Clutch free throws by Angel lift Cardinal past ASU 79-76

Stanford guard Michael O’Connell (5) and forward Brandon Angel (right) share congratulations in the second half chase of a 15 point run to catch the Arizona State Sun Devils at Maples Pavilion in Palo Alto (AP News photo)

By Daniel Dullum

Saturday, January 22, 2022 Brandon Angel sank three free throws with 1.1 seconds remaining, helping Stanford snapped its two-game Pac-12 men’s basketball losing streak Saturday with a 79-76 win over Arizona State at Maples Pavilion.

With 1:28 remaining, the Sun Devils’ DJ Horne connected on a 23-foot 3-pointer, tying the game at 74-all. Twenty-seven seconds later, Angel hit a pair of free throws to put Stanford back in the lead at 76-74.

After the Sun Devils committed a turnover, ASU’s Jalen Graham fouled Harrison Ingram, who missed two free throws with :20.3 left. Graham later made a 9-foot jumper with :07.5 to play, tying the game at 76-all.

Six seconds later, Graham fouled Angel on a 3-point attempt, and the Cardinal sophomore from San Diego sank all three free throws.

Angel and Michael O’Connell led Stanford (11-6 overall, 4-3 Pac-12) with 16 points each. Angel made three 3s and was 7 of 7 at the foul line; O’Connell was 5 of 8 from the field, 4 of 4 on free throws and had three assists and three steals. Ingram finished with 13 points 10 rebounds and three assists.

Horne tossed in a game-high 18 points to lead the Sun Devils (6-10, 2-4), followed by Graham with 16 points and six rebounds, Marreon Jackson with 12 points and Jay Heath with 11 points.
The Cardinal shot 38 percent from the field (19 of 50), outrebounded ASU 36-30 and forced 16 turnovers. ASU made 31 of 59 shots (53 percent) and forced 18 Stanford turnovers.

Stanford travels to Los Angeles next weekend, visiting Southern California on Thursday and UCLA on Saturday, Jan. 29

Stanford Cardinal podcast with Daniel Dullum: Arizona is just an unstoppable school; Stanford crushed by Wildcats 85-57

Arizona guard Dalen Terry (4) pushes the drive to the basket against Stanford forward Brandon Angel (23) at Maple Pavilion Thu Jan 20, 2022 (AP News photo)

On the Cardinal podcast with Daniel:

#1 Daniel, there was very little doubt that the Stanford Cardinal (10-6) were going to expect trouble out of the visiting Arizona Wildcats (15-1) at Maples Pavilion on Thursday night in a crushing 85-57 defeat.

#2 Daniel talk about the Wildcats leading scorer Oumar Ballo who was balling against the Cardinal with a team leading 21 points.

#3 After scoring a team high Arizona guard Azuolas Tubelis who had 32 points against the Utah Utes last Saturday got shutdown by the Cardinal allowing Tubelis with only four points but five other Wildcat players got into double figures.

#4 The loss is Stanford’s second in a row they lost to the Washington Huskies (8-7) and the Thursday night loss to the Wildcats. Should these two consecutive loses be cause of concern for Cardinal head coach Jerod Haase?

#5 Arizona State (6-9) has lost three of their last four games but won their last game they have played defeating Utah (8-10) by two points on Monday 64-62. ASU comes calling at Stanford this Sat Jan 22 for an 8:00 pm PST tip. Tell us how you see this match up?

Join Daniel for the Stanford Cardinal basketball podcasts Fridays at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

No. 3 Arizona dominates cold-shooting Cardinal 85-57

Arizona center Oumar Ballo (11) is fouled by Stanford forward Brandon Angel, top, at Maples Pavilion in Palo Alto on Thu Jan 20, 2022 (AP News photo)

By Daniel Dullum
Thursday, January 20, 2022

Arizona lived up to its billing as the No. 3 men’s basketball team in the nation on Thursday, routing Stanford 85-57 in Pac-12 play at Maples Pavilion.

Oumar Ballo, a transfer from Gonzaga, was the Wildcats’ leading scorer with 21 points, hitting 7 of 8 field goals and 7 of 9 free throws. Ballo also had six rebounds and two blocks.

Pelle Larsson and Bennedict Mathurin scored 13 points each for the Wildcats, followed by Justin Kier with 11 points, and Dalen Terry with 10 points and nine boards. Kerr Kriisa finished with seven assists, and Larsson had six assists.

Spencer Jones and Maxime Raynaud each scored nine points to lead Stanford (10-6 overall, 3-3 Pac-12), with Jaiden Delaire and Michael O’Connell next with eight points apiece. Harrison Ingram was the Cardinal’s top rebounder with seven.

