Stanford Cardinal podcast with Michael Roberson: Stanford takes commanding win over Cal 89-81 at Haas Pavilion

Stanford Cardinal forward Maxime Raynaud (42) with arms out stretched tied as leading scorer with 20 points against the Cal Bears at Haas Pavilion in Berkeley on Sat Dec 7, 2024

On the Stanford Cardinal podcast with Michael Roberson:

#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 they tied it up but just couldn’t take the lead at any point in the contest.

#5 Stanford hosts the Merrimack Warriors (3-6) at Maples Pavilion on Tue Dec 17th. Merrimack has won their last two games but lost six in a row before that. How do you see this match up on Tuesday night?

Michael Roberson does the Stanford Cardinal podcasts 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 podcast with Stephen Ruderman: Cal just couldn’t surpass Stanford’s lead in 89-81 loss at UC Berkeley

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

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

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+.

Cal Poly comes from behind to defeat Cardinal 97-90

Stanford Cardinal guard Benny Gealer (5) takes a shot against the Cal Poly Mustangs at Maples Pavilion in Palo Alto on Sat Nov 30, 2024 (Stanford Cardinal photo)

By Daniel Dullum

Saturday, November 30, 2024

Owen Koonce tossed in a game-high 30 points for Cal Poly on Saturday, as the Mustangs made a second-half comeback to defeat Stanford 97-90 in non-conference men’s basketball at Maples Pavilion.

Stanford (6-2) led 43-34 at halftime, eventually leading by 10 at 47-37 on a free throw by Jaylen Blakes with 18:37 left in the second half. Over the next five minutes, the Mustangs cut their deficit with a 19-10 run on a Peter Bandelj free throw.

The Cardinal built their lead back up to 68-59 at 10:23 on a jumper in the lane by Oziyah Sellers. CPU (5-4) tied the game at 76-76 with a 3-pointer by Isaac Jessup at 5:41, capping a 17-8 run.

Stanford briefly regained the lead until Jarred Hyder’s 3 broke an 84-84 tie with 1:33 left. From there, the Mustangs pulled away with a 10-6 run for the win.

Stanford missed two 3-pointers in the last 18 seconds.

Besides Koonce, the Mustangs had four others in double-figures – Jessup with 21 points, Mac Riniker with 12, Bandelj with 11 and Hyde with 10. Koonce also had seven rebounds, and Jessup added seven rebounds and five assists.

Maxime Raynaud led the Cardinal with 21 points, followed by Blakes and Benny Gealer with 17 each, Chisom Okpara with 13 and Sellers with 11. Blakes collected eight assists and Ryan Agarwal pulled down nine rebounds.

Mustangs shot 54 percent from the field (33 of 61), including 12 of 30 behind the arc. CPU also hit 19 of 22 free throws and outrebounded the Cardinal 36-32.

Stanford wa 31 of 67 shooting (46 percent) – 10 of 33 on 3-pointers. The Cardinal was 18 of 22 at the line and committed only nine turnovers. The Cardinal bench outscored Cal Poly’s by 30-13.

The Cardinal host Utah Valley on Tuesday at 7 p.m., and open ACC play on Saturday, Dec. 7, when they travel to Berkeley to face California.

Cardinal fall to SJSU in season finale 34-31, finish season at 3-9

Stanford Cardinal cornerback Collin Wright (6) leaps for a catch against the San Jose State Spartans at Spartan Stadium in San Jose on Fri Nov 29, 2024 (Stanford Cardinal X photo)

By Daniel Dullum

Friday, November 29, 2024

San Jose State quarterback Walker Eget enjoyed a career day that included the go-ahead touchdown pass to Trey Murray with under two minutes to play, leading the Spartans to a 34-31 non-conference football victory over visiting Stanford in the regular season finale for both schools.

Eget connected with Murray on an 18-yard touchdown pass with 1:55 remaining in the fourth quarter. Eget completed 33 of 49 passes for 385 yards, four touchdowns and was intercepted once in the first meeting between the schools since 2013.

It was a banner day for two other SJSU receivers – Nick Nash, who went into the game leading the FBS in pass receptions and touchdown catches, caught nine passes for 91 yards and two TD’s (20 and 2 yards), setting a Spartans single-season mark with 16.

With the win, San Jose State (7-5) awaits a possible bowl invitation, The Spartans have played in the postseason the last two years and three of the previous four.

Stanford (3-9) played from behind most of the afternoon, plagued by 10 penalties for 115 yards. Cardinal quarterback Ashton Daniels scored on a 1-yard run midway through the fourth quarter, giving Stanford a 31-27 lead with 7:30 to play.

On the ensuing drive, SJSU turned the ball over on downs when Eget overthrew Nash in the end zone. Stanford then came out throwing, but Daniels was picked off by Isiah Revis with 2:29 to play, setting up the game-winning drive.

