Stanford (6-0) pulled off an improbable comeback to earn a road victory over Santa Clara, 71-69.
With 3:25 on the clock, Stanford entered the final media timeout trailing Santa Clara by 8 points. In their first road game of the season, the Cardinal were up against a formidable Bronco squad and an engaged Leavey Center.
A set play out of the timeout generated Oziyah Sellers a good look from three, which he converted to make it a 5 point game. A couple of plays later, Jaylen Blakes came up with a crucial steal and found a streaking Sellers for a dunk. On the ensuing Bronco possession, Maxime Raynaud blocked a layup attempt and the Cardinal found Oziyah for another three in semi-transition to tie the game with a minute to go.
Santa Clara coach Herb Sendek called a timeout to draw up a sideline out of bounds play. Before they could get into their action, the referee stopped play to eject a Santa Clara fan sitting courtside. No one on the Stanford side seemed to know why the fan was tossed, but it was a reminder that the Cardinal were in hostile territory.
“I haven’t seen that one before,” said Jaylen Blakes.
With 8 seconds to go and Stanford leading by 1, Santa Clara center Christoph Tilly went to the line to shoot a pair. He missed the first, but made the second. The Cardinal were without timeouts, so they had to get the ball up the court in a hurry. Jaylen Blakes received the inbounds pass and wasted no time.
“We call it blood,” said Maxime Raynaud. “No time outs, 6 seconds. If the pop is open, hit the pop. If not, get downhill.”
“He’s supposed to get a piece of the paint,” said Kyle Smith. “He’s a good mid range shooter. He felt good about it.”
Jaylen Blakes had missed a pair of front ends in the recent minutes, but when he rose up from the right elbow with 2 seconds on the clock, his shot was pure.
“I couldn’t tell you why I missed one and made the other,” said Blakes. “I guess God works in mysterious ways.”
Maxime Raynaud carried the team in the first half. The Cardinal went into the break trailing 37-27. He had 18 points while no one else had more than 2. He had also grabbed 10 of the team’s 17 rebounds.
“Maxime has the heart of a champion,” said Kyle Smith. “If he didn’t step up there, I don’t know where we would’ve been.”
Santa Clara seemed content to largely defend Maxime one-on-one, and he continued to score at will, while racking up fouls on a trio of Broncos bigs.
“I mean, I’m good bro,” laughed Maxime. “But I still have so much work to do on the defensive end.”
Out of the halftime break, the Cardinal opened on a quick 12-0 run, largely due to defense, to even take the lead momentarily. From that point on, the complexion of the game was entirely different.
Oziyah Sellers had a quiet first half, but exploded for 21 points after the break. He was scoring in a variety of ways and at all three levels. With much of the defensive effort of Santa Clara going to fronting Maxime, things started to open up for other players. All Oziyah needed was to see a couple go down, and his confidence was sky high.
One of the other keys to the comeback was redshirt freshman Aidan Cammann. His box score line does not exactly pop: 3 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 blocks. But he made all of the little plays. His rim protection completely changed things for the Stanford defense. And his ability to play high-low with Maxime led to some easy scoring opportunities.
“He’s a cerebral player with good talent,” said Kyle Smith. “He’s long, rangy, and not afraid out there. We’ll watch the film and see he was a big part of the comeback.”
For the game, Maxime led everyone with 32 points and 16 rebounds, both of which were one off career highs. Oziyah Sellers scored 23 points and played excellent defense on SCU guard Adama Bal, a national team teammate of Maxime Raynaud’s in France. Jaylen Blakes finished with 8 points, 10 assists, and 4 steals, the latter two being career highs.
The Cardinal shot just 10-21 at the foul line, which nearly came back to haunt them. Santa Clara shot 21-26, although they missed two in the final minutes.
The win keeps Stanford perfect on the year, and gives them their first victory away from home. Even when their backs were against the wall in a hostile environment, the Cardinal met the challenge.
“Never a doubt,” said Blakes. “Don’t doubt our work, don’t doubt each other. We will come together, and we will win this game.”