Tag: Stanford Cardinal

Quick Wash: Stanford bullies UW, 87-69, gets respite ahead of UCLA clash

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By Morris Phillips

STANFORD, CA–Tight scheduling doesn’t normally equate to crisp gameplans and preparedness, but it did for Stanford on Sunday.

In the midst of a stretch of eight games in 17 days, the Cardinal looked completely focused on taking apart Washington, which they did in an 87-69 win at Maples Pavilion.

The wire-to-wire win started with a 15-2 burst, and reversed a dismal performance at Seattle on January 15 in which the Cardinal trailed the Huskies by 18 points at halftime.

In the rematch, Stanford’s size and unselfishness carried them offensively, and a savvy defensive plan shut down the visitors, especially early on when the game was decided.

“The gameplan was we’re going to impose our will on them,” James Keefe said. “And a lot of that involved blown up ball screens. Applying a lot of pressure to guys who are shooters but aren’t as comfortable dribbling the ball or playing on the ground.”

Washington came in with confidence, winners of seven of nine, and they saw that eroded by Stanford’s big guys busting through UW’s signature zone and creating high percentage scoring opportunities in the paint. Keefe was a beneficiary of that, contributing 17 points, five rebounds as was Jaden Delaire, who led Stanford with 18 points on 6 of 10 shooting from the floor.

Washington’s biggest push of the afternoon came early, a 14-2 response to Stanford’s initial run that brought them within 17-16, but Stanford answered with an 8-0 surge. The Cardinal weren’t threatened after that, and led 46-33 at the break.

Terrell Brown Jr., the Pac-12’s leading scorer, impressed with 30 points, seven rebounds and six assists, but he didn’t get much help. Reserve P.J. Fuller had 11 in 34 minutes off the bench, but he misfired on seven of his ten shots from the floor.

The Huskies’ starters not named Brown shot 5 for 22 combined, and that included two misses from Daejon Davis, the Stanford transfer, who departed five minutes in with an apparent shoulder injury.

The Cardinal get a visit from UCLA on Tuesday, in a rescheduled game that was postponed due to COVID issues. The Bruins’ fitness for that one will be closely watched after they fell in Tempe to Arizona State, 87-84 in three overtimes on Saturday night.

The Cardinal weren’t tested over the entire 40 minutes on Sunday afternoon, and 14 saw action, with none playing more than the 30 minutes afforded Michael O’Connell. That could provide an advantage on Tuesday, which Stanford will need. The first meeting between the clubs on January 29 in Los Angeles saw the Cardinal lose by 23 and shoot a season-worst 27 percent from the floor.

Championship Reboot: Stanford steadier than Arizona, Brink spectacular in highly competitive rematch that could run it back in March

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By Morris Phillips

STANFORD, CA–Famously, Tara VanDerveer has said in the past, “I don’t like upsets.”

The Hall of Fame coach, now in her 36th season at Stanford with an NCAA record 1,141 victories has a built a basketball institution on the Farm by embracing the role of the favorite and squeezing every ounce of competitiveness from her athletes, a comprehensive list of All-Americans, WNBAers, and players who have gone on to become successful coaches in their own right.

VanDerveer–like any coach stuck in the gym year-after-year and needing new motivations–also appreciates competition.

Currently, and apparently going forward, Arizona’s Adia Barnes is providing that competition. A healthy crowd, and a national television audience got a taste of the high-level matchup on Sunday, in No. 2 Stanford’s 75-69 win over No. 8 Arizona. Barnes, the all-time leading scorer at Arizona, and head coach now in her sixth season is on a trajectory that’s rivaled only by VanDerveer and Connecticut’s Geno Auriemma.

Game recognizes game, and it embraces that game as well.

That’s the kind of game that we’ve been playing with Tennessee and South Carolina,” VanDerveer said after the game. “They’re a great team. We could be playing them again in the Pac-12 Tournament. We stay healthy, they get healthy, we’re both going to NCAA Tournament.”

The level of play amongst the nation’s best women’s programs continues to rise, as does interest and broadcast ratings. WNBA expansion is in the air, as well as an infusion of capital to grow the world’s most prestigious professional league. To live up to the hype, the talent has to match the aspirations. On Sunday, the talent was on display at Stanford.

