Stanford basketball gets back on track with a convincing win over Utah Valley

Getting back in the win column was huge for Stanford as it prepares to take on Cal.

Dec 3, 2024; Stanford, California, USA; Stanford Cardinal guard Jaylen Blakes (21) reacts after a play against the Utah Valley Wolverines during the second half at Maples Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: Neville E. Guard-Imagn Images / Neville E. Guard-Imagn Images

Back in the win column. After an upset loss to Cal Poly their last time out, the Stanford Cardinal returned to Maples Pavilion on Tuesday night to take on Utah Valley, and were able to come away with the 77-63 victory to improve to 7-2 on the season and continue a good start to the Kyle Smith era.

Led by a double double from star big man Maxime Raynaud, who finished the game with 14 points and a career-high 17 rebounds and dominated on the defensive end, the Cardinal got off to a hot start in the first half, taking a 38-26 lead into the break and were able to gain massive momentum to put things away in the second. Jaylen Blakes, a transfer from Duke, led the entire team with 18 points while also tying his career high of six rebounds. Top 10 in the nation in free throw attempts, Blakes also led the team in that category, getting to the line 10 times and making seven of his free throws.

At one point, Stanford trailed the game through nearly the first five minutes, down by six points but after going on a 12-3 run, the team then was able to take control and never look back, with Raynaud, Blakes and Oziyah Sellers combining to score 25 points over the first 20 minutes, eventually leading to the Cardinal going on a 10-0 run to end the first half.

Picking up right where they left off, the Cardinal were able to grow their lead by even more in the second half, at one point leading 49-30 and extending their run to 21-4. As Utah Valley started to make things closer, the Cardinal pulled away once more and were able to keep the double digit lead.

Even with that second half being much closer, as Utah Valley scored 37 second half points while Stanford scored 39, the big first half was enough for the Cardinal to win comfortably, and with the ACC opener against Cal this weekend, earning a win in this game is a massive momentum boost ahead of what will be a big rivalry matchup.

“That was a good win for us,” Stanford head coach Kyle Smith said postgame. “A lot of respect for Utah Valley, they’re one of the better rebounding teams in the country. They really get on the offensive glass and even make it really hard to get offensive rebounds and I thought we did a good job there and we definitely addressed our defensive issues from the previous game. We’re trying to get back to building that identity and we weren’t perfect but we were definitely more centered and focused on that area and it was a good win for us.”

In addition to Blakes’ and Raynaud’s big games, the Cardinal also got strong performances out of Sellers, who scored 15 points on 6-for-11 shooting with three free throws, and Ryan Agarwal, who scored 10 points on 4-for-8 shooting. 

Defensively, the Cardinal were very strong, holding Utah Valley to only 37% shooting, with them only shooting 29% from three.

“Jaylen does a tremendous job, people watch him play, of causing havoc,” Smith said of the defense. “Loose balls, turning people over, a guy you just get tired of having to guard you if you’re an opposing point guard. That kind of gets us going.

"And they were completely 180, I think good talent, but the exact opposite of the previous team. This was a big and physical team that was gonna try and score inside and we were up to the task and I thought Maxime played his best defensive game… I was really proud of Maxime for playing that way.”

Stanford’s next game is against Cal, the ACC opener for them, and is scheduled to take place on Saturday, Dec. 7 at Haas Pavilion. Tip-off is slated for 1:00 p.m. (PT) and will air on the ACC Network.