On Thursday, Stanford men’s basketball lost to Washington State 66-60 at home. Washington State senior guard Michael Flowers led the way for the Cougars with 22 points and 5 assists while redshirt junior guard Tyrell Roberts finished with 12 points, 4 rebounds, and 4 assists. Stanford junior forward Spencer Jones was the top performer for the Cardinal with 24 points on 10-14 shooting from the field and 4-8 shooting from 3-point range. Washington State improves to 13-7 overall and 6-3 in the Pac-12 while Stanford falls to 13-8 overall and 6-5 in the Pac-12.
“Yeah, just got beat by a very good team,” Stanford head coach Jerod Haase said after the game. “Washington State’s proven throughout the year they’re, whether it’s record, NET ranking, the whole bit, that they’re very talented, they’re very deep. They have a good plan. They’re athletic and they’re good on both sides on the ball. We struggled a lot in the first half offensively in particular. Somewhat defensively. I sit here right now and I may change my mind, but I sit here right now with optimism that many of the mistakes tonight were correctable. Again I’ll need to review the tape and see if I really believe that after that, but I think defensively and offensively, I thought we made some errors that I think are correctable and we need to correct them quickly in a short prep. Not only to learn from the last game but prepare for the next game. For a young team, that’s challenging, but it’s also something that we’re going to have to do.”
Washington State got off to a strong start, leading 15-7 with 13:08 to go in the first half. Spencer Jones was up to 5 points for Stanford. After getting down 11-2, the Cardinal were coming back a bit. Tyrell Roberts was up to 5 points for Washington State, doing a nice job of keeping his team in front.
Washington State would lead 21-15 with 7:53 to go in the half as Roberts was up to 7 points on 3-5 shooting from the field. Jones was up to 8 points for Stanford on 3-5 shooting from the field and 2-4 shooting from 3-point range. Stanford had a 14-6 rebounding advantage, doing a nice job on the glass.
With 3:57 to go in the half, Washington State led 31-17. The Cougars were on an 8-0 run over the last 2:06. Roberts was up to 12 points on 5-7 shooting from the field and 2-4 shooting from 3-point range. Stanford needed to finish the half strong and trim Washington State’s lead to under 10 points.
At halftime, Washington State maintained a double-digit lead, up 33-21. Roberts (12 points) and Flowers (10 points) were leading the way for the Cougars while Jones’ 8 points was leading the way for the Cardinal. Stanford was shooting 3-16 (18.8%) from 3-point range. They were trying to get some threes to fall, but so far were having little success.
With 15:04 to go, it remained a 12 point lead for Washington State as they led 42-30. Stanford needed to find a way to chip away and get back in the game. Trading baskets was not going to get the job done. Stanford continued to dominate the boards, with a 23-16 rebounding advantage. That seemed to be one way they might get back in the game.
Stanford would finally get within 10 points as Washington State led 42-34 with 13:38 to go. Jones was now up to 14 points for Stanford. He was really carrying the load.
“Yeah, he’s such a talented player,” Haase said of Jones. “Obviously we know he’s a great shooter, but this year we’re seeing him really even more effective around the rim. Effective as an offensive rebounder and absolutely, really a star on the defensive end. He means a ton to the program. Even when he’s not scoring, he adds so much value. I’m really proud of the way he competes. If my kids ever come to practice, I tell them to watch Spencer because of the way he prepares every day, how hard he goes in every drill. He’s really a role model for any kid that wants to be a great player because he works so hard. And that’s why you see him have games like this. Because he has great preparation.”
With 11:38 to go, Washington State led 46-39 as Stanford continued to chip away. Stanford actually got within 4 points. They were making a comeback. Junior forward James Keefe was coming up big in the paint for Stanford with 4 points and 8 rebounds. Seven of those rebounds came on the offensive glass. Stanford freshman Harrison Ingram (3 points) needed to get rolling.
Stanford would soon find themselves in trouble as Washington State would lead 57-41 with 7:26 to go. Michael Flowers was going off with 18 points. Stanford was not doing a good job of containing him and they were paying dearly for it.
Rather than falling apart and letting Washington State run wild, Stanford continued to battle and found themselves down 63-55 with 3:29 to go. Jones was up to 21 points for Stanford while Flowers was up to 22 points for Washington State. Flowers had gotten more help from his friends in terms of scoring, which was really making the difference.
“So, I have not questioned our guys’ toughness, desire, commitment to the team, commitment to the plan very rarely if any this year,” Haase said. “And this was no exception. If we didn’t make as much of a run, I still don’t think I would have questioned that. There’s a great desire for the guys to achieve at the highest level. Having said that, we need to make sure we don’t dig such a deep hole. But over and over and over this year when we’ve done that, we tend to make a run and today was no exception.”
The game continued to be close as Washington State led 63-58 with 1:46 to go. Thanks to a huge 3-pointer from Jones, Stanford still had a pulse. It was just a matter of seeing if they could get stops and push ahead on the other end.
Stanford would make it a 63-60 game after James Keefe got a dunk inside and after a missed 3-point attempt by Michael Flowers, Stanford had a chance to tie the game with under one minute to go. Stanford would work the ball into the corner to freshman guard Isa Silva, who attempted a 3-pointer to tie the game. Silva’s shot did not fall and Washington State would rebound. From there the Cougars would hang on for a 66-60 victory.
“Isa’s growing,” Haase said of Silva. “Freshman year’s such a learning curve and such an opportunity. He’s embracing every chance he gets out there. Whether it’s in film, whether it’s scouting reports, practice. He’s had a great attitude and keeps working. I believe in him greatly; I think he has a great future ahead of him here and we’re going to continue to put the ball in his hands and watch him grow right before our eyes.”
For Stanford, this is a disappointing loss in that they had a real opportunity to win all the way until the end. They dug themselves into a hole and that ultimately cost them the game. You can’t get down 11-2 early in a game and expect to win. That’s why coaches preach the importance of playing the full 40 minutes. The first minute of the game is just as much a part of the game as the last minute.
At the same time, Stanford should be commended for battling all the way and actually getting a good look from deep to tie the game up with under one minute to go. That’s a testament to their fight and grit. It’s served them well all season long and should continue to serve them well so long as they don’t get down by too much.
Up next for Stanford is a home game against Washington on Sunday. That game will tip off at 1:00 PM PT on ESPNU and Cardinal Sports Network radio.
Note: Stanford sophomore guard Noah Taitz (lower leg) was still out and has no firm timetable for a return.
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