Cameron Brink, a thin, long-armed 6’4″ forward was Sunday’s biggest talent. Brink led Stanford with 25 points, 15 rebounds and three blocks. Barnes and the Wildcats came in preoccupied with 6’1″ Haley Jones, adjusting their lineup to matchup with Stanford’s singular talent, but Brink quickly proved that the Cardinal have two matchup nightmares. Brink’s blessed with great hands to go with her length, and at points in the game, she was playing volleyball with the basketball… by herself.

“Cameron did a really good job of asserting herself and just kind of bulldozing us,” Barnes said. “I thought we had to be a lot more physical with her.”

Brink made eight of her first 10 shots, and registered a double-double in the first half alone (10 points, 11 rebounds). But typical of Stanford, Brink had to share the spotlight. Jana Van Gytenbeek, like Brink also a sophomore, light it up from deep, contributing a career-best six 3’s on her way to 18 points. Four of those six came in the decisive, second quarter as Stanford got hot and a stretched their one-point lead to eight.

“Jana really made a statement how hard she played, offensively, defensively, knocking down her shot she stretches the defense,” VanDerveer said. “It was really exciting for her. We had the 1-2 punch, the inside and outside. I love it.”

“The end of the second quarter really hurt us,” Barnes said. “And then in the fourth quarter, we just got murdered inside. I think as a team we just got to do a better job of crowding and making it more difficult.

“Jana and Cameron killed us, together over 40 points. That can’t happen.”

Throughout, both teams spaced the floor offensively in a manner that’s typical of women’s professional game. The mindset on each side was to attack of the dribble, get to the basket or find shooters. And what really caught everyone’s attention was how ready and willing the shooters were. Van Gytenbeek was the biggest catch-and-shoot nightmare, but Arizona’s Cate Reese and Bendu Yeaney were ready to pull the trigger too with Shaina Pellington the playmaking driver who has most embodies what Arizona lost in All-American Ari McDonald, a top pick in last spring’s WNBA draft.

Pellington was trouble on the defensive end as well, part of a multi-headed monster that took on the task of getting Jones stopped. And in the absence of a defining victory, Arizona could claim a win in their battle to stop Jones, a player who’s way too fluid for her size with great balance, and the ability to pile up big numbers over smaller players in the paint. But Barnes envisioned a plan to control Jones and it worked.

Jones came in averaging 13 points, four assists, but was held to 2 of 12 shooting, and committed six turnovers. At points, Jones appeared demoralized, but in those moments, she could be seen glancing at the scoreboard, giving herself a reminder that her subpar play wasn’t negatively affecting the team.

In the last six seasons, Arizona’s rise has been meteoric. Barnes returned to Arizona where she was a standout all-conference player from 1994 to 1998, after serving as an assistant under Mike Neighbors at Washington. Neighbors specializes in developing clubs that seek 3-point opportunities relentlessly, and run in a Paul Westhead-type fervor to create those opportunities. Barnes adopted that style and added her own personal grit from her playing days when she took over an Arizona program that had lost its way, finishing in the lower half of the Pac-12 standings more often that not.

Cal Bears basketball podcast with Michael Duca: Fox says team just wore down in second half in loss to Stanford Tuesday

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The Cal Bears guard Jordan Shepherd led Cal with 15 points on Tue Feb 1, 2022 against the Stanford Cardinal at Maples Pavilion in Palo Alto (photo by the Cal Bears)

On the Cal Bears podcast with Michael:

#1 The compressed schedule that has the Cal Bears (9-13) playing five times in 10 days, along with Tuesday’s physical play clearly impacted them in a second half that was controlled by the hosts.

#2 For the Stanford Cardinal (13-7) Jaden Delaire and freshman Harrison Ingram led Stanford with 12 points a piece. Spencer Jones and Michael O’Connell each had nine points, and fifth starter James Keefe with 8 points and 11 rebounds.

#3 The Bears Andre Kelly was out of the line up with a leg injury he got when he played against USC on Saturday and Lars Thiemann was put to good use with the most minutes 32 of his career and had with 11 points, six rebounds in 32 minutes.

#4 “I do think that we wore down a little bit in the second half,” coach Mark Fox said. “Certainly we missed Andre on the offensive end, but defensively we gave ourselves a chance.”

