In its first game in front of a home crowd in 2022, the Stanford men’s basketball team (13-7, 6-4 Pac-12) took on rival Cal (9-13, 2-9 Pac-12) at Maples Pavilion Tuesday. Behind a strong defensive performance, the Cardinal hung on to win 57-50.

The game was neck and neck in the opening period, and Stanford took a narrow 21-20 lead heading into halftime.

Both offenses struggled to manufacture points in the first half. Junior forward Spencer Jones led Stanford in scoring at the half with a mere five points, while Cal forward Grant Anticevich paced the Bears with five of his own. Neither team gained an edge on the glass, as both teams collected 16 rebounds apiece.

The second half was a higher-scoring affair: each team shot the ball better and began to get to the free-throw line.

Freshman forward Harrison Ingram and senior forward Jaiden Delaire led the Cardinal scoring attack with 12 points each for the game. Jones and sophomore guard Michael O’Connell also contributed to the scoring load, both putting up nine points.

Cal Guard Jordan Shepherd scored a game-high 15 points, and center Lars Thiemann chipped in 11. Apart from Shepherd and Thiemann, Cal struggled to generate offense throughout the contest.

The difference-maker in Tuesday night’s game was Stanford’s defense. The Cardinal held the Bears to just 35.3% shooting from the field and 21.4% shooting from behind the arc. Stanford also won the turnover battle, forcing nine while giving up only seven.

Next up, Stanford will host Washington State at Maples on Thursday. Stanford already defeated the Cougars 62-57 in a Jan. 13 matchup in Pullman, Wash. Tip-off against Washington State is scheduled for 6 p.m. PT.