Stanford’s talismanic senior forward Maxime Raynaud became the program’s all-time single-season leader in double-doubles as Stanford men’s basketball (18-10, 10-7 ACC) overcame Boston College (12-16, 4-13 ACC) with ease at Maples Pavilion Wednesday evening. Raynaud notched his 21st double-double of the season, claiming 23 points and 10 rebounds, leading all players in both categories on the night. 

“It felt special,” Raynaud said, of his record-breaking night. “I had no idea how [my college career] was going to turn out, so being in the [history] books is really special.”

Raynaud started the offensive outpour for the Cardinal, scoring 7 of the team’s first 12 points. Graduate guard Jaylen Blakes, coming off an underwhelming performance against Cal where he fouled out, facilitated the offense well early on. Blakes finished the game with 11 points and 3 assists. Two early steals by redshirt sophomore guard Ryan Agarwal, meanwhile, set the tone defensively as well.

The assist of the game came from Raynaud at the 14:35 mark of the first half. The French big man received the ball behind the arc, pump faked, drove inside, then flipped the ball behind his back to junior guard Oziyah Sellers, who drained a triple from the left corner. The shot extended Stanford’s lead 12-6. 

Junior forward Chisom Okpara also contributed significantly in the first half, coming off the bench to score 7 first half points, the highlight of which was a textbook-perfect step-back shot from behind the arc.

“I don’t take any opportunity for granted,” Okpara said. “I trust in my abilities to go impact the game in any way.”

With the Cardinal scoring at will, Raynaud attempted a three-pointer and saw it blocked, sending him tumbling to the ground. Any concern over his health was quickly discarded, though, as he picked up the ball moments later and converted a three-pointer on his next attempt, reaching 10 points in the process.

With points and assists coming at ease, Raynaud displayed extra tenacity on the boards as he looked to surpass Adam Keefe’s program record for double-doubles in a season. One of Raynaud’s rebounds came in the closing minutes of the first half as he secured an offensive rebound and scored on the follow-up. Blakes followed with an intercepted pass at midcourt and a capitalizing dunk that prompted an Eagles’ timeout. The first half ended 37-19 in Stanford’s favor. 

The first two scores of the second half belonged to the Cardinal as it picked up right where it had left off. The Stanford offense exhibited great ball movement and dominance in the paint throughout the contest, tallying 34 points in the paint. Second-chance opportunities also bore fruit for Stanford. On one such occasion, Blakes wrestled a rebound from a defender before diving to the ground while passing in order to squeeze the ball through to Sellers, who nailed a three-pointer. 

With five minutes left in the game, Raynaud hauled in a defensive rebound to reach 10 for the night and solidify his historic 21st double-double. Though the game did not stop, much of Maples Pavilion rose and gave a standing ovation to one of Stanford’s most accomplished men’s basketball players.

“[Raynaud’s record] is quite an accomplishment,” said head coach Kyle Smith. “We were pretty excited, [he’s in] pretty good company with Adam Keefe, to say the least.”

The game finished in blowout fashion as Stanford won 78-60. However, the Cardinal faces a tough challenge next with SMU on Saturday, who handed Stanford a 61-85 loss when the two teams last met in Texas. The rematch marks Stanford’s final game at Maples Pavilion this season, where the team holds a 15-2 record. Tip-off is set for 2 p.m.