Stanford Dominates Northern Arizona to Stay Undefeated, 90-64

Trees run away from Lumberjacks

By Grant Avalon | 11-13-2024 05:28 PM PT

Photo by Stanford Athletics


Stanford (3-0) overcame their mortal enemy, the Lumberjacks, to knock off Northern Arizona (2-1) 90-64 on Tuesday night.

Northern Arizona opened the game on a quick 8-0 run in under three minutes, forcing Kyle Smith to quickly burn a timeout. This was the second straight game the Cardinal found themselves in an early hole, and the second straight time they responded. 

“The message was not pointing a finger,” said Maxime Raynaud. “Getting back to what we do, which is playing defense.”

The Cardinal did just that, holding Northern Arizona without a field goal for more than 6 minutes to spark a 16-0 Stanford run. Maxime accounted for 11 of the points during that stretch, and the tenor of the game quickly changed. Minutes later, they went on an 18-2 run to really create separation.

“Ryan [Agarwal] and Aidan [Cammann] gave us a nice lift off the bench,” said Coach Kyle Smith.

The pair were the lone reserves to see the court until the game’s final minutes, but they made all the little plays. Ryan set off one of the key sequences of the first half where he blocked a jump shot from behind, hustled to keep the ball in bounds, and started the break that ultimately ended in a Benny Gealer three point shot from the new Tara Vanderveer logo.



“I wanted to be a spark off the bench,” said Agarwal. “It really only takes me making one or two plays. My mindset is to make one hustle play, and it’s contagious.” 

Stanford hustled their way to a 48-26 halftime lead and held a double digit lead the rest of the way.

The second half started slowly again, but as in the first period, the reserves brought a spark. Ryan Agarwal made all three of his three point attempts, while Jaylen Blakes made plays in the zone, including a steal which led to a breakaway jam that got the bench on their feet.

Stanford has excelled at runs early in the season in large part thanks to their defense. They track instances of three consecutive stops, which they call ‘kills.’

“If you get 6 kills a game, your chance of winning is about 90%,” said Smith.

Jaylen Thompson played the final 6 minutes of the game, grabbing three offensive rebounds and flying around toward many more loose balls. Kyle Smith said that Jaylen made an impression on the coaching staff with this performance. 

As the benches cleared late, the other young players saw the court, including Anthony Batson Jr. who tallied his first career points on a breakaway layup. Anthony has played just 16 minutes through the three games, but has already recorded 6 steals, tied for most on the team.

Those late game minutes are important, as Kyle Smith does not see sticking to a 7 man rotation as the season progresses.

“I like bleeding in guys one at a time,” said Smith. “Get them playing together, then it’s easier to bring in an 8th man, 9th man, 10th man. We’ll need them all.”

The Cardinal ultimately shot 56% from the field, 52% from three, and 88% at the line. They committed only 6 turnovers and held Northern Arizona without a single fast break point.

Maxime Raynaud led five Cardinal in double figures with 22 points and 11 rebounds. It was his cleanest offensive game so far, and his third double-double in as many outings. Oziyah Sellers scored an efficient 17 points, 12 coming in the first half. Ryan Agarwal set his career high in scoring with 15 points, but also added 4 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 blocks, and 2 steals. Jaylen Blakes had 13 points and 4 assists, while Benny Gealer chipped in 10 points and 5 assists. 

On the season Blakes has 15 assists against just one turnover. The entire team has just 26 turnovers through three games, while they have 49 assists and 31 steals. 

For Maxime Raynaud, this game had special meaning as his parents are in town visiting from Paris.

“I see them about once a year,” said Maxime. “Off the court it’s been a blast, introducing them to my friends, showing them where I live on a day to day basis. I’m happy to show them the team is doing good, and the school is doing good as well.”

The Cardinal now sit at 3-0 for the first time in five seasons, and have climbed from 99th to 69th in Kenpom in the early going.




--Stanford Men's Hoops National Champs '42 '91 '12 '15

TAGS: Lumberjacks Northern Arizona Stanford Cammann Ryan Tara Vanderveer Ryan Agarwal Kyle Smith Jaylen Blakes Agarwal Cardinal Maxime Raynaud Benny Gealer Jaylen Thompson Smith Maxime Oziyah Sellers Jaylen Anthony Anthony Batson
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