Stanford fends off pesky Sacramento State

Stanford used a pair of strong runs spanning both halves to turn a close game into a runaway, riding 18 points from Brandon Angel to a 91-73 nonconference men's basketball victory over visiting Sacramento State on Friday night.

Spencer Jones chipped in with 15 points, Maxime Raynaud 14 and Andrej Stojakovic 12 for the Cardinal (2-0), who opened the season with an 88-79 home win over Cal State Northridge on Monday.

Zee Hamoda scored a game-high 21 points and Brandon Betson had 17 for the Hornets (0-2), who were completing a two-game trip that tipped off with a 77-63 loss at Nevada on Tuesday.

Sacramento State hung within 38-37 after a Hamoda jumper with 2:35 remaining in the first half before the Cardinal closed the period on a 9-2 burst that opened a 47-39 lead the Cardinal carried into intermission. Stojakovic buried a 3-pointer while Jones, Benny Gealer and Raynaud had two-point hoops in the run.

The visitors' Jacob Holt opened the second half with a jumper to make it a six-point game before Stanford spurted again, this time scoring 12 of the game's next 14 points. Jones had the first five points in the run with a 3-pointer and two free throws, after which Raynaud hit a 3-pointer and Michael Jones a pair of layups, giving the hosts a 59-43 lead.

Led by Angel's 8-for-10 effort, the Cardinal shot 55.7 percent overall and 42.1 percent on 3-pointers. Spencer Jones (three), Raynaud (two) and Stojakovic (two) combined for seven of Stanford's eight successes from beyond the arc.

Raynaud also found time for a team-high seven rebounds, while Jared Bynum dished off a game-high 10 assists for the winners.

Hamoda's point total was mostly a product of 5-for-9 shooting on 3-pointers. The Hornets outscored Stanford 30-24 from beyond the arc despite making just 29.4 percent from distance.

Duncan Powell had the game's only double-double with 14 points and a game-high 13 rebounds for Sacramento State, while Betson finished with 17 points.

—Field Level Media