Stanford drops Pac-12 opener against UCLA

An early deficit was too much for the Cardinal to overcome

With a chance to make a statement and build some much needed momentum, Stanford came out rattled against No. 21 UCLA.

The UCLA defense was all over Stanford forcing seven turnovers on Stanford's first nine possessions. It didn't help that the Cardinal offense couldn't buy a shot. The Bruins jumped out to a 17-0 lead and never looked back, and were even able to build their lead to as many as 23 points. 

The game looked like it had the makings of a blowout from the beginning, and a stretch that saw Stanford jack up seven straight threes gave Cardinal fans little to be confident about. However, Jerod Haase must have given one heck of a halftime speech.

The Cardinal looked like a completely different team in the second half, getting off to a 9-0 run thanks to Spencer Jones who was the only player all night to consistently hit a shot. Of those nine points he had the first seven. The Cardinal defense also was responsible for making life hard on the Bruins, forcing four turnovers on UCLA's first five possessions. 

After the Bruins were able to regroup, Stanford would go on another huge run cutting the lead to as few as eight points. What was once a 23-point game, was suddenly a single digit game that had Mick Cronin furious. The Bruins committed 13 turnovers in the second half after giving it up just three times in the first, and the Cardinal were able to capitalize, turning those into 20 points.

However, it was just too little too late as Stanford fell cold towards the end of the game and were never able to bring the game any closer losing 80-66. UCLA's Jamie Jaquez who was the key reason to their victory scoring 27 points. Freshman sensation Amari Bailey added 19 points, while Tyger Campbell added 17 as well. 

For Stanford, it was the Spencer Jones show. He provided 18 points and clearly established himself as the player who Stanford needs to run the offense through. The rest of the starters underwhelmed, as Harrison Ingram had just two points until late in the second half and Isa Silva had just eight, and Maxime Raynaud contributed just two. 

The win brings UCLA record to 6-2, (1-0 Pac-12)and Stanford's to 3-5 (0-1 Pac-12). The Cardinal are slated to travel to take on a 7-1 Arizona State team next, while the Bruins head back home and are hosting a 4-4 Oregon team.