Stanford seeks to shake off slump as Utah Valley visits

Field Level Media|published: Tue 3rd December, 06:32 2024

Stanford forward Maxime Raynaud (42) grabs a rebound in competition with Grand Canyon forward Duke Brennan (left) and Grand Canyon guard Tyon Grant-Foster (7) during the second half of their game in the Acrisure Series in Palm Desert, Calif., Tuesday, Nov. 26, 2024.

A surprising loss has Stanford scrambling to get back on track when the Cardinal host Utah Valley on Tuesday night.

Cal Poly beat Stanford 97-90 on Saturday, earning its first win over a power conference opponent in 12 years. The Mustangs went winless in the Big West Conference and won just four games a season ago. For the Cardinal, it was their first loss to Cal Poly since 1976.

Maxime Raynaud led the Cardinal with 21 points, and he was one of five Stanford players who scored in double figures. Jaylen Blakes tallied 17 points, eight assists and four steals.

Stanford (6-2) took its second straight loss, yielding 63 second-half points to Cal Poly while allowing the Mustangs to shoot 20-for-28 from the field after halftime. The Cardinal average 79.5 points per game and have outscored their opponents by 10.6 points per contest this season.

"We really struggled guarding their penetration in the halfcourt and they can penetrate from all five spots and whether it was man or zone, it put us in a pickle," Stanford coach Kyle Smith said. "We weren't prepared enough and weren't good enough executing to keep those guys in front, keep them out of the lane."

Utah Valley (4-3) heads into its first-ever meeting with Stanford also looking to snap a two-game losing streak. The Wolverines dropped back-to-back games against Samford and North Dakota State in last week's Samford Thanksgiving Invitational in Homewood, Ala. Utah Valley posted a 1-2 record in the tournament after opening with a win over West Georgia.

UC Irvine transfer Carter Welling leads Utah Valley with an average of 14.8 points per game on 55.1 percent shooting from the floor. Welling also is the top rebounder for the Wolverines, pulling down 7.2 boards per contest.

Utah Valley last beat a power conference opponent when it knocked off Colorado 81-69 in the second round of the 2023 NIT. The Wolverines eventually reached the NIT semifinals that season before losing in overtime to UAB.

--Field Level Media