Stanford Beats Cal, Sweeping Season Series

Stanford men's basketball has had a tremendous season in their first year in the ACC, and with their latest win over the Cal Golden Bears, 66-61 at home on Saturday, the Cardinal are now 17-10 on the season and 9-7 in the conference.

Stanford led for most of the game on Saturday against Cal, after falling behind early and trailing 8-2, the Cardinal mounted a quick comeback in the early minutes of the first half, taking an 11-10 lead at about the halfway point. They never relinquished the lead, staying in front for a total of 30 minutes and 24 seconds in this one.

Stanford star Maxime Raynaud got off to a fast start, putting up 11 points in the first half, including eight of the team's first 14 points. It was his three ball that put Stanford up 14-10, creating a little separation from their rival after a layup from Chisom Okpara gave his team their first lead.

Cal managed to put four points in the board in the final minute of the first half, trimming their 10-point deficit to just six (28-22), but Stanford came out hot in the second half. Ryan Agarwal hit three free throws and a layup, along with Oziyah Sellers completing his own three point play to push the lead to 14 in the opening minutes of the second half.

At about the 11 minute mark, Stanford would push their lead as high as 17, at which point Cal went on a run of their own, but the damage had been done, even with a 13-0 run that encompassed 3 minutes and 15 seconds of game clock. Cal got within two with under two to play, and even tied the game at 61 with 42 seconds remaining, but that would be the last time the Golden Bears scored in this one.

Raynaud knocked down three free throws, and Sellers added a pair of his own to put the game away.

Sellers would end up with 14 points, going 7-for-7 from the line and 3-of-13 from the field, while collecting three rebounds, dishing one assist, and notching one steal.

Raynaud led the way in scoring with 20, but fell short of adding to his double-double total with eight boards. This is now the third straight game that he hasn't accumulated a double-double. He'd had four such games all season before this streak began. He also added an assist, three blocks, and a steal in this one.

Agarwal (11) and Jaylen Blakes (10) both reached double digits.

The season is nearing a close, with just four more games remaining. First up will be Boston College on Wednesday, February 26 at home, with tip-off scheduled for 6 p.m. (PT). They follow that up with another home game against SMU next Saturday, March 1, at 2 p.m. (PT). Both of these games will air on the ACC Network.

The following week they'll take on Notre Dame in Indiana on March 5 at 6 p.m. (PT), followed by the regular season finale against Louisville in Louisville on Saturday, March 8 at 11 a.m. (PT). The Notre Dame game will air on ESPN2 or ESPNU, while the second game is slated to air on ESPNU.