The Wildcats (15-1 overall, 5-0 Pac-12) used a 16-5 run in the first 10 minutes of the first half to pull away early, as Arizona eventually built a 42-31 halftime lead.

At 13:41 of the second half, Ballo made a free throw to cap an 18-5 run by Arizona to open the second half and pull away for good.

While Arizona shot 55 percent (31 of 56), the Cardinal hit only 30 percent (21 of 70) from the field. Stanford, which was 8 of 15 on free throws, outrebounded the Wildcats 41-31. Arizona forced 17 Cardinal turnovers, and the Wildcats bench outscored Stanford’s 45-26.

The Cardinal host Arizona State on Saturday at 8 p.m. PST.

Huskies snap Cardinal’s four-game victory streak, winning 67-64

Washington guard Cole Bajema, right, looks to get an angle on defender and Stanford forward Jaiden Delaire, left, at Alaskan Airlines Arena in Seattle on Sat Jan 15, 2022 (AP News photo)

By Daniel Dullum
Saturday, January 15, 2022

Stanford saw its four-game winning streak come to an end on Saturday in Seattle, as Washington edged the Cardinal 67-64 in Pac-12 men’s basketball.

The Cardinal slipped to 10-5 overall and 3-2 in conference play.

Terrell Brown Jr. led the Huskies (8-7 overall, 3-2 Pac-12) with 25 points, followed by Jamal Bey with 17 – all in the first half. Emmitt Matthews Jr. added 11 points for Washington.

Brandon Angel tallied 13 points and Lukas Kisunas scored 10 points and grabbed 12 rebounds off the Cardinal bench, as no Stanford starter scored in double-figures.

Washington led 43-25 at halftime.

The Huskies held a 59-43 lead with 11 minutes remaining in the second half before Stanford used a 10-point run, closing their deficit to six. Daejon Davis hit a 3-pointer at 7:56 that wound up being UW’s last field goal.

Washington continued to hold on, up 65-61 with one minute to play. A pairt of Kisunas free throws pulled the Cardinal to within two, but though Brown missed a free throw with 15 seconds left, the Huskies held on for the win.

Stanford’s road trip continues on Thursday in Tucson against No. 6-Arizona.

Condors beat up on the Barracuda in 5-1 win

The San Jose Barracuda visit the Bakersfield Condors only to get pounded at the Mechanics Bank Arena in Bakersfield on Sat Jan 15, 2022 (image by the San Jose Barracuda)

by Marko Ukalovic

It was night to forget in the Central Valley.

The Bakersfield Condors scored three goals in the first period en route to a 5-1 victory over the San Jose Barracuda on Saturday evening at Mechanics Bank Arena.

San Jose has lost three out of its last four games. Bakersfield has won four games in a row.

Bakersfield (12-8-3-3) jumped out to an early lead in the first period. A turnover inside the ‘Cuda by Evan Weinger led to a two-on-zero chance. Michael Kesselring fed a pass over to Adam Cracknell and he buried a wrist shot past ‘Cuda goalie Sam Harvey for his fifth goal of the season at the 2:45 mark.

Cracknell snapped a 12-game goalless draught.

The Condors doubled its lead halfway through the opening frame. Seth Griffith sent a rink wide pass over to Philip Kemp and he sniped home a wrist shot past Harvey for his second goal of the season at the 9:22 mark.

Bakersfield scored their third unanswered goal late in the period. Brad Malone sprung James Hamblin in all alone on Harvey. Hamblin made a forehand to backhand move to beat Harvey for his sixth goal of the season at the 18:29 mark.

San Jose (13-17-1-0) despite its eight shots weren’t able to generate much offense during the opening 20 minutes.

Hamblin scored his second goal of the game late in the second period. Cooper Marody had a nice give and go with Hamblin on a two-on-one break. Hamblin beat Harvey to the short side for his seventh goal of the season at the 13:48 mark.

Marody extended his points streak to seven and has 11 points in that stretch.

Bakersfield scored its fifth unanswered goal in the first 39 seconds of the third period. Philip Broberg sent a rink wide pass over to Griffith who ripped a wrist shot past Harvey for his ninth goal of the season.

San Jose spoiled Condor’s goalie Olivier Rodrigue shutout bid with its only goal of the game near the halfway mark of the period. Nick Merkley found Steenn Pasichnuk at the right slot and Pasichnuk buried a wrist shot top shelf past Rodrigue for his first goal of the season at the 8:27 mark.

