Stanford men’s basketball secures second straight conference win in dominant fashion
Stanford men’s basketball (11-5, 3-2 ACC) secured its second consecutive conference win this past Saturday, with a commanding 88-65 victory over Virginia (8-8, 1-4 ACC).
The Cardinal opened strong, taking an early six-point lead with three-pointers from guards Donavin Young and Oziyah Sellers. Virginia kept the game close for much of the first half, but Stanford surged late. A series of three-pointers, capped by a buzzer-beater from fifth-year guard Jaylen Blakes, fueled an 11-2 run that gave the Cardinal a 10-point halftime advantage.
Sellers opened the second half with his third three-pointer of the night, setting the tone for another dominant half. While Stanford struggled from beyond the arc at times, senior forward Maxime Raynaud applied some stability in the paint as the ACC’s leading scorer provided 24 points.
Midway through the half, the Cardinal extended their lead to 18 points with back-to-back three-pointers from sophomore guard Benny Gealer and junior forward Chisom Okpara. Cavalier guard Isaac McKneely provided steady scoring for Virginia, but the team was unable to cut the deficit to single digits.
With five minutes remaining, Virginia had several opportunities to narrow the gap but failed to convert. Raynaud took over, scoring six consecutive points to spark a 13-2 run in the closing minutes that sealed the game for Stanford. The Stanford defense was strong throughout the game as they forced 12 Virginia turnovers and collected eight steals.
Along with being the game’s leading scorer, Raynaud secured 10 rebounds, earning his 13th double-double of the season. McKneely paced Virginia with 22 points, including 5-of-11 from three-point range. Sellers contributed 15 points on 50% shooting from beyond the arc, while Blakes added 10 points, three steals and three assists.
Stanford will travel to North Carolina on Wednesday to face the Wake Forest Demon Deacons (12-4, 4-1 ACC) in another ACC matchup. The Cardinal will aim to extend their winning streak to three games and halt the Demon Deacons’ three-game winning streak. Tip-off is set for 3:30 p.m. at LJVM Coliseum.
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