Stanford opened the scoring with a Kenney Emmet 24-yard field goal at 5;51 of the first quarter. The Spartans took a 7-3 lead at 9:07 of the second quarter on a 20-yard TD pass from Eget to Nash.

Less than four minutes later, the Spartans extended their lead to 14-3 2-yard scoring pass, again from Eget to Nash. The Cardinal battled back and pulled to within 14-10 on a 12-yard TD pass from Daniels to Emmett Moseley V. San Jose State took a 17-10 lead into the locker room on Kyler Halvorsen’s 45-yard field goal as time expired in the first half.

Eget tossed his third scoring pass of the day at 12;51 of the third quarter, completing a 19-yard strike to Justin Lockhart, giving the Spartans a 24-10 lead.

Stanford closed its deficit to 24-17 on Justin Lamson’s 1-yard plunge at 9:17 of the third quarter. Halvorsen booted a 24-yard field goal and San Jose State led 27-17 after three quarters.

Five seconds into the fourth quarter, the Cardinal pulled to within 27-24 on a wild play that started with Eget getting sacked and fumbling at the Spartan nine yard line. Gaethan Bernadel forced a fumble that was recovered and ran into the end zone by Jahsiah Galvan. A review upheld the call on the field.

With 7:42 remaining, Daniels scored on a 1-yard keeper, and Stanford held a 31-27 lead before his interception set up SJSU’s game-winning drive.

San Jose State had the edge in total offense 443 yards to 369. Stanford had a slight edge in time of possession, 31:18 to 28:37, while the Spartans led in first downs 30 to 21.

Stanford Cardinal football podcast with Michael Roberson: Stanford closes season against San Jose State Spartans in San Jose Friday

Cal wide receiver Jonathan Brady (6) reaches out to make one of his two fourth quarter catches against the Stanford Cardinal cornerback Colin Wright (6) at Cal Memorial Stadium in Berkeley on Sat Nov 23, 2024 (Cal Bears photo)

On the Stanford Cardinal podcast with Michael Roberson:

#1 The Stanford Cardinal dropped their last game for their eighth loss of 2024. The Cardinal got off to a great start against the Cal Bears in Berkeley in the battle for the axe with two touchdowns in the first quarter taking a 14-0 lead on two touchdowns carries from Cardinal quarterback Justin Lamson.

#2 Cal would score the only points in the second quarter when Bears quarterback Fernando Mendoza threw to Trond Grizzell for 16 yards cutting Stanford’s lead 14-7.

#3 Stanford in the third quarter would pull away with a touchdown pass from running back Micah Ford to wide receiver Emmett Mosely. Stanford took a 21-10 lead going into the third quarter.

#4 Cal scored a couple of touchdowns in the fourth quarter at 10:09 Mendoza threw a 30 yard pass to wide receiver Jonathan Brady and at 2:40 Mendoza once again hit his favorite target Brady for a 22 yard touchdown as Cal comes back for a 24-21 win.

#5 Stanford concludes the 2024 regular season at San Jose State. The Spartans are coming off a loss in their last game to the UNLV Rebels 27-16. How do you see these two matching up at Spartan Stadium in San Jose this Fri Nov 29 with a kick off at 1:00pm PST.

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

Cal Bears football podcast with Morris Phillips: Cal set to face the mighty SMU Mustangs in Dallas Saturday

Cal Bears linebacker Jackson Simon (8) celebrates scoring on a fumble return against the Stanford Cardinal at Cal Memorial Stadium in Berkeley on Sat Nov 19, 2024 (AP News photo)

On the Cal Bears football podcast with Morris:

#1 The Stanford Cardinal dropped their last game for their eighth loss of 2024. The Cardinal got off to a great start against the Cal Bears in Berkeley in the battle for the axe with two touchdowns in the first quarter taking a 14-0 lead on two touchdowns passes from Cardinal quarterback Justin Lamson.

#2 Cal would score the only points in the second quarter when Bears quarterback Fernando Mendoza threw to Trond Grizzell for 16 yards cutting Stanford’s lead 14-7.

#3 Stanford in the third quarter would pull away with a touchdown pass from running back Micah Ford to wide receiver Emmett Mosely. Stanford took a 21-10 lead going into the third quarter.

#4 Cal scored a couple of touchdowns in the fourth quarter at 10:09 Mendoza threw a 30 yard pass to wide receiver Jonathan Brady and at 2:40 Mendoza once again hit his favorite target Brady for a 22 yard touchdown as Cal comes back for a 24-21 win.

#5 Cal concludes it’s regular season against the SMU Mustangs at Gerald J Ford Stadium in Dallas this Sat Nov 30th with a 12:30pm PST kickoff. The Mustangs are having a season they are 10-1 and are on a eight game winning streak. How do you see this match up this Saturday at SMU.

Morris Phillips podcasts Cal Bears football Thursdays at http://www.sportsradioservice.com