It was Pasichnuk’s first goal since April 17th, 2021, against the Texas Stars and his first road goal of his AHL career.

Rodrigue (3-5-2) finished stopping 23 of the 24 shots he faced to earn the victory as he snapped a three-game losing streak. Harvey (2-2-0) didn’t fare well in his first back-to-back start of the season. He made 26 saves on 31 shots in the losing effort.

GAME NOTES: San Jose finished 0-for-4 on the power play. Bakersfield was 0-for-2.

The Three Stars of the Game were: 1) Hamblin 2) Griffith 3) Kemp

San Jose is now 15-17-2-3 at Mechanics Bank Arena.

UP NEXT: San Jose returns home to host the San Diego Gulls on Tuesday 1/18 at 7:00pm at SAP Center.

Stanford Cardinal basketball podcast with Daniel Dullum: Stanford on roll sixth win in last seven games; Defeats WSU 62-57 Thursday night in Pullman

Stanford forward Brandon Angel, right, takes a shot over Washington State forward Andrej Jakimovski. Angel scored 16 points against Jakimovski and the Cougars at Beasley Coliseum in Pullman on Thu Jan 13, 2022 (AP News photo)

On the Stanford Cardinal basketball podcast with Daniel:

#1 The Stanford Cardinal (10-4) are on a roll they have now won six out of their last seven games picking up the sixth win against the Washington State Cougars (9-7) in Pullman 62-57.

#2 The Stanford one two punch at work again with the Spencer Jones at the top of the leaderboard with 16 points followed by Jaiden Delaire with 14 points.

#3 Stanford is cruising with four straight wins and even with the previously not playing a game since Dec 23 and getting their first game back on Jan 11th they look as if they haven’t missed a step.

#4 Stanford top rebounder James Keefe with six grabs was key in getting the ball back to his teammates.

#5 The Cardinal head to Seattle for Sat Dec 15th theatre against the Washington Huskies for a 3:00 pm PST tip. The Huskies have been playing .500 ball in their last six games winning three out of their last six games including a win against the Cal Bears on Wednesday night 64-55. How do you see this match up between the Cardinal and Huskies on Saturday?

Join Daniel Dullum for the Stanford Cardinal podcasts Fridays at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Cardinal use big second-half run to upend WSU 62-57; Weird beginning Covid testing delay before tip off

Stanford head coach Jerod Haase gets word of game delay until negative tests for Covid 19 by Stanford Cardinal and Washington State Cougar staff, coaches, and players clear the way for the start of the game at Pullman on Thu Jan 13, 2022 (AP News photo)

By Daniel Dullum
Thursday, January 13, 2022

Spencer Jones, Brandon Angel and Jaiden Delaire combined for 46 points on Thursday, helping Stanford win its fourth straight game in a 62-57 Pac-12 men’s basketball decision over Washington State in Pullman, Wash.

Jones and Angel scored 16 points apiece for Stanford (10-4 overall, 3-1 Pac-12), and Delaire was next with 14 points. James Keefe grabbed six rebounds, Jones had five, as the Cardinal and Cougars each had 34 total boards. Michael O’Connell had four assists, while Angel and Isa Silva each had three steals.

Freshman Mouhammad Gueye led the Cougars (9-7, 2-3) with 16 points and 11 rebounds. Michael Flowers was next for WSU with 12 points, followed by Tyrell Roberts with 10. Roberts and Noah Williams each had four assists.

Team defense played a key role in the Cardinal’s win, as Stanford held the Cougars scoreless for over 12 minutes in the second half, and 15 minutes without a field goal. It wound up being a 23-0 Cardinal run, their biggest of the season.

Stanford took its first lead of the game at 44-42 during that run.

The game got off to a late start when both teams awaited COVID test results. WSU left the court early during warmups, while the Cardinal continued their shootaround for another 35 minutes before leaving the court.

Stanford’s next game in what became a busy week is Saturday against Washington at Seattle. Washington State, meanwhile, will host California.

Cardinal end long layoff with 75-69 triumph over No. 5 USC

Stanford forward James Keefe (22) defends as Southern California guard Ethan Anderson (20) at Maples Pavilion in Palo Alto on Tue 1-11-22 (AP News photo)

By Daniel Dullum
Tuesday. January 11, 2022

It took 15 years, but Stanford finally defeated a Top 5 men’s basketball opponent and did so after a nearly three-week break for COVID-19 protocols.

The Cardinal overtook Southern California 75-69 Tuesday at Maples Pavilion behind the 21-point efforts by Harrison Ingram and Spencer Jones.

