10 times, where Utah did not record a single blocked shot all night. However, Utah’s more efficient scoring made the difference and helped hand the Cardinal their fifth Pac-12 loss of the season.

The Stanford will shift their focus to their eighth Pac-12 game where they will host the Colorado Buffaloes on Saturday, Jan. 26 at 5:00 PM PST.

Cardinal bounce back with Pac-12 win at WSU, 78-66

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By Daniel Dullum
Sports Radio Service
Saturday, January 19, 2019

Stanford earned a split of its Pac-12 road visit to the state of Washington Saturday, as the Cardinal defeated Washington State 78-66 at Pullman.

Daejon Davis led the Cardinal (9-9 overall, 2-4 Pac-12) with 15 points and six assists. Oscar Da Silva added 12 points and five rebounds, and Josh Sharma contributed 11 points and eight rebounds.

WSU (8-10, 1-4) was led by CJ Elleby with 18 points and eight rebounds, with Ahmed Ali hitting 4-of-5 3-point field goal shooting, finishing with 14 points.

The Cardinal asserted themselves with a 3-minute, 13-2 first-half run that helped overcome an eight-point deficit and take a 19-16 lead. Marvin Cannon hit a 3-pointer, Jeff Pollard made a couple of inside layups, and from that point, the Cougars went scoreless over the next 3:09.

During that stretch, the Cardinal went on a 14-2 run. Though Washington State finished the first half with a 7-0 run, the Cardinal led 39-35 at halftime.

Though Stanford opened the second half with an 8-4 run, WSU answered with seven straight points in 32 seconds, closing the Cougars’ deficit to 47-46.

The Cardinal responded with three 3’s by Da Silva, Sheffield and Davis for a 9-2 run, giving Stanford a 58-46 lead at the 12-minute mark.

With 2:30 to play, the Cougars cut Stanford’s lead to 69-64 on a pair of Robert Franks free throws. But after WSU lost a possible defensive rebound out of bounds, a dunk by Willis sparked a 6-0 run over the final 55 seconds.

For Stanford, it was a much-needed conference win after being hammered by Washington on Thursday. The Cardinal return home on Thursday to host Utah. Game time set for 6:00 PM PST.

Stanford Cardinal podcast with Joey Friedman: Cardinal get wiped out in Seattle as Huskies take a 16-point win

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On the Stanford Cardinal podcast with Joey:

#1 KZ Okpala led the Stanford Cardinal (8-9) with 22 points, but all for not, as the Cardinal lose by 16 to the host Washington Huskies (13-4) 80-64.

#2 At one point, the Huskies led Stanford 18-8 midway in the first half.

#3 Despite the Cardinal cutting into the Huskie’s lead in the second half, the Huskies shot the ball well for 55%.

#4 The Cardinal’s Josh Sharma stayed consistent with his shooting, finishing with 17 points

#5 The Cardinal will try it all over again this Saturday in Pullman against the Washington State Cougars a 12 noon tip. Joey sets this game up.

Joey Friedman does the Stanford Cardinal podcast each Friday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Huskies rout Cardinal 80-64 in Pac-12 play

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By Daniel Dullum
Sports Radio Service
Thursday, January 17, 2019

Stanford’s woes in conference play continued Thursday, as the Cardinal traveled to Seattle and dropped an 80-64 Pac-12 men’s basketball decision to Washington.

Jaylen Nowell led the Huskies (13-4 overall, 4-0 Pac-12) with 22 points, including a pair of 3-pointers. Nahziah Carter was next with 13 points off the bench, followed by Dominic Green with 11 and David Crisp with 10.

Nowell and Crisp each grabbed five rebounds for the Huskies; Nowell, Crisp and Green each had two assists. Matisse Thybulle collected five steals for Washington.

KZ Okpala was Stanford’s top scorer with 22 points, along with five rebounds and two assists and a technical foul. Josh Sharma scored 17 points and grabbed eight of the Cardinal’s 34 rebounds. Daejon Davis committed five of Stanford’s 18 turnovers, which the Huskies converted into 24 points.

Stanford has averaged 15.5 turnovers per game this season, and has yet to register single-digit turnovers in any of its 17 games. To compound matters, the Cardinal were 3-of-15 on 3-point attempts.

The Cardinal (8-9, 1-4) struggled with Washington’s zone defense for most of the first half and though things improved in the second half, the Huskies cruised to their fifth straight win.

In the second half, the Huskies led by as many as 16 points, but Stanford cut its deficit to single digits with 10:16 left. A Washington run put the Huskies back to a 58-44 lead with 8 minutes to play.

Stanford’s road trip continues when they visit Washington State on Saturday. Game time set for 12:00 pm PST.