A Berkeley offense, led by sophomore forward Ivan Rabb, proved to be too much on Sunday night for Stanford men’s basketball (11-10, 3-6 Pac-12). The Cardinal fell 66-55 to the Golden Bears (15-6, 6-3) in front of a standing-room-only crowd at Berkeley.
The first half of the game proved to be a relatively even affair, with the teams exiting the half tied 25-25. However, the second half provided ample opportunity for Berkeley to pull away on the strength of its shooting and the offensive abilities of Rabb and senior guard Jabari Bird.
In the second half, Rabb shook off a sluggish start and scored 15 points during the final 20 minutes including eight during the final six minutes. Rabb finished the game with a total of 25 points, shooting 7-9 from the floor and made 9-14 free throws. His 25 points put him one point shy of his career-high point total.
There was, however, good news for the Cardinal as junior forward Reid Travis made his return to the court after being sidelined by injury for two weeks. Travis finished the game with a team-high 17 points, and went 7-of-15 in shooting during his 24 minutes on the court.
Junior forward Michael Humphrey formed another important offensive piece for Stanford, adding 10 points and nine rebounds to the scoresheet. However, Stanford as a whole suffered throughout the game with poor shooting, going only 38.8 percent overall and 5-of-15 from the perimeter.
In the past, Stanford men’s basketball has had a strong record against the Golden Bears, winning six of the past eight games in which the two teams have faced off. The Cardinal had been on a rebound in the past few weeks after a disappointing start to the season, winning three straight Pac-12 match-ups in January to improve their conference record.
However, as Stanford’s offensive woes had returned so to have the disappointing score lines. The team lost a disappointing game to No. 11 Oregon, which ended its three-game winning streak. The loss on Sunday against Cal sets their Pac-12 conference record at 3-6, something the Cardinal will certainly be looking to improve. The team will look to Travis and his return as an important part of boosting what has so far been a season of ups and downs.
However, the game also highlighted the fact that some things are bigger than basketball. During Sunday’s matchup, Stanford coaching staff once again participated in Coaches vs. Cancer Suits and Sneakers Week, a nationwide campaign uniting coaches across the country to raise awareness about the American Cancer Society’s mission. Cardinal coaches wore white sneaker and Princess Lacey’s laces, in memory of Lacey Holsworth, an 8-year-old avid basketball fan who passed away from cancer in 2014.
Stanford returns to the Farm next week, hosting Colorado on Thursday at 8 p.m.
Contact Amanda McLean at ammclean ‘at’ stanford.edu.