Prior to Tuesday, Stanford (9-4 overall, 2-1 Pac-12) lost 14 straight games to AP Top 5 opponents, I with its last such win coming on Jan. 28, 2007, against No. 3 UCLA.

It was the Cardinal’s first game since Dec. 23, when they defeated Liberty in the semifinals of the Diamond Head Classic in Honolulu. Stanford entered COVID protocol before having to cancel its championship game against Vanderbilt. The Cardinal then postponed games with California and UCLA.

Isaiah Mobley paced the Trojans (13-1, 3-7), with Boogie Ellis scoring 14 points. The loss by USC, along with the defeat of No. 1-Baylor, left no undefeated teams in Division I college basketball.
Stanford used back-to-back 3-pointers by Noah Taitz midway through the second half to surge ahead 50-49.

The Cardinal surged ahead to stay at 70-66 when James Keefe made a layup to start an 8-2 run that was completed with a pair of free throws by Ingram with 1:18 remaining.

The Trojans went cold in the final five minutes, missing three free throws and making 1 of 7 field goal attempts.

The effects of inactivity were noticeable early, when Stanford had a stretch of missing 8 of 9 shots. The Cardinal trailed by seven with 6 minutes remaining in first half before surging back to take a 33-32 lead.

Attendance was limited to family members only due to a recent spike in coronavirus cases.
The Cardinal visit Washington State on Thursday.

Stanford Cardinal basketball podcast with Daniel Dullum: Stanford coming back after 19 day lay off; Cardinal Wed night at WSU

Stanford Cardinal leading scorer Spencer Jones drives down the court against the Liberty Flames at the Diamond Head Classic in Honolulu on Thu Dec 23, 2021 the last time Stanford played before the Covid 19 quarantine forced them to stop (AP News photo)

On the Stanford Cardinal podcast with Daniel:

#1 The Stanford Cardinal (8-4) are in their longest lay off of the season due to Coronavirus protocols. The last time Stanford played in a game was at the Diamond Head Classic in Honolulu against the Liberty Flames on Thu Dec 23. Stanford doesn’t play again until Wed Jan 12th at Washington State.

#2 A 19 day lay off is what Stanford is looking when they play the Cougars at Pullman next on the 12th. After such a long layoff like that how does head coach Jerod Haase prepare a team that might be a little rusty.

#3 Talk about how much Stanford will be depending on some of their top scorers Spencer Jones, Brandon Angel, and Harrison Ingram.

#4 Previous to the current layoff the Cardinal had won four of their last five games and proved competitive during that stretch.

#5 Daniel their finally back next Wed Jan 12 at Washington State (8-6) to tip off against the Cougars . The Cougars prove to have no fresher legs than Stanford as the Cougars have been laid off for 20 days off. The Cougars last played on Dec 22 against the Boise State Broncos (10-4) in a losing cause the 58-52 at WSU. How do you see Stanford and WSU matching up this Wednesday night.

Join Daniel for the Stanford basketball podcasts Fridays at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Stanford Cardinal podcast with Daniel Dullum: Stanford matches up against a hot UCLA offense Thursday; Bruins have won 8 of last 9

Stanford Cardinal forward Spencer Jones (14) the leading scorer against the Liberty Flames seen here in file photo. Jones had 25 points at the Diamond Head Classic in Honolulu on Thu Dec 23, 2021 (photo file by Stanford Athletics Dept)

On the Stanford Cardinal podcast with Daniel:

#1 Daniel, the Stanford Cardinal (8-4) playing their last game on Thu Dec 23 at the Diamond Head Classic in Honolulu get a long lay off. Their game this coming Sun Jan 2 postponed due to Covid 19 protocols with their next game scheduled for Thu Jan 6 at UCLA (8-1).

#2 Daniel, talk about the long lay off is that an advantage for Stanford getting rest between games or a disadvantage becoming rusty and not seeing competitive action?

#3 The Cardinal have been playing great ball they have won five of their last seven games and getting great offensive support from Spencer Jones who scored 25 points in his last game against the Liberty Flames (8-5) on Thu Dec 23 in Honolulu. He was critical because the Cardinal won by just three points.

#4 Daniel, Jones has been passed the ball quite a bit which shows that the Cardinal have confidence in what he can do with it and pretty much lean on Jones to finish the job in front of the basket.

#5 Stanford faces the Bruins (8-1) Thu Jan 6 and the Bruins have lost only one game this season and that was to Gonzaga getting crushed by 20 points 83-63. Otherwise the Bruins have owned everyone else they’ve faced who do you like in Thursday’s game?

Join Daniel for the Stanford Cardinal podcasts each Friday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com