#5 Michael, the (12-8) Washington Huskies are coming to Cal on Thursday night the last time the two teams met at UW in Seattle on Jan 12 the Huskies took a nine point win over the Bears 64-55. In that game Jordan Shepherd was the only player who managed double figures with 12 in the loss.

Join Michael for the Cal Bears podcasts each Thursdays at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Stanford Cardinal game wrap: Cardinal return to win column with 57-50 victory over Cal

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Stanford Cardinal bench is excited with the results against the Cal Bears at Maples Pavilion in Palo Alto on Tue Feb 1, 2022 (photo by Stanford Cardinal Athletics)

By Daniel Dullum
Tuesday, February 1, 2022

Stanford returned to the win column in Pac-12 men’s basketball Tuesday at Maples Pavilion with a 57-50 rivalry win over California.

Jaiden Delaire and Harrison Ingram paced the Cardinal’s balanced attack with 12 points each, and Spencer Jones and Michael O’Connell had nine points apiece, as Stanford held the Golden Bears to their lowest offensive output in the series since February of 2000. O’Connell also had three assists.

James Keefe pulled down a career-high 11 rebounds as the Cardinal (13-7 overall, 6-4 Pac-12) outrebounded Cal 35-28. The Bears (9-13, 2-9) were forced into nine turnovers.

While both teams struggled offensively, Stanford made shots when they needed to. An Ingram jump shot with 34 seconds remaining in the first half put the Cardinal ahead for good. In the second half, Stanford enjoyed a 6-0 run, capped by Brandon Angel’s 3-pointer with 11:23 remaining in the second half, giving the Cardinal 35-29 lead.

Cal responded with its own 6-2 run, but got no closer than 37-35.

The Cardinal made 21 of 50 field goal attempts (42 percent) while making only 3 of 15 3-point attempts. Stanford held Cal to 35 percent from the floor.

Stanford hosts Washington State on Thursday and Washington on Saturday.

Cal Bears basketball podcast with Morris Phllips: Cal tries to break seven game losing streak against Stanford Tuesday night

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The USC Trojans Isaiah Mobley shows whose the big man on campus scoring a leading 24 points against the Cal Bears on Sat Jan 29, 2022 at Galen Center in Los Angeles (AP News photo)

On the Cal Bears basketball podcast with Morris:

#1 Morris, the whistles might have been unkind to the USC Trojans (19-3) Isaiah Mobley who led with 24 points but Mobley was unkind to the Cal Bears (9-13) in turn on Saturday night in the Southland as Cal on this seven game losing streak.

#2 The Bears suffered a frustrating 79-72 loss to No. 15 USC as Mobley and Ethan Anderson carried the Trojans in a physical contest that was still up for grabs with two minutes remaining.

#3 The 6’10” Mobley (24 points) and Memphis transfer Boogie Ellis (21 points, five assists) came up with career-best scoring performances.

#4 The Bears in the first half were just behind the Trojans by six points but were close 38-37 in the second half and ending up with a seven point loss 79-72.

#5 Morris the Bears will try to end their seven game losing streak when they head to Stanford on Tuesday night to face the Cardinal (12-8) the Cardinal have been going well winning seven of their last ten games.

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

Cardinal complete season sweep of Trojans 64-61

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Stanford Cardinal players can’t contain themselves after defeating the USC Trojans as the Trojans Drew Peterson walks off the floor at Galen Center in Los Angeles on Thu Jan 27, 2022

By Daniel Dullum
Thursday, January 27, 2022

Stanford completed its first season sweep of No. 15-ranked Southern California in seven years on Thursday, as the Cardinal held on for a 64-61 victory in Pac-12 men’s basketball at Galen Center in Los Angeles.

The win also improved the Cardinal’s record against Quad 1 teams to 4-3.

Jaiden Delaire led the Cardinal (12-6 overall, 5-3 Pac-12) with 14 points, followed by Harrison Ingram with 12 and Spencer Jones with 10. James Keefe pulled down six rebounds, and Ingram had five assists.

USC (16-3, 6-3) was led in scoring by Drew Peterson with 14 points, with Boogie Ellis adding 11 points. Peterson and Isaiah Mobley each had seven rebounds, as the Trojans had a 27-26 rebounding edge.

The contest was tied at 50-all nearly midway through the second half. Reese Dixon-Waters sank a 22-foot 3-pointer to give the Trojans a 53-50 lead at 9:53. Brandon Angel’s layup on Stanford’s next possession pulled the Cardinal to within 53-52.

A Cardinal turnover led to a Chevez Goodwin basket at 8:44 that increased USC’s lead to 55-52. Harrison Ingram ended a three-minute Stanford scoring drought with a layup that cut the Cardinal’s deficit to 55-54.

Spencer Jones made a 7-foot jumper to put the Cardinal in front at 56-55 with 5:10 remaining, Two minutes later, James Keefe’s 10-foot jumper put Stanford up 58-55, and Angel followed with a hoop to extend the Cardinal lead to 60-55.

USC made it a three-point game at 1:41 with a jumper, and Peterson drained a 23-foot 3 to tie the game at 60-all with :56.8 to play, Ingram broke the tie with a layup with :33.6 to go, Mobley hit 1 of 2 free throws to pull the Trojans within 62-61 with :14.5 remaining.

Angel made a pair of free throws with :11.7 left to extend Stanford’s lead to 64-61. Mobley missed a long 3-point attempt as time expired.

Stanford shot 43 percent (23 of 54) from the field, including 9 of 21 3-pointers. The Cardinal also made 9 of 11 free throws. The Trojans shot 45 percent overall (22 of 49), also making 9 of 21 from behind the arc. USC was 8 of 10 at the line.

Stanford visits Pauley Pavilion on Saturday, when the Cardinal meet No. 7 UCLA.

Clutch free throws by Angel lift Cardinal past ASU 79-76

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Stanford guard Michael O’Connell (5) and forward Brandon Angel (right) share congratulations in the second half chase of a 15 point run to catch the Arizona State Sun Devils at Maples Pavilion in Palo Alto (AP News photo)

By Daniel Dullum

Saturday, January 22, 2022 Brandon Angel sank three free throws with 1.1 seconds remaining, helping Stanford snapped its two-game Pac-12 men’s basketball losing streak Saturday with a 79-76 win over Arizona State at Maples Pavilion.

With 1:28 remaining, the Sun Devils’ DJ Horne connected on a 23-foot 3-pointer, tying the game at 74-all. Twenty-seven seconds later, Angel hit a pair of free throws to put Stanford back in the lead at 76-74.

After the Sun Devils committed a turnover, ASU’s Jalen Graham fouled Harrison Ingram, who missed two free throws with :20.3 left. Graham later made a 9-foot jumper with :07.5 to play, tying the game at 76-all.

Six seconds later, Graham fouled Angel on a 3-point attempt, and the Cardinal sophomore from San Diego sank all three free throws.

Angel and Michael O’Connell led Stanford (11-6 overall, 4-3 Pac-12) with 16 points each. Angel made three 3s and was 7 of 7 at the foul line; O’Connell was 5 of 8 from the field, 4 of 4 on free throws and had three assists and three steals. Ingram finished with 13 points 10 rebounds and three assists.

Horne tossed in a game-high 18 points to lead the Sun Devils (6-10, 2-4), followed by Graham with 16 points and six rebounds, Marreon Jackson with 12 points and Jay Heath with 11 points.
The Cardinal shot 38 percent from the field (19 of 50), outrebounded ASU 36-30 and forced 16 turnovers. ASU made 31 of 59 shots (53 percent) and forced 18 Stanford turnovers.

Stanford travels to Los Angeles next weekend, visiting Southern California on Thursday and UCLA on Saturday, Jan. 29

No. 3 Arizona dominates cold-shooting Cardinal 85-57

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Arizona center Oumar Ballo (11) is fouled by Stanford forward Brandon Angel, top, at Maples Pavilion in Palo Alto on Thu Jan 20, 2022 (AP News photo)

By Daniel Dullum
Thursday, January 20, 2022

Arizona lived up to its billing as the No. 3 men’s basketball team in the nation on Thursday, routing Stanford 85-57 in Pac-12 play at Maples Pavilion.

Oumar Ballo, a transfer from Gonzaga, was the Wildcats’ leading scorer with 21 points, hitting 7 of 8 field goals and 7 of 9 free throws. Ballo also had six rebounds and two blocks.

Pelle Larsson and Bennedict Mathurin scored 13 points each for the Wildcats, followed by Justin Kier with 11 points, and Dalen Terry with 10 points and nine boards. Kerr Kriisa finished with seven assists, and Larsson had six assists.

Spencer Jones and Maxime Raynaud each scored nine points to lead Stanford (10-6 overall, 3-3 Pac-12), with Jaiden Delaire and Michael O’Connell next with eight points apiece. Harrison Ingram was the Cardinal’s top rebounder with seven.

The Wildcats (15-1 overall, 5-0 Pac-12) used a 16-5 run in the first 10 minutes of the first half to pull away early, as Arizona eventually built a 42-31 halftime lead.

At 13:41 of the second half, Ballo made a free throw to cap an 18-5 run by Arizona to open the second half and pull away for good.

While Arizona shot 55 percent (31 of 56), the Cardinal hit only 30 percent (21 of 70) from the field. Stanford, which was 8 of 15 on free throws, outrebounded the Wildcats 41-31. Arizona forced 17 Cardinal turnovers, and the Wildcats bench outscored Stanford’s 45-26.

The Cardinal host Arizona State on Saturday at 8 p.m. PST.

Huskies snap Cardinal’s four-game victory streak, winning 67-64

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Washington guard Cole Bajema, right, looks to get an angle on defender and Stanford forward Jaiden Delaire, left, at Alaskan Airlines Arena in Seattle on Sat Jan 15, 2022 (AP News photo)

By Daniel Dullum
Saturday, January 15, 2022

Stanford saw its four-game winning streak come to an end on Saturday in Seattle, as Washington edged the Cardinal 67-64 in Pac-12 men’s basketball.

The Cardinal slipped to 10-5 overall and 3-2 in conference play.

Terrell Brown Jr. led the Huskies (8-7 overall, 3-2 Pac-12) with 25 points, followed by Jamal Bey with 17 – all in the first half. Emmitt Matthews Jr. added 11 points for Washington.

Brandon Angel tallied 13 points and Lukas Kisunas scored 10 points and grabbed 12 rebounds off the Cardinal bench, as no Stanford starter scored in double-figures.

Washington led 43-25 at halftime.

The Huskies held a 59-43 lead with 11 minutes remaining in the second half before Stanford used a 10-point run, closing their deficit to six. Daejon Davis hit a 3-pointer at 7:56 that wound up being UW’s last field goal.

Washington continued to hold on, up 65-61 with one minute to play. A pairt of Kisunas free throws pulled the Cardinal to within two, but though Brown missed a free throw with 15 seconds left, the Huskies held on for the win.

Stanford’s road trip continues on Thursday in Tucson against No. 6-Arizona.

Stanford Cardinal basketball podcast with Daniel Dullum: Stanford on roll sixth win in last seven games; Defeats WSU 62-57 Thursday night in Pullman

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Stanford forward Brandon Angel, right, takes a shot over Washington State forward Andrej Jakimovski. Angel scored 16 points against Jakimovski and the Cougars at Beasley Coliseum in Pullman on Thu Jan 13, 2022 (AP News photo)

On the Stanford Cardinal basketball podcast with Daniel:

#1 The Stanford Cardinal (10-4) are on a roll they have now won six out of their last seven games picking up the sixth win against the Washington State Cougars (9-7) in Pullman 62-57.

#2 The Stanford one two punch at work again with the Spencer Jones at the top of the leaderboard with 16 points followed by Jaiden Delaire with 14 points.

#3 Stanford is cruising with four straight wins and even with the previously not playing a game since Dec 23 and getting their first game back on Jan 11th they look as if they haven’t missed a step.

#4 Stanford top rebounder James Keefe with six grabs was key in getting the ball back to his teammates.

#5 The Cardinal head to Seattle for Sat Dec 15th theatre against the Washington Huskies for a 3:00 pm PST tip. The Huskies have been playing .500 ball in their last six games winning three out of their last six games including a win against the Cal Bears on Wednesday night 64-55. How do you see this match up between the Cardinal and Huskies on Saturday?

Join Daniel Dullum for the Stanford Cardinal podcasts Fridays at http://www.sportsradioservice.com