Free-throw accuracy boosts Stanford over Utah

Field Level Media|published: Sun 14th January, 19:41 2024

Jan 14, 2024; Stanford, California, USA; Utah Utes guard Hunter Erickson (right) competes for a loose ball with Stanford Cardinal forward Maxime Raynaud (left) and guard Benny Gealer during the first half at Maples Pavilion. credits: D. Ross Cameron-USA TODAY Sports

Maxime Raynaud scored 20 points and grabbed 11 rebounds Sunday as Stanford edged Utah 79-73 in a Pac-12 Conference game in Palo Alto, Calif.

Brandon Angel added 16 points and seven boards for the Cardinal (9-7, 4-2), while Michael Jones chipped in 15 points. Kanaan Carlyle tallied 12 before fouling out for Stanford, which earned a 40-35 advantage on the glass and outscored the Utes 19-4 at the foul line.

The Cardinal have won four of their last five games, while the Utes have lost three of their last four.

Daivon Smith led Utah (12-5, 3-3) with a triple-double, scoring 16 points, dishing out 11 assists and grabbing 10 rebounds. Branden Carlson added 16 points and Gabe Madsen contributed 14. The Utes played without starting point guard Rollie Worster, who was held out because of a lower leg injury.

Neither team owned a double-figure lead until Angel made a layup with 12:39 left for a 50-40 advantage. The margin reached 12 at one point before the Utes crawled within 62-60 with 5:04 remaining on Madsen's 3-pointer.

However, the Cardinal kept Utah at bay with excellent foul shooting down the stretch, making 7 of 8 over the final 1:25. Jones scored 10 points in the last 2:01, sealing the outcome with two free throws with five seconds left.

After leading UCLA by 50 points Thursday night in a 90-44 rout of the Bruins, Utah spent the first three minutes looking like it might blow out Stanford. It started with consecutive 3-pointers and led 8-2 less than three minutes into the game.

Then the Cardinal found some footing and ripped off their own 8-2 run. From that point, the teams swapped the lead for the half's remainder. The Utes used the 3-point line to score their points and Stanford used an 8-1 advantage in made free throws to make headway on offense.

It was Raynaud that gave it a 34-32 edge at the break when he converted a 3-point play with five seconds left, capping a 12-point half for the center. The Cardinal made just 11 of 31 shots but only committed one turnover.

—Field Level Media

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