Stanford holds off upset-minded Merrimack

Oziyah Sellers hit 8 of 11 shots en route to a team-high 19 points, Maxime Raynaud logged his nation-leading ninth double-double and Stanford survived a challenge from visiting Merrimack for a 74-68 nonconference victory Tuesday night.

Jaylen Blakes scored 11 of his 16 points in the first 10 minutes, during which Stanford (9-2) blitzed the Massachusetts school with a 28-12 opening surge.

But the Warriors (5-7), visiting Northern California on a three-day trip that also will see them take on Saint Mary's, kept the Cardinal within arm's length the rest of the way.

Merrimack got as close as 46-42 on Matt Becht's 3-pointer with 15:28 remaining and was still within 52-47 at the 11:14 mark following Malik Edmead's free throw. But Raynaud nailed a 3-pointer, then blocked a shot, and Chisom Okpara dropped in a layup for a double-digit advantage.

The Warriors hung within 70-64 after a layup by Budd Clark with 37 seconds left. But Clark missed a free throw with a chance to complete a three-point play, and the hosts locked down the win with two foul shots apiece by Blakes and Raynaud.

Raynaud finished with a game-high 16 rebounds to go with 16 points for Stanford, which was playing Merrimack for the first time. Blakes complemented his 16 points with seven rebounds, a game-high five assists and two steals.

Ryan Agarwal was a fourth Cardinal scoring in double figures with 11, while Okpara chipped in with nine points and two steals off the bench.

Blakes made all four of his 3-point attempts while Sellers and Agarwal drilled three each for Stanford, which outscored the visitors 33-21 from beyond the arc.

Clark was the game's leading scorer with career-high 32 points, making 14 of 21 shots. Becht added 12 points for the Warriors, who saw a four-game winning streak come to an end.

Bryan Etumnu was Merrimack's leading rebounder with seven. Clark hauled in six to go with a team-high three assists.

-Field Level Media