Recap: Stanford MBB breezes past Sac State
On Friday, Stanford men’s basketball defeated Sacramento State 91-73 on The Farm. Stanford senior forward Brandon Angel led the way for the Cardinal with 18 points and five rebounds while fifth year forward Spencer Jones (15 points), junior center Maxime Raynaud (14 points, 7 rebounds, & 2 blocks), and freshman small forward Andrej Stojakovic (12 points) also finished in double figures. Sacramento State junior guard Zee Hamoda was the top scorer for the Hornets with 21 points and five rebounds while sophomore forward Duncan Powell (14 points & 13 rebounds) had a double-double. Stanford improves to 2-0 on the season while Sac State falls to 0-2.
BOX SCORE: Sacramento State at Stanford-Friday, November 10th
VIDEO: Stanford MBB Postgame Press Conference | Sacramento State
“Yeah to start off, Happy Veterans Day and everybody that’s served and much appreciation, I think that’s a heck of a way to start,” Stanford head coach Jerod Haase said in his opening statement. “Overall very impressed with Sacramento State. I think they're a very well coached team I think they're going to have a heck of a year. The game was in a lot of ways a game of runs. I think there were a lot of positives we can take away from the game. Shooting percentages were great, obviously the assist turnover was fabulous.
“The rebounding piece is the area that that really jumps out at me as an area that we need to improve upon, but for the most part I was pleased with the adjustments we made as a staff defensively and then the ability for our players to execute the defensive end better today in the first half and then in the second half the adjustments we get at halftime. I thought the guys really deserve a lot of credit for buying into what we're talking about.”
The first player to score for the Cardinal was Spencer Jones, who nailed a triple to give them a 3-2 lead with 18:55 to go in the first half following a second chance layup inside by Sac State forward Jacob Holt. After Powell had a bucket inside to give the Hornets a 4-3 lead, the Cardinal went on an 8-0 run to lead 11-3 as Angel was up to four points following a couple nice buckets inside. 14:35 to go in the half.
Sac State would then start to come back as Hamoda got three 3-pointers to fall, getting himself up to 11 points. As a result, it was now a 24-22 lead for Stanford with 7:52 to go in the half before Angel had a quick bucket inside to make it 26-22 with 7:31 to go.
Stanford would end up pulling away a bit to lead 47-39 at halftime. Spencer Jones was up to 10 points, leading the way for the Cardinal. Stojakovic also was coming alive with seven points after making a huge 3-pointer. Offense was doing its thing, but defense was still an issue.
Stanford would get off to a strong start in the second half, leading 55-43 with 16:24 to go. Spencer Jones was up to 15 points. The Cardinal were looking like they might finally pull away.
Stanford would then lead 65-50 with 11:30 to go. The Cardinal were on a 6-0 run over the last 1:17. Raynaud and Angel each had 10 points, joining Spencer Jones in double figures.
“It’s obviously kind of a new style of basketball it feels like we’re playing,” Angel said. “We have a ton of freedom, we play really fast, and it’s super hard to have two guards who can really push the pace. Credit to the staff for coming up with a plan to put us in a great position. And I think we’ve seen through the first two games we’re sharing the ball great, getting up the floor quick, and it’s super fun. Super fun brand of basketball to play.”
It would then be a 74-57 lead for the Cardinal with 7:25 to go. Angel was up to 14 points while Stojakovic was up to 12 points. Stanford was getting good scoring balance.
“All the credit is the point guard and everyone else there on the court,” Angel said. “They find me when I’m open and the looks I’m getting there aren’t tough looks. So, I mean, when you have people who can space the floor, there’s cutting lanes, shooters are open, and to have someone who can facilitate makes it really easy to score the ball.”
In the end, Stanford would win by a final score of 91-73. Sac State just didn’t have the horses in this one. While their defense at times was shaky, Stanford’s offense was excellent. They moved the ball extremely well with a program record 5.5/1 assist-to-turnover ratio with 22 assists and four turnovers. Point guards Jared Bynum and Benny Gealer combined for 16 assists and one turnover.
“Yeah, it’s fun you know,” Bynum said of the way they moved the ball. “Our goal is to get stops and run. I’m a player that likes to push the pace and find my games, make teammates around me better and you know, they do a good job of finishing, making open shots, and finishing layups and dunks.
“So I mean, you know, I’m just playing free. Just you know, if I see somebody open, try to find them, and if I got a shot I’ll take it. But I’m just, you know, making the reads, and they’re finishing the plays.
“I saw a lot of great things from Benny. I mean, he’s a guy I go against every day in practice. He plays hard, he’s a good point guard, he pushes me, plays good defense, and I got to guard him in practice as well. But, it’s great playing with him. I wish I could play on the court with him at the same times a little bit because he can push the pace as well. But I mean, it’s been cool playing with Bennie. It’s been a fun experience.”
Up next for Stanford is a home game against Santa Clara on Tuesday. That will begin at 6:00 PM PT on Pac-12 Bay Area.
Note: Spencer Jones did not play in the second half due to an injury. Haase said it was more of a precautionary situation and getting him rested. As far he knows, they’re full speed ahead.
CardinalSportsReport.com on Facebook & X (Twitter): @StanfordRivals
Ben Parker on Facebook, Instagram, & X (Twitter): @slamdunk406
Email: slamdunk406@